Fly Fisherman Throwback: Getting to the Bottom

Editor's note: Flyfisherman.com will periodically be posting articles written and published before the Internet, from the Fly Fisherman magazine print archives. The wit and wisdom from legendary fly-fishing writers like Ernest Schwiebert, Gary LaFontaine, Lefty Kreh, Robert Traver, Gary Borger, Joan & Lee Wulff, Vince Marinaro, Doug Swisher & Carl Richards, Nick Lyons, and many more deserve a second life. These articles are reprinted here exactly as published in their day and may contain information, philosophies, or language that reveals a different time and age. This should be used for historical purposes only.

This article originally appeared in the April 1981 issue of Fly Fisherman magazine. Click here for a PDF of the print version of "Getting to the Bottom."

---

Taken with permission from the book, Joe Humphreys's Trout Tactics by Joe Humphreys, ©1981, Stackpole Books, Cameron and Kelker Streets, Harrisburg, Pa.17105, $12.95.

George Harvey and I were invited to fish a private stream near Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Our host, John Youngman, sent us to a beautiful stretch of pocket water that tumbled along hemlock-lined banks at a mountain's edge. George, my fishing mentor and frequent on-stream companion, and I engage in friendly competition whenever we fish together. That day, George laid the ground rules. "We'll fish nymphs upstream and alternate pockets and pools," he said. "You take the first one."

I nodded and waded into the pool, stripped twenty feet of line off the reel and flipped a cast up and across the glide. It was rather a deep, swift glide, so I thought a short cast with a tight line and quick retrieve would be the answer. But even with the weighted fly I was using, I had trouble getting the nymph deep enough in the strong current.

No strikes. Fifteen minutes later I noticed that George was growing impatient. I waded to shore without saying a word, thinking that the fish just weren't there.

George took the next pool. He stood far back from the tail and shot a cast to the head. He stopped his rod sharply at the 10:30 position, and the weighted nymph bounced back in the air, under the line, and dropped into the water. Then, holding the rod tip high, George stripped in the loose line as it drifted back to him. He continued to lift his rod tip as the nymph drifted closer. I noted that this technique kept the line straight and tight between his hand, the rod tip and the fly all the way-but the drift was never completed. The line twitched and a highly colored, fourteen-inch, native brown trout soon succumbed to the pressure of George's fly rod.

But I was still determined to do things my way. "So George found a taker and I didn't," I thought, "so what?" I'd show him that my tried-and-true techniques of fishing nymphs on a short line could also produce. My next cast was to a perfect pocket behind a midstream boulder. I moved off to the side of the pocket and laid a short, upstream cast tight to the boulder. I extended my arm and led my nymph through the pocket-again and again.

Nothing. Tired of waiting, George slipped around me and poked another cast into a pocket similar to the one I was fishing. Out of the corner of my eye I saw his rod arc and vibrate. "Another one! Damn the lucky..." I thought to myself. But after George had released the fifth and then the sixth trout, I knew luck had little to do with it.

That afternoon, after lunch, George laid it out for me. "You see," he said, "to use your short-line cast you had to get too close to the trout. You scared them before you ever made a cast. That water is low and clear. Even more important, your nymph never reached them in the deeper glides and pockets."

He went on to explain to me the mechanics of his cast. "Shoot to the top of the pool or the pocket, then check your cast high so that the weighted nymph actually tucks back under the leader and hits the water and gets to the bottom before the drag of the floating line has a chance to begin lifting it. When you complete your cast, keep your rod tip up. That way you can further eliminate drag by keeping as much line as possible off the water. And, of course, you must keep the line between you and the nymph as tight as possible. As the nymph comes back to you, make a steady retrieve of the line as you raise the rod tip. That keeps you in touch with where the nymph and the trout really are.

"Also, when you shoot to the top of the pool or pocket, your nymph covers the bottom of the pool from one end to the other. Covering that distance you have a better chance for a fish than merely working the tail, and you also have less chance of spooking the fish. It's just good common sense that the nymph enter the water first.

