Absolutely Tom, I couldn't agree more with your observations. When I started nymphing without a strike indicator, my catch rate increased. I have used the same technique and have also caught fish at all stages of the presentation. The fly is only part of the technique, the rest is presentation, presentation, presentation. Keeping the fly in the water is very important, even fishing out a bad cast can produce a catch. I can usually spot a novice by watching the number of false casts. The fly in the water is what catches the fish, the fly in the air doesn't. George Vincent
_____ From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Tom Davenport Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2009 18:34 To: [email protected] Subject: [VFB] Re: Active Nymphing was QUOTE FOR THE DAY I learned to fly fish about 15 years ago when a friend helped me get rigged up and taught me how to cast and fish. He was a nymph fisherman (anyone who fishes the Weber River where I fish most often is) and he taught me to dead drift the fly behind a strike indicator. Later I talked to another friend who had been a fly tyer and fly fisher for years, and asked him if he used a strike indicator and the dead drift. He said no, he always used a shorter line and followed it as it drifted through the deep holes. So I tried his technique and started catching more fish. Several years later I realized what I was doing is called "High Sticking" and it is still my preferred method to dig a bunch of fish out of a deep hole. It always includes a lift at the end, and often I strip it back, and have caught fish both ways. Also with a nymph and a swing, especially when there are caddis hatching. While the basic idea of the "dead drift" is sound, but I don't think it is as important as some people think. Sometimes adding a little motion to the fly is exactly what the fish need to strike. If I am fishing a long, deep run, I will often combine them all... Maybe cast into a back eddy, let the fly sink then strip it into the main current, let it dead drift until it comes close to me, then lift the line and high stick through the water next to me, with a swing on the end, followed by stripping the line back. I have caught fish at all stages of the presentation of the fly. I think we spend too much time wondering what a fly "represents" . Most often, it is just something that looks like food to the fish, and movement can be a trigger. Perhaps the most important thing is just keeping the fly in the water, and close to the bottom. Tom P.S. By the way, I am officially "back". My strength, energy, appetite, are all normal. I am also making progress with the other two side effects of the surgery. Life is good. The only downside is that my intention to attend Sowbug this year has been derailed by $3000.00 in medical expenses (since I was in the hospital in December and January, it get to pay for two years worth of deductibles). I was really looking forward to seeing Tony again, but my son is a trucker, and if he has a run this summer that comes within 200 miles of Flippin, I'll be there to visit (I'll call first). On Feb 14, 2009, at 6:21 AM, Anthony Spezio wrote: This called the "Miracle Inch". I use it a lot and get some violent strikes. At first I would get a lot of break offs till I learned to keep the line loose in my line hand. I would "twitch" the nymph on the drift let it swing and hold it there for a short. Then work it back up stream like a wounded minnow. Tony --- On Fri, 2/13/09, KP <[email protected]> wrote: From: KP <[email protected]> Subject: [VFB] Re: Active Nymphing was QUOTE FOR THE DAY To: "VFB Mail" <[email protected]> Date: Friday, February 13, 2009, 5:01 PM I love upstream dry fly fishng and in the winter I fish my nymphs this way too. A friend of mine just came back from a course here in the UK and they were shown how the masters of short line nymphing do the job. Your books ref to the stripping the nymph on the lift is how he described the Czech and Polish method of what we call the induced take as originated here by Mr Skues. There is a new (?) method used by these guys that uses long leaders up to 18 or 20 feet long ! At the end of the drift they lift the nymph at a rediculous (to me anyway) speed but it works really well. I have used the same method but with sensible leaders of 10 to 12 feet long. It resulted in a 40cm grayling (thats 16" in proper money) which is big for the UK, on my last trip to the river. SO yes stripping the nymph induces takes from fish so I guess you should try it for a while and compare to your normal slower retrieve. Just my 2pennorth. Cheers Keith PS DonO I am doing the 24hour thing again this year!!! I now work for Orvis UK !!! On Feb 12, 8:46 pm, Michael Bliss <[email protected]> wrote: > I am reading a book called "Active Nymphing: Aggressive Strategies for > Casting, Rigging, And Moving the Nymphs" By Rich Osthoff. In the > book he talks of moving the nymph, not just like streamer fishing but > casting upstream and stripping the nymph (not streamer). I am a dead > drifter almost all of the time and this is new to me. Anyone do this > and can you shed some perspective on this? > > Mike --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the "VFB Mail" group. 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