Hi, I am curious about your favorite rod for fishing nymphs. In particular, I am interested in your preferred taper and rod length for fishing weighted nymphs
(e.g. hook size 12 or even 10 with weights of usual size). Thank you for your comments... :-) Markus
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Your favorite rod for fishing nymphs...
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 magguscdc |
Your favorite rod for fishing nymphs... |
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Posts: 25 03/29/2009 17:43 |
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ibookje |
#1 | |||
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Posts: 1538 03/29/2009 17:46 |
I fish with weighted nymphs 95% of the time. And my rods are all regular rods that are considered dry fly rods.
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Marty |
#2 | |||
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Posts: 92 03/29/2009 20:40 |
I would have to agree I don't have a nymph specific rod. I fish a 4,5,6,7 wt depending on wind and water but fish whatever fly the fish dictate. I do
not use shot or any of that stuff. Some beaded flys and some with a little lead. (chuck and duck is no fun to me) For the added line handling a subsurface
presentation requires a longer rod is handy but certainly not essential to catching fish. The nut behind the grip has far more to do with success than a
specific rod. (the nut behind most of my grips is decidedly loose but thats my problem)
Life is too short for cheap scotch and plastic rods.
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Aransas |
#3 | |||
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Posts: 118 03/29/2009 20:55 |
You'll probably get a lot of different opinions on this. I just recently reread Ed Engle's "Fly Fishing the Tailwaters". Ed is a bamboo
enthusiast and penned "Splitting Cane". For tailwaters, which are predominantly nymphing fisheries, he recommends a longer, faster action rod. His
rationale is faster action for quicker response to subtle takes and longer length for mending line. However, he also says that a slower cane rod will do the
job just fine. Personally, I use an 8' 3", 5-wt dry fly rod. Nymph fishing is not my favorite thing, but it does require skill, a keen eye, and lots
of patience. I usually use a dropper rig with a tungsten bead head for the first fly and something smaller on the end. I also go to a 5 1/2-wt silk line as it
seems to work better with the extra weight. I'm sure there are diehard nymph fisherman who