"Here, wade down below that pocket water at the breast of the dam and cast up behind that farthest boulder." Following his instructions, I used a short, sharp stroke that gave me the "tuck"–and the cast did exactly what he said it would. "Now keep that tip up!" instructed George.

His instructions stopped there and so did my line: a beautiful fifteen-inch brown interrupted the drift.

The tuck cast has produced for me a thousand times since, and from it I have developed other casts and nymphing techniques to form a complete system of fishing with weighted nymphs that works admirably under almost any stream condition. Four elements are critical to nymphing success: proper depth of presentation, natural drift of the fly, line control and a good imitation. The right combination of fly, tackle and technique allows the angler to fish nymphs with consistent success, and the tuck cast is an integral part of successful nymphing. [The author's step-by-step instructions for making the tuck cast appear in this issue's "Casting Pool." THE EDITORS]

Getting the fly to move naturally underwater is perhaps the most important aspect of nymph fishing, and ninety percent of the time the fly must be on the stream bottom, where the naturals and the trout are. That sounds so simple, but few of us think of techniques for doing this other than adding weight to the fly or leader or using sinking lines–all of which techniques sacrifice natural drift and line control for fishing depth.

The tuck cast is the most effective cast for fishing nymphs deep, and when combined with correct choice of line, retrieve, fly design and fly weight it is the cornerstone of a versatile and complete system for nymph fishing.

Lines for Nymphing

For most streams, my first and, with one exception, only choice for a nymphing line is a weight-forward or double-taper floating line. You can follow the drift of a nymph easily with a floating line, and these lines telegraph the trout's take more readily than the heavier lead-core or sinking lines.

Floating strike indicators at the end of the fly line can be helpful within reason. Cortland's fluorescent Nymph Tip has a dual advantage: It floats well and is highly visible in riffs and broken water. The additional weight of the Nymph Tip line also helps add momentum to the tuck cast. Most floating strike indicators, however, impair nymphing techniques. In this class, I include cork cylinders, bobbers, rolled styrofoam and so on, mostly because the extra drag in the air inhibits the tuck cast at the critical time when the line kicks.

Sinking lines are the least desirable solution next to using an anchor. They are difficult to control, and they belly underwater, which allows for little sensitivity. You must retrieve the whole line before you can make another cast. Sinking-tip lines on a stream are, in my experience, the worst of both worlds. Using the proper leader and weight system is the best solution, together with the tuck cast for maintaining that critical balance among fishing depth, line sensitivity and control.

Actually, my ace line system for deep nymphing and line sensitivity is monofilament. You can cast monofil­ ament with a fly rod? How can that be? Monofilament has no weight, there's no resistance. True, but when the weight is on the nymph end, nymphing with monofil­ ament becomes a very effective way of fishing deep, fast water-about the most effective there is. When you want to shoot for distance and get your nymph down to the bottom, I feel monofilament is the answer, not a sinking-tip line or a sinking line or a lead-core shooting­ taper and short leader. All of these lines, because of their weight and diameter, tend to belly underwater-often the fatal flaw in nymph presentation, especially in longer casts. As the current pushes through the line, it creates a belly and drags the fly. The greater the belly, the less communication the angler has with the actual movement of the fly. These other lines can do the job; a thirty foot lead-core shooting-taper will cover deep, fast water effectively, but I feel monofilament with the weight on the business end is even better. Cortland's Cobra flat monofilament is my choice.

To cast monofilament, you simply have to wait until you feel the pull of the weighted nymph behind you before you drift the rod forward into the power stroke. Any technique employed for nymphing with a fly line can be aptly accomplished with flat monofilament. The tuck cast, the tuck and mend and the conventional cast can all be done with monofilament. Only the roll cast is difficult. But by letting your line and nymph drift below you, then turning and facing upstream, using the pull of the current as your resistance in lifting the nymph to the surface, you can shoot a distance cast upstream or up and across-a sort of roll cast using the stream to create line tension.

