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Czech nymphing

4 Tips to Catching Big Trout Down Deep

by Fly Fishing Reporter on June 7, 2010

RiverBum.comThis Fly Fishing Tip is brought to you by RiverBum.com and Jake Ricks of Utah Fly Guides.

What Lies Beneath

There’s just something in all of us that wants to know what lies beneath. That’s a big part of the reason we fish. The deeper and darker the run or pool on a river the more we are inclined to think that a big old trout is hunkered down there with what looks to us like an ornery toothy frown on its face.

The good news: Our assumptions are correct a lot of the time. Every time I’ve seen or heard reports of electro-shock studies on rivers they pull some behemoth up from the bottom, even in streams with mostly small fish.

The bad news: Old big trout are tough to catch. You can find and fool them occasionally, but if I could get them every time, my guiding services would be in much greater demand.

Here are 4 tips to help you catch big trout:

1. Fish When Big Trout Are Feeding

Night is generally best. Morning and evening are good, as is runoff time. You won’t need to fish as deep when it’s dark. You may even get big fish to come up to hit mice and other big dries skated at night. Streamers are also very good in the low-light hours. Fish them slowly across the current or across and down with a short twitchy retrieve.

2. Fish Heavy Flies - Get Down Deep

I generally employ some type of European nymphing techniques like Czech/Polish nymphing with 2 or 3 very heavy weighted nymphs. (dead drifting heavy streamers also works) My nymphs for these situations are big, sometimes size 4, 6, or 8, and are generally tungsten beaded or double tungsten beaded. Cast short casts upstream of the target zone, let the flies sink, and drag your flies slowly along the bottom of the deep dark runs and holes with a tight line. Feel for unusual bumps and tightening of the line, then set the hook. You will lose flies. If you don’t lose some you need more weight. You can also fish these spots with traditional indicator rigs but remember you will need a long leader and big indicator. (Thingamabobber are by far the best indicators if you have to fish one.)

Ken chiming in here. If you are interested in learning more about the nymphing techniques Jake is discussing there are a number of good books on european nymphing available now.

3. Fish Heavy Flourocarbon Leaders

Flouro sinks faster and stretches a little less than nylon monofilament. It will sink better and transmit the feel of strikes faster. I like to use flat (not tapered) 2X flourocarbon leaders if I’m going after big fish in deep spots.

Ken again. I use Seaguar AbrazX flourocarbon for all my euro nymphing leaders. Save some money and get a big spool of Seaguar AbrazX fluorocarbon fishing line.

4. Lengthen Your Leader

Sounds basic but you’d be surprised at the resistance to doing this one: Lengthen your leader when it’s deep. Too many people fish with a 9 foot tapered leader all the time. That type of leader only really let’s you fish the top 4 feet of the water effectively. Fish a flat leader (not tapered) if you are nymphing and lengthen the leader to at least 1 1/2 times the suspected depth of the run you are fishing + 1 foot or so. If you guess it’s 6 feet deep then go 10 feet. If you think it’s 8 feet then a 13 foot leader is necessary. If you think it’s 12 feet deep then good luck casting the thing, but you’ll need 19 feet of leader or so to fish down to the bottom of the hole. One river I fish a lot, the Green River, has a few huge fish that hang out down at 15 to 20 feet. I just wave as I drift by.

There really are big trout down there. Get out there. Lengthen those leaders and catch one!

Jake Ricks
Fly Fishing Professional, Guide, and Author

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Tagged as: Czech nymphing, euro nymphing, european nymphing, european nymphing leader, Tips & Tactics

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[Video] How to Tie a Tungsten Jig

May 14, 2010 Fly Tying

I have to admit when I came across this week’s Friday Night Fly Tying Video by Chris Michels of Creek Addict I was a little embarrassed. I often use jigs for bass and panfish but I don’t normally think of using Tungsten jigs for trout, at least not on a fly rod. Used extensively in [...]

