How do you get your nymph to the bottom?

[tacklerunner]

Do most of you use floating line and a longer leader possibly with a split shot to get your nymph to the bottom?

Is a sink tip fly line a better option in really deep pools?

Thanks in advance.

TR

[Scott N]

Depends on where you're fishing and what the water is like. Usually when I'm nymph fishing, it's on the Bow River. Instead of split shot, I'll use a large weighted San Juan Worm in place of split shot for weight, and then add a dropper fly. Properly mending your line is also important when nymphing.

I find that sink tip line is an advantage on larger rivers like the Bow, but on smaller river, usually I could get by on a floating line.

[chubbdarter]

Do most of you use floating line and a longer leader possibly with a split shot to get your nymph to the bottom?

Is a sink tip fly line a better option in really deep pools?

Thanks in advance.

TR

i only use my full sink set up for swinging streamers in the really deep stuff downstream of carsland

Full float for boober and lead fishing. No tapered leaders the heavy end of a tapered leader just hinders the drop. No girlyman indicators....big styrofoam bobbers with the clips on both ends...canadian tire carries them. Straight 8lb flourocarbon leader, usually 1.25 or 1.5 longer than water depth...depends on water speed. I dont use weighted flys anymore....they are lifeless and snag more. 18 inch between flys and bolt on as much shot as needed, between flys and above. I almost always fish big nymph patterns and i like fuller and meatier flys, i believe they hang on longer and hit them harder. I believe a lose dubbed rubber legged fly feels more real in their mouths, some fish actually wont let go. The addition of a flashbck has really increased my hook ups. I dont know if the flash works due to pure attraction or it realistically resembles a gas bubble.
You know your setup is at its best when your mending very little. Also at the very end of your delivery a small jerk will torpedo the flys and lead into the water and tuck it under your indicator faster.

[chubbdarter]

in water less than 3-4 feet deep and during certain times of the year. The hopper dropper is tough to beat. The hopper doesnt need to be a hopper....just bouyant enough to carry your dropper. My dropper is usually a beadheaded pheasant tail nymph or a small goldenstone. I use hare dubbing for body material, it holds water better than the synthetics. The more water a nymph holds on the back cast the better. The rewetting process on every cast slows is drop

[Coulee]

Simple tips for nymphing in flowing water:

1. Your leader should be twice as long as the river is deep. (Fishing in 6 ft of water, you need a 12 ft leader.)

2. Use two weighted nymphs, about 12 inches apart from eachother. (On the Bow a San Juan/Prince nymph tandem works well)

3. You will know if you are deep enough because your flies will snag bottom occasionally. That's good. If they never snag, that's bad.

4. Last but not least: When you cast, your flies must land upstream of your line, or the current tends to push them towards the surface, instead of down. That tip alone will catch you more fish.

5. Always use a strike indicator.

[lifesaflyin]

I tie my own so I weigh down my flies with lead wire or lead ribbon

[Jwood 456]

I just buy weighted nypmhs at the tackle shop and use sinking line. I also find that the shiny bead weight triggers more strikes too.

[Dust1n]

long leaders floating line with tungston bh if you want depth

[deadnutz]

X2 on the Tungsten bead head.

[ericlin0122]

3-9 ft leader is pretty much all u need for bow, add split shot to get down quicker.
lots of people don't like to fish 2~3 ft of water, wade in right a way. But guess what, fish holds there.

[goldscud]

You need 16ft of leader for 8 feet of river water?????
You must miss a lot of fish with that much leader in the water. Never found a need for more than 9-10ft of leader in the Bow ( a little weight will get your leader down). I guess we've been missing something for the last 30 years.

[Guitarplayingfish]

x2. nicely said. Also, if you are fishing a current and want to get down faster, if a size 12 or 10 nymph with a size 14 or 16 dropper behind it isn't enough to get you deep, don't hesitate to throw a splitshot about a foot above your first fly.


Simple tips for nymphing in flowing water:

1. Your leader should be twice as long as the river is deep. (Fishing in 6 ft of water, you need a 12 ft leader.)

2. Use two weighted nymphs, about 12 inches apart from eachother. (On the Bow a San Juan/Prince nymph tandem works well)

3. You will know if you are deep enough because your flies will snag bottom occasionally. That's good. If they never snag, that's bad.

4. Last but not least: When you cast, your flies must land upstream of your line, or the current tends to push them towards the surface, instead of down. That tip alone will catch you more fish.

5. Always use a strike indicator.

[Guitarplayingfish]

Also, twice as long isn't always the case. It really depends on the how fast the water is flowing and the column of water the fish are feeding from (if you see any)... Your fly will drop faster in stagnant water than in a current. depends on the size of the run, lots of variables. Just try to get enough line to tick along the bottom occasionally.