How to Rig Your Nymphs like a Pro
By: George Daniel
Our children will inherit our trout streams and whatever we leave in them. The new Camo Drops from Loon Outdoors are made from non-toxic tin and are available in nine sizes and two different container options. (George Daniel photo)
“Weighting is the hardest part.” While the phrase is a play on words from the great Tom Petty’s hit song, it couldn’t be truer when it comes to nymphing. By far the most popular question I get on daily basis is “how do you rig your flies for nymphing?” Most of those questions specifically revolve about the weight of the flies, placement of additional weight on the tippet, and about the right amount of weight to get a natural presentation at the right depth. I field all these questions simply because my fellow fly fishers cannot see what is going on below the surface, and people are often most curious about things that are not in plain sight.
The art of dry-fly fishing is just as difficult to learn as nymphing, but the biggest advantage dry-fly fishers have is that they can see exactly what their fly is doing throughout the presentation. They can see a dragging dry fly or notice when a trout refuses a presentation. Having these visual cues gives you motivation to change something in your system. On the flip side, with nymphing all you can do is watch the suspender or sighter (both forms of indicators) and develop a guess as to what the rig is doing.
A common trait of all good nymph fishers is that they have confidence in their systems. We all approach the same problems from different angles, yet come to successful endings if we have confidence in our systems. As Helen Keller once wrote, “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”
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