Tagged as: Czech nymphing, euro nymphing, Fly Tying, fly tying video, nymphs, tungsten jig

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European Nymphing Fly Rod Craze or Bandwagon?

January 27, 2010 European Nymphing

Well I guess European nymphing, or Euro nymphing, is officially a craze with several major manufacturers looking to get in on the action with new longer specialty fly rods targeting the US market this year. European Nymphing Craze I’m not exactly sure when it happened but European nymphing techniques including short-line Czech nymphing, and long-line [...]

Tagged as: Czech nymphing, euro nymphing, european nymphing, european nymphing fly rod, fly rod review, french nymphing, nymphing fly rod

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[How-to] Build a French / Spanish Nymphing Leader

November 18, 2009 European Nymphing
[caption id="attachment_1181" align="alignright" width="399" caption="French / Spanish Nymphing Leader"]French / Spanish Nymphing Leader[/caption]

I’ve been experimenting with European fly fishing nymphing techniques including Czech nymphing, French nymphing and Spanish nymphing. The Europeans have been kicking butt in international fly fishing competitions for years using these techniques for fishing nymphs so I figured they were worth a look.

Czech Nymphing

In the last few posts we covered Czech nymphing, a short-line nymphing technique the Czech’s and Polish fancy, including how to rig short-line nymphing leaders. Czech nymphing is similar to what we call High Stick nymphing here in the states, albeit there are a number of differences that make Czech nymphing more effective.

French / Spanish Nymphing Leaders

Shown above is a French / Spanish nymphing leader setup, which is what really makes this fly fishing technique effective. Now bear in mind there is no set formula for this type of leader setup so I’d hesitate to call this typical but common to the French and Spanish nymphing techniques is the use of long leaders, and I mean long.

Generally, the longer the better when fishing nymphs for wild fish or fish that receive a lot of angling pressure. The leader setup can and needs to be varied depending on the type and condition of water you are fishing (e.g., speed, depth, clarity, etc.).

What’s a Sighter?

You’ll notice something called a sighter in the French / Spanish nymphing leader diagram shown above. What is it? Well, in competitive fly fishing the use of strike indicators added to your line is prohibited. To get around (I mean comply with) this regulation the Europeans often incorporate a length of color monofilament into their leaders to aid in strike detection. Colored Dacron backing material also makes a great sighter.

[caption id="attachment_1169" align="alignright" width="400" caption="Coiled Mono sighter"]Coiled Mono sighter[/caption]

As the use of colored mono in competition is frowned upon by some, the French took this concept a bit further and developed the coiled mono sighter. This basically looks like a spring made from monofilament.

The backing sighter or coiled mono sighter is tied in about half way down the leader and fished with a taunt line right above or at the water interface. Fished with properly rigged flies the sighter is super sensitive and will help you see even the most subtle strikes.

Spanish Nymphing Leader – Going Long

Accustomed to fishing for spooky wild brown trout the Spanish have taken long-line nymphing to an extreme. It you want to have any chance of catching one of the very elusive Fario brown trout that exist in the Pyrenees mountains, as Hemingway did in the 20’s, you need to use long (and I mean long) thin leaders, upwards of 30 feet!

To build a Spanish nymphing leader, take the diagram above and stretch it out to 25 to 30 feet, lighten up the mono used in the butt sections and extend the tippets down to 6x or 7x for use with lighter flies, both dries and nymphs.

If this sounds like something that is a pain in the arse to cast, your right! Kind of makes you wonder why they bother. I suppose the beautiful trout, stunning scenery and the challenge of it all has some thing to do with it.

How-to Cast a Long-Line Nymphing Rig

In short, it’s takes some getting used to casting these long-line nymphing rigs. Here are 3 tips:

  1. First and foremost you need a longer rod with a slower action than is typically used here in the states.
  2. Secondly, you need to slow down your cast.
  3. Lastly, you need to be patient and willing to practice.

This technique is not for everybody but is well worth it for those who persist (like most things in life – go figure).