The advantages of monofilament for nymphing (and for fishing streamers) are many. But, above all, the diameter of the line is small and so there is minimal air and water resistance, which means less drag. And that means better sensitivity to the fly,

Level, flat monofilament with a tapered leader suitable to the waters the angler wants to fish will do the job of a fly line with considerably less confusion than using a complex formula that calls for monofilament backing plus level fly line plus high-density shooting-taper plus leader. When weighted nymphs or additional weight is adjusted properly on the leader, and the line is tight from rod tip to fly, you can feel almost every rock and pebble on the stream bottom through the monofilament, even at distances beyond thirty feet. For shorter casts, it's possible to use a simple underhand-flip cast and still enjoy the sensitivity of a fly rod.

Retrieves

No matter what line the angler is using, any cast is only as good as the contact the angler has with the fly. My cardinal rule about retrieves is: Don't trap the line against the fly rod during the retrieve. I extend the index finger of my rod hand away from the rod and curl it gently over the line as I retrieve with my free hand.

All retrieves should be done in conjunction with the elevation of the rod tip. Keeping the rod tip up will help keep unwanted slack out of the line. The two retrieves that I use are the hand-twist retrieve and the strip retrieve.

I prefer to use the hand-twist retrieve when the current is slow and I'm working pockets and riffs directly in front of me with a short line. To work deeper, faster water, I use the hand-twist retrieve with an occasional line strip. But if the water is so deep and fast that a quick retrieve of line is necessary to keep slack out and to maintain contact with the nymph, a line-strip retrieve is what I use. Again, these retrieves are used in conjunction with the elevation of the rod tip for best results.

Weighting Nymphs

Getting the fly and leader down to the stream bottom when nymph fishing is important, but what about the action of the nymph when it's on the bottom? In order to observe the effect of nymph designs and the addition of weight on the action of a fly, I decided to observe the fly in the water firsthand. The following data is based on many hours in a cold limestone stream with scuba gear observing the action of my nymphs on the bottom.

The area of observation was downstream of broken water, where two major currents joined below a stone. The pocket was an ideal spot for observing nymphs at a variety of water depths and in different current speeds. At the head of the riff the depth was several inches, but it dropped rapidly to twenty-four inches and then to forty inches within the first twelve feet.

In water that was several inches deep to forty inches deep, a weighted nymph alone was most effective in staying on the bottom and maintaining the right action. Lead attached to the leader was unnecessary and impaired the natural drift of the fly.

A flat nymph drifts more naturally than a round nymph. An imitation with a flat shape rocks from side to side due to the interplay of the currents on the surface of the nymph. When the nymph comes in contact with varying velocities of the current on the bottom, it jerks up and down and behaves more like the natural. Regardless of the speed of the current, a flat nymph behaves more naturally than a rounded nymph,

The placement of weight in the fly pattern itself is significant. I use Mustad 9671 hooks, #6 through #12, 2XL, for most of my nymphs. If this hook is weighted in the front third of the hook (a strip of lead wrapped over cotton or dubbing, covered with thread, cemented and flattened with pliers), the fly will ride head-up in #8 through #12. But if the angler uses a #6 hook, the fly will ride head-down. This is because the greater length of #6 (and larger) hooks creates additional leverage that allows the weight to bring the fly head-down.

What I discovered about the way in which weight affects the float of the fly leads me to believe that it doesn't much matter whether the fly rides head-up or head-down. For many years, before my experiment, I thought the smaller flies were riding head-down. Actually, I think the head-up float might be better because it looks more like a natural, active nymph. But the head-down float is not a bad compromise in itself because it probably results in less hangups on the stream bottom. One further thing I discovered is that if the nymph is tied with a round body, it rides upside down (hook bend on top).

Since there are times when trout will take nymphs at any depth in the stream, I use several different weights of nymphs. I color-code these weights by using different colors of tying thread on the heads of flies. The different weights allow me to change nymphs quickly to meet different stream situations as I encounter them. The different weights I use are:

Surface nymph. This fly has no weight, and it is tied with a dubbing body that is spun on or looped on. It is fished on the surface and just below the surface.

No-weight nymph. I use this fly for fishing to depths of about one foot. The only weight is in a medium­ gauge brass wire used as ribbing. The greater the diameter of the wire, the deeper the nymph will ride in the water. The wire will also hold a flattened shape. If the tier applies floatant such as Mucilin to the dubbing, the nymph will bob up and down in the surface film in faster water, which is a very effective action.

Lightweight nymph. Tie a strip of tapered, lightweight (.003-inch-diameter) lead foil over the first third or one half of the hook and cover with tying thread. Dental X­ ray plates are excellent for the lead foil. Tie in the body fur and rib well with wire and flatten with pliers. I use this nymph and the following patterns to fish deeper than one foot, choosing the correct weight according to feeding level of the trout and stream conditions.

Middle-weight nymph. Spin a layer of cotton or dubbing over the front portion of the hook shank and cover with .030-inch-diameter wire.

Heavyweight nymph. This is tied the same as the middle-weight nymph, except .040-inch-diameter wire is used. This fly is good for fast runs or pocket water.

Super-heavyweight nymph. This is tied the same as the heavyweight nymph, except before dubbing the body of the fly add two strips of lead wire to either side of the leaded portion of the hook, holding them in place with wraps of tying thread.

This weighted-nymph system allows for maximum flexibility on the stream. My underwater observations showed that weighted nymphs have several distinct advantages over unweighted nymphs with lead weight on the leader: a more uniform natural drift, fewer hangup problems, easier control of speed and level of drift. These advantages may come as a surprise: "Weighted nymphs do that?" you may ask. The general feeling among anglers has been that underwater flies tied without weight in them have more natural action than do weighted flies, that the weight built into a fly impairs the fly's action. Indeed, unweighted nymphs would have better action than weighted nymphs if they could get to the bottom by themselves.

With unweighted flies fished on the bottom it is necessary to add weight in the form of split-shot or wrap-around lead strips. When you add such weight, however, it creates a dead spot on the leader between the rod tip and the fly. The nymph travels underwater faster than the lead weight and the angler feels the weight bouncing along the bottom, not the fly. When a trout picks up the nymph, the angler may not be able to feel the strike. But even when the angler detects a strike, chances are that by the time he lifts the line and takes up the slack created by the lead weight, the fish will have dropped the fly. Trout can pick up a nymph and spit it out again in less than a second. The other alternative for getting unweighted nymphs to the bottom is a sinking­ line system. But here again is the line-belly problem that impairs the angler's sensitivity to the fly bouncing along the bottom. When fishing nymphs, a fly with weight built into it and a tuck cast is the way to get to the bottom. In situations that require more weight, however, split-shot or wrap-around lead strips attached to the leader are preferable to a sinking-line system.

The only situation in which I use an unweighted nymph with split-shot attached is when fishing visible trout that are holding or feeding in less than a foot of water. I place one split-shot about four inches above a shrimp or small nymph pattern and cast above a visible trout. The shot will sink to the bottom and anchor the nymph. The nymph will ride above the shot and move back and forth in the current. Usually it is only a matter of time before the trout will move up and take the fly. This is an exciting tactic to employ.

Finally, because in some situations it is necessary to use additional weight on the leader to get the fly down, I made a study of the effect of adding such weight. My results are shown in the accompanying illustrations. These illustrations should help you choose the proper amount of weight and combinations of weight, weighted nymphs and nymphs on droppers for most trout-stream situations. It is also very important to experiment with the depth at which you are fishing your nymphs in order to find the depth at which the trout are feeding. Many anglers neglect to experiment in this way-trying out different amounts of weight and combinations of weight and weighted nymphs–because it seems like too much trouble. But if you take the time to experiment, you will often be rewarded for your efforts.

---

Joe Humphreys is Pennsylvania State University's angling professor. He lives on the banks of Spring Creek.

---