Short Line vs. Long Line Nymphing
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| The Proof's In The Pudding |
Fly fishing with nymphs is, by and large, the most consistent
way for fly fisherman to catch trout.
The majority of a trout’s feeding occurs along the bottom of a creek or river. However, nymphing methods vary far and wide across the globe. Here in the United States, it's popular for many folks to want to nymph fish with an indicator rig using split shot, which if done correctly creates a “hinge” effect, similar to how a door operates, that gives a visual indication of when you should set the hook.
However, this system can create some problems and there is sometimes a “time
lag” in how long it takes for your strike indicator to register a strike
depending on factors such as how much weight you have on the line and how long
your leader is. Many times while using a strike indicator, there will be no
visual that a strike has occurred, even if a fish grabs your fly. Fishing with a strike indicator is a
very practical way of fishing but you may want to consider learning new
techniques that can possibly improve your catch rates and productivity out on
the water.
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| Short-lining on the Chattahoochee |
One such method goes by the technical name of “short-line”
nymphing by many folks overseas or “high-sticking” here in the United
States. When fishing this
method you are taking the traditional strike indicator out of equation
entirely. Instead, you are keeping
in contact with your flies the entire time that you are fishing through a drift
and leaving little to no slack in your fly line or leader down to your flies. While using this setup, it is best to keep a fairly short tippet from the end
of your leader. Shorter leaders 7-10 foot in length terminating in a 4x-5x
tippet are great for this setup. By now you may be wondering how you are going
to get your flies down to the bottom.
The easiest way to jump right into this setup is to keep using just
enough split shot to be periodically ticking the bottom. You just keep a tight line down to your
split shot and feel for larger than normal ticks or see and feel pauses in the
drift, which are the usual indications that you should set the hook. However, fishing a tight line system
with split shot still can create a problem through the hinge effect that
introduces slack into the line. To counter this use flies with weight built into them in the form of
weighted tungsten beads or lead wire under the dressed fly. Weighted flies are not the end all of
slack in the system, but definitely can help you take some out of it out if you
fish them correctly. Ultimately short line methods can be used with any fly
rod/reel combination and are especially effective on our tighter and faster
streams here in the mountains where you can usually fish very close to your quarry.
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| Dukes Creek with a 30' Leader |
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| Using a Bright Red "Sighter" |
For most situations and places here in the southeast, short
line techniques are perfectly adequate. However there is one other technique
which, if done well, can give you more types of water to effectively fish and
can ultimately improve your success.
The types of water that I’m talking about are those that most would
consider least productive, slow glassy pools and long sections of shallow water
where fish are often very skittish.
In my and many others opinions, long line nymphing may be the most
productive way to fish. When fishing on a long line, you may have little if any
fly line out, which will require you to fish a very long leader of gradually tapered
monofilament. I find it easiest to
have a 20 foot section of 15-20 lb. test monofilament and taper the leader down
in increments of one foot at a time with lighter test monofilament. Mess around with varying lengths of monofilament
to figure out what works best with your rod setup and where you fish. Eventually,
you must taper the leader down to your tippet, which may frequently be 6X or
even 7X depending upon how spooky fish may be. A natural drag free drift is essential;
however you want to keep just the slightest bit of slack in the line to help
you detect strikes by watching and feeling for pauses, jumps, or other abnormal
behavior in your leader. A brighter section of colored monofilament, or
“sighter,” built into your leader definitely helps you in your strike detection
and attention to the drift. Generally, you want the flies you fish to be size
14 or smaller, slender in profile, and just heavy enough to slowly sink to the
bottom. Many who fish this way prefer flexible 10-11 ft., 2-4 weight rods like
Grey’s Streamflex or Sage’s ESN.
No matter which way you fish, being more well-rounded
definitely improves your chances of success on the water. Relying on one style
of fishing consistently will eventually lead you to a day where it just isn’t
happening and your productivity will show for it. Try these two techniques.
Once mastered, they will really up your catch rate!
See you on the creek!
Landon
