A Great Drift is an 'Indicator' of Success
Nymph fishing is the most reliable way to catch trout. It can work at any time of day during any time of the year, regardless of whether flies are hatching or fish are rising. And it's often the method that produces the best fish - lunkers that wisely hunker down near the bottom, while younger fish foolishly reveal themselves by feeding at the surface.
Generally speaking, successful nymph fishing requires a natural drift. It's true that trout will sometimes move to take a nymph that's swinging across the current, and occasionally even chase one that's being stripped like a streamer - after all, some nymphs are great swimmers. But mostly, trout are accustomed to feeding lazily on nymphs that are drifting helplessly downstream.
Getting your fly to tumble along in the current as though it weren't attached to a line may sound simple, but experienced anglers know it can be tricky indeed, mainly because you can't see the fly. Knowing what your Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear or Pheasant Tail is doing down in the murky depths is part visualization and part educated guess.
You can remove a good deal of the guesswork by using a strike indicator. Actually, "drift indicator" might be a better term. Yes, the indicator is useful for seeing strikes you might not feel; if it stops moving or gets yanked under, set the hook. But the indicator's most useful function may be the way it shows where your fly is on every cast. If your indicator is racing past bubbles on the surface or pulling in toward the shore instead of floating straight downstream, then your nymph isn't drifting with the current, and trout are less likely to strike.
Knowing your fly is being pulled off course empowers you to correct it. Try flipping some upstream mends into your cast to prevent a belly from forming in your line, or make a reach cast - finishing with the rod pointing straight upstream and the line angling down to the fly instead of straight across, so the fly has time to sink and drift true while the line catches up.
The indicator serves another important purpose: it suspends your nymph at just the right depth. Deeper is generally better when nymph fishing, but a nymph dragged along the bottom will drive you nuts by continually snagging rocks, sticks and debris. Let the indicator keep your fly floating just off the bottom, and you'll lose fewer flies and catch more fish (although getting snagged every now and then is a good thing, since it confirms that your fly is down deep where it needs to be.)
There are a number of different styles of indicators available. Classic styles are bits of red-and-yellow Styrofoam, sometimes with a hole through the middle where you jam your leader in place with a broken-off piece of toothpick, others with a slit for your leader to snuggle into and a segment of rubber band to keep it in place.
In recent years, indicators made of yarn have grown in popularity. Large tufts of brightly-colored polypropylene rug yarn, they're made with a small rubber O ring for attaching the leader. You simply fold a loop into your leader, push it through the O ring, slip the loop over the whole indicator, then pull the loop tight against the ring.
The newest style of indicator seen on the streams these days is the Thingamabobber, simply a hollow ball of lightweight plastic with a built-in O-ring. It's easy to cast, floats great and is highly visible.
These indicators are easy to put on - and easy to move, which is very important. Having the indicator in the right position on the leader can make all the difference. The rule of thumb is that the indicator should ride one and one-half times the depth of the water above the flies, so if you're fishing a run four feet deep, keep your indicator six feet above your fly. If you move down to the pool at the bottom of the run and think the water is more like six feet deep, you can simply slide the indicator up your leader to a spot nine feet above the nymph.
If your fly keeps gliding downstream hooking neither rocks nor fish, you may have underestimated the depth of the water. Move the indicator up so your nymph (and split shot, if you're using them) run more deeply. Likewise, if you're snagging bottom more than you should, move the indicator down the leader for a more shallow drift.
In nymphing, as in dry-fly fishing, a great drift is usually crucial for success. Do anything you can to make it happen, including using an indicator. If you take the trouble to keep it in the right position, your fly will drift along where the fish are, instead of sailing unnoticed over their heads.
Nymph fishing is the most reliable way to catch trout. It can work at any time of day during any time of the year, regardless of whether flies are hatching or fish are rising. And it's often the method that produces the best fish - lunkers that wisely hunker down near the bottom, while younger fish foolishly reveal themselves by feeding at the surface.
Generally speaking, successful nymph fishing requires a natural drift. It's true that trout will sometimes move to take a nymph that's swinging across the current, and occasionally even chase one that's being stripped like a streamer - after all, some nymphs are great swimmers. But mostly, trout are accustomed to feeding lazily on nymphs that are drifting helplessly downstream.
Getting your fly to tumble along in the current as though it weren't attached to a line may sound simple, but experienced anglers know it can be tricky indeed, mainly because you can't see the fly. Knowing what your Gold-Ribbed Hare's Ear or Pheasant Tail is doing down in the murky depths is part visualization and part educated guess.
You can remove a good deal of the guesswork by using a strike indicator. Actually, "drift indicator" might be a better term. Yes, the indicator is useful for seeing strikes you might not feel; if it stops moving or gets yanked under, set the hook. But the indicator's most useful function may be the way it shows where your fly is on every cast. If your indicator is racing past bubbles on the surface or pulling in toward the shore instead of floating straight downstream, then your nymph isn't drifting with the current, and trout are less likely to strike.
Knowing your fly is being pulled off course empowers you to correct it. Try flipping some upstream mends into your cast to prevent a belly from forming in your line, or make a reach cast - finishing with the rod pointing straight upstream and the line angling down to the fly instead of straight across, so the fly has time to sink and drift true while the line catches up.
The indicator serves another important purpose: it suspends your nymph at just the right depth. Deeper is generally better when nymph fishing, but a nymph dragged along the bottom will drive you nuts by continually snagging rocks, sticks and debris. Let the indicator keep your fly floating just off the bottom, and you'll lose fewer flies and catch more fish (although getting snagged every now and then is a good thing, since it confirms that your fly is down deep where it needs to be.)
There are a number of different styles of indicators available. Classic styles are bits of red-and-yellow Styrofoam, sometimes with a hole through the middle where you jam your leader in place with a broken-off piece of toothpick, others with a slit for your leader to snuggle into and a segment of rubber band to keep it in place.
In recent years, indicators made of yarn have grown in popularity. Large tufts of brightly-colored polypropylene rug yarn, they're made with a small rubber O ring for attaching the leader. You simply fold a loop into your leader, push it through the O ring, slip the loop over the whole indicator, then pull the loop tight against the ring.
The newest style of indicator seen on the streams these days is the Thingamabobber, simply a hollow ball of lightweight plastic with a built-in O-ring. It's easy to cast, floats great and is highly visible.
These indicators are easy to put on - and easy to move, which is very important. Having the indicator in the right position on the leader can make all the difference. The rule of thumb is that the indicator should ride one and one-half times the depth of the water above the flies, so if you're fishing a run four feet deep, keep your indicator six feet above your fly. If you move down to the pool at the bottom of the run and think the water is more like six feet deep, you can simply slide the indicator up your leader to a spot nine feet above the nymph.
If your fly keeps gliding downstream hooking neither rocks nor fish, you may have underestimated the depth of the water. Move the indicator up so your nymph (and split shot, if you're using them) run more deeply. Likewise, if you're snagging bottom more than you should, move the indicator down the leader for a more shallow drift.
In nymphing, as in dry-fly fishing, a great drift is usually crucial for success. Do anything you can to make it happen, including using an indicator. If you take the trouble to keep it in the right position, your fly will drift along where the fish are, instead of sailing unnoticed over their heads.