Questions about nymphing

[spmpdr]

So yesterday i was down on the middle deschutes and the river was nice!!!! I didn't notice a hatch present anywhere so i chose to do some nymphing . The water i was fishing was anywhere from 1- 5ft deep . I was using a size 14 and 16 copper john, prince nymph, golden hares ear natural bh. My main question is : Should i be able to feel the nymph bouncing off the bottom? i kept thinking to myself that it wasn't deep enough but all the nymphs i used were BH's.Should i use a strike indicator? What is your preference on this. Is it a waste of time to fish, say a BWO if you dont see a hatch or fish rising? I did get one violent strike yesters in a nice little pool in one of the outlets there. Sorry for the newb questions

 

[brandon4455]

when i nymph i use a corkie or a thingamabobber as a strike indicator and depending on the size of the fly and it's weight i will add a split shot . if it's beadhead size 16 and bigger i don't use any extra weight. i try to get the fly within an inch of the bottom, cast upstream at an angle and let it drift then repeat.

 

[spmpdr]

when i nymph i use a corkie or a thingamabobber as a strike indicator and depending on the size of the fly and it's weight i will add a split shot . if it's beadhead size 16 and bigger i don't use any extra weight. i try to get the fly within an inch of the bottom, cast upstream at an angle and let it drift then repeat.

Do you feel the nymph bouncing off the the bottom? How do you know your nymph is within a inch of the bottom?

 

[bigsteel]

if your not getting down use split shot,your nymph should be right down near the bottom,bead heads do not always sink to the bottom especially smaller ones.it is never a waste of time to fish it if they are not rising then they will be on the bottom,just gotta use the right techniques to get where they are at...........use a size 8 mega prince then a dropper with a size 14 or 16 copper john or hares ear and you will be on the bottom.

 

[Yohan]

If I'm fishing water where I need to get all the way down I like to use a heavy stonefly and then trail a smaller nymph behind it. As far as knowing when you are within an inch of the bottom, it is a feel/guessing game that only comes with experience. It will depend on depth, water flow, etc. The one thing I can say is if you think your not getting down, increase you leader/tippet or add split shot and then if you start hanging up, you're to low. You don't really want to bounce it along the bottom like steelhead; you want it floating just above the bottom. Line control (mendind, etc.) is very, very important when nymphing and a lot of people overlook that. A strike indicator will help you with that. You don't want your line dragging your flies; instead you want them to drift with the current and a strike indicator will help you visualize that. Experience is the key to being successful at nymphing because you never know exactly where your flies are or what they are doing.

When I first started nymphing I would get so frustated because my buddy, who had more experience than me, would always outfish me and pick-my-pocket all the time. After time on the water and learning to control my line, my hookup rate increased dramatically.

 

[redhawk50]

If I am fishing in the water near me and with pretty much only the leader and tippet in the water I don't use a strike indicator just go with watching the bend in the line and if it straightens at all I set the hook. If the current is not crazy and pretty consistent I tend to not use an indicator and use a high stick approach to again make that bend in the line to see a strike. I greatly enjoy, if legal, fishing a double nymph set up in either of the two above mainly I use a prince nymph or other with a small midge trailing it. If I am casting to where the line will be in the water across some varying current I like to use an indicator. If legal I will prefer to do a pretty heavily hackled dry fly that could catch fish with a nymph dropper set to what I think the depth of the water is. It is a feel thing though. It scares me how many fish I probably missed when I first started nymphing.