Nymphing on the Bow

[the holster]

My buddy and I are going to try our luck once again on the south Bow. SJW seems to work quite effectively. I was just wondering 2 tiny little wonderings (Nice word). Is there a more productive nymph to try and secondly where do all the successful nymphers attach their splitshots-between rod and before the nymphs, or at the bottom of the line (tippett) after the nymphs? Some nice fish are gettting caught but not too frequently. Just trying to increase my fish to hours angled ratio. Thanks so much for your input.
the holster

[DuckBrat]

4 to 6 inches above your first fly. Or you can tie a bottom bounce rig with the split shot on the point (last or bottom position). Try both see what works best on what day. Good luck.

[tonyflyfish]

4 t0 6 inches or maybe try 8 to 12 inches for a change. For some reason I have better luck with dark colored flies in murky water, so maybe try brown or grey vs the red. Only my thoughts, not trying to contradicte any others as they are all good guys and gals.
Depending on the water I try to land my fly a little upstream to give it that extra time to sink.
Enjoy!

[the holster]

Thanks so much. It seems that too often my nymph isn't bouncing off the bottom and if you put on that extra little ss, the whole contraption seems to get unwieldy and frustrating to chuck. the holster

[DuckBrat]

The closer the weight is to the flies the less you will tangle but if the fish are negative that day you may have to increase the distance as tony said.

[notagoodtroutfisher]

I seperate my bottom 2 flies with 18" of tippet. In the middle of these two, is where I use my shot. I have found less snags this way as your shot hits the bottom and the dropper fly rides just above

[the holster]

Do all you nymphers of the Bow think a 9ft leader is adequate? I find when your leader approaches the 10ft mark it is much more difficult to control all that hardware.
the holster

[Scott N]

I use a large, heavy San Juan Worm in place of splitshot, then add a dropper about 12"-18" below the worm. I find leaving the splitshot out of the picture makes for fewer tangles.


Holster, are you mending your line when you fish the Bow? It's one of the keys to getting right on the bottom consistently.

[rustynailz]

Do all you nymphers of the Bow think a 9ft leader is adequate? I find when your leader approaches the 10ft mark it is much more difficult to control all that hardware.
the holster

Your leader needs to be long enough that your flies get down without having so much slack that you don't get hits telegraphed back to you. In 3' of good choppy water, that might be 6' with a couple of splits. In 6' of slow water, that might be 12-13' with very little weight.

Like someone said above - you have to get the flies down. You also want to have nice long drag free drifts without dredging all the time. Next time you're out start experimenting with different amounts of weight and leader length and see what works best for you. Shorter leaders with more weight are a little easier to cast and are more forgiving to crappy mending in general. As your mending gets better, you can cut the weight back a bit, lengthen the leader, and focus on getting nice looooong drifts.

[-CLM-]

I use a large, heavy San Juan Worm in place of splitshot, then add a dropper about 12"-18" below the worm. I find leaving the splitshot out of the picture makes for fewer tangles.

x2

Get that split shot out of there. A bead head San Juan 12-18" above the dropper has been deadly for me. If you need extra sinking power for faster and deeper runs add some "Zink" to your fly's/tippet.

[the holster]

Thanks for all the useful advice. SOOOOO- I think when I head out, I will tie some heavier BH SWJ and limit my use of splitshots (2-3 of these are too much)I will also lengthen my leader to at least 10 feet and work on my mending. Look forward to putting all this into practice. I will post my results.
BTW spoke to the NEW landowner down by Nature's Hideaway. Man he is SERIOUS about people on his land. Too much garbage, even ATV users and party animals have certainly increased his ire directed toward the flyfisherman. He expects everyone to walk the shore (Bow River-easy to do), (Highwood tributary, when the ice melts, you'll have to wade).
the holster

[walking buffalo]

All good advice above. When you take the time to "tune in" physically and mentally, you will get into the zone.

Where possible, I will walk down the shoreline with the the flies drifting, mending as I go, sometimes for 40-50 yards if the water is worthwhile covering. Saves on casting, covers a lot of ground, and burns the beer away.

[DuckBrat]

BTW spoke to the NEW landowner down by Nature's Hideaway. Man he is SERIOUS about people on his land. Too much garbage, even ATV users and party animals have certainly increased his ire directed toward the flyfisherman. He expects everyone to walk the shore (Bow River-easy to do), (Highwood tributary, when the ice melts, you'll have to wade).
the holster


Can't blame him, it has become a popular place. For the most part the Fly guys are not the ones to worry about. I did however see a certain burgandy car drop his Wendy's bag out the window after packing up his new 5 weight St Croix. Not cool. May I recommend taking a garbage bag with you when you all head out and pick up some items when you leave. A visual to this landowner that our group actually cares may pave a new relationship in future. Maybe we could arrange for a walkway to be built one day if we can change his mind. Just a thought of course.

By the way I know this thread is about nymphing but I was having good success with streamer patterns quartered across, drifted and hard stripping back.

[dennisb]

Beaded headed SJW all the way, thus no need for a split shot. I pimp out my SJW's with some floss in a red Gamagatsu octopus hook. Dont forget about the black wooly buggers, copper john's and the good old beaded prince nymph's. if I'm fishing faster water, I will tie a Beaded wooly bugger on the bottom and a SJW about 24-30" higher.

[the holster]

Two thoughts! Your ideas about the SJW are great. Picking up garbage and leaving the place just a little cleaner than when you first arrived is also a concept to seriously consider.
Here is my idea for the SJW. You need acetate floss (Bright red of course). Use thin lead wire to add weight, res superfloss for a lively looking tail and copper wire for ribbing. For a fantastic look, after you wrap the acetate floss, dip the SJW into a small container o acetone for maybe 5-10 secs. The acetate "liquefies" somewhat and then you wrap the copper wire into this brilliant red floss. The wire is countersunk and the fly really looks wet and juicy. One word-I think the french say it best "delicious". the holster

[BiggDirty]

Hey there, just a suggestion that seemed to work well for me in terms of reducing tangles in your line. I use a small swivel and have found that this has helped alot when chucking a three nymph rig. I usually run 5-6 feet of leader, small swivel, 2-3 feet of 5-8 lb tippet till my first fly. Then usually space each fly after that by 12-18 inches.

Evil Weevil, copper john, small red blood worms and SJW have been the ticket for me lately. Lots of fish holding in shallow slow water.

Hope that helps!

[mudhead]

Hey Holster,sorry I could'nt resist.I know a sure fire way you could hook into a few of those beauty's down on the bow, are yah ready? Here it comes,how about leaving me at home.:lol:just kidding, can't wait till sunday.

[hit1987]

Hey there, just a suggestion that seemed to work well for me in terms of reducing tangles in your line. I use a small swivel and have found that this has helped alot when chucking a three nymph rig. I usually run 5-6 feet of leader, small swivel, 2-3 feet of 5-8 lb tippet till my first fly. Then usually space each fly after that by 12-18 inches.

Evil Weevil, copper john, small red blood worms and SJW have been the ticket for me lately. Lots of fish holding in shallow slow water.

Hope that helps!

Thanks, Biggdirty. The small swivel worked great. When we cast the fly, there are lot of twists on the line and all these twists ended on the tippet, which causes some tangles. But the small swivel just removes the twists by turning itself. Great idea. Thanks again. Wondering if this also applies to dry fly.