French / Spanish Nymphing Fly Rods

As for fly rods, most of the Europeans use a 12-foot rod. This helps tremendously. In particular, the longer rod helps with line control and keeping line off the water, two elements that are important when fishing like a European.

I started Euro nymphing using an 8.5 ft rod and just about went insane. I went up to a 9-ft rod and it got a little easier. I am now using a 10-ft rod and am finally starting to get the hang of it but I see an 11-ft rod in my future (I’m just not so sure my wife does!).

I like How the French Do It (nymphing that is)

The French nymphing style, for me, was like Goldie Locks finding the bed that was not too hard and not too soft, but just right. A cross between Czech nymphing and Spanish nymphing techniques (at least as I understand it), the French nymphing style suits me well.

Fished upstream in a quarterly motion while maintaining a tight-line and leading your flies slightly ahead of the current, an 18-foot French nymphing setup (diagram shown above) allows you to keep some distance from the fish yet remain in good contact with your flies. Add in the phenomenal strike detection you get with the coiled mono sighter and you’ve got a winning combination!

What’s Next?

Next up we will delve into the mysterious world of sighters, including two video tutorials to show you how to build a backing sighter and how to build a coiled mono sighter. Lastly, we will conclude this mini-series on European nymphing with a review of fly rods best suited to the European nymphing style and more importantly where to get them!

Go Euro or Go Home!

p.s. If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy these fine works of literature by fellows in the know:

The Challenge of Nymph Fishing By Paul Prentiss
Spanish Nymphing by The Blue Quill Angler
French Nymphing Review by Alain Barthelemy

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Tagged as: Czech nymphing, Czech nymphing leader, euro nymphing, european nymphing leader, french nymphing, spanish nymphing

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[Video] How-to Rig a 2-Fly Czech Nymphing Setup

November 10, 2009 European Nymphing

A little intimidated by the thought of fishing 3 or 4 flies like the Czech’s do? So was I, and frankly it’s a bit of a pain in the butt. Not to worry though, a 2-fly Czech nymph setup works pretty darn well too.

2-Fly European Nymphing Rig

In this video tutorial (click here if you can’t see the video above), Aaron Jasper of Trout Predator Online shows us how to rig a 2-fly European nymphing setup that can be used with a Czech nymphing leader or when fishing a Spanish or French style nymphing setup.

A Simple Dropper Fly Setup

The setup as shown in the video is often used by the Spanish and French and consists of 5 feet of 5X fluorocarbon tippet material coming off a backing or coiled-mono sighter to an anchor fly. A second, lighter fly, is tied off a dropper about 20-inches above the anchor fly. We will discuss how to make and use a backing sighter and coiled sighter in our next few articles on Spanish and French nymphing techniques.

The same 2-fly setup can be used to build a Czech nymphing leader, only we would not need the sighter using this short-line nymphing technique.

Improved Surgeons Knot

The dropper fly is tied in using a double or triple Surgeons Knot, as shown in the video (I know it is a little hard to see), or an Orvis Tippet Knot can be used. When using a Surgeons knot I take the dropper tag and throw a half-hitch above the Surgeons Knot. This makes the dropper come off the leader at more of a right angle and helps reduce tangles. The Surgeons and Orvis Tippet Knots are illustrated at Orvis Animated Knots.

Note: When tying in the dropper make sure to attach the fly to the lower tag end of the Surgeons Knot. If you use the upper tag (the one going back toward the fly line) the knot will come apart. I learned this the hard way, several times!

Spanish / French Nymphing Techniques

Spanish nymphing and French nymphing, are they all that different? Find out in our next How-to article on European nymphing techniques by subscribing to The Fly Fishing Reporter Newsletter.

Enjoy!

p.s. Subscribe to The Fly Fishing Reporter to receive a weekly digest of our Fly Fishing Reports, Trip Planning, Gear Talk and How-To articles, and Fly Tying Videos.

Tagged as: Czech nymphing, euro nymphing, european nymphing, european nymphing leader

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