** NOTE ** Find the YouTube Video Below Seeing the fly is one of the most enjoyable aspects of fishing. But there's a world of education inherent, too. Watch the fly dance and fall as it mixes with the currents. Notice how it responds to rod tip animation and line...
** NOTE ** Find the YouTube Video Below When the water levels rise, you know the advice - fish the edges. And while targeting bank water and edge seams can be a great strategy under many conditions, fishing the edges is almost required at the highest flows. Let's look...
** NOTE ** Find the YouTube Video Below I use one fly rod for everything. It doesn’t matter if I’m fishing dry flies, nymphs, wet flies or streamers, the rod I leave the truck with is the rod I’m using all day. That might sound like I need to make compromises for this...
** NOTE ** Find the YouTube Video Below Trout eat nymphs, and they eat them a lot. Sometimes it seems like that's all they'll eat. But how and where are trout eating nymphs in the moment? Sometimes, trout eat nymphs on the drop -- as the fly is falling or fluttering...
Understanding the fly’s position — where it is and where it’s going — is the key challenge in fly fishing. And aside from basic casting skills, an awareness of the fly in the current is the most essential skill.
Never forget that it’s all about contact — not all the time, and not so much that you’re moving the nymphs. Perfect tracking is just barely out of contact. And throwing a pile of slack into the water only works when you get lucky.
We’re told that selective trout eat smaller flies. And I’m convinced that the most pressured trout prefer more natural patterns too. But how can our small non-descript nymph, with no adornments or flashy attractions, possibly stand out enough to convince a trout? How can we make a simple, small fly stand out? Put bait in front of it . . .
Keep it simple, and don’t make too many assumptions about what’s available down below. The bug most visible and available in the air might not be what takes the trout’s attention underneath.
Some anglers lend too much credence to the hatch charts for nymph selection. A nymphing angler must be careful not to take every dry fly concept and principle underneath.
Never forget, what you see on the surface or in the air does not necessarily correlate with the best fly choice under the water. Tan Caddis may be all over the water’s surface, but are they easily available as a nymph to the trout right now? We can’t know that for certain, but we can test the theory . . .
Choosing a fly rod that’s perfect for the Mono Rig or euro nymphing starts with knowing your goals. How versatile do you want to be?
From the best all-around fly rod that’s ready to handle nymphs, streamers and more on a long leader, to specialized euro nymphing rods and dedicated streamer rods, here are my favorite tools for fishing the Mono Rig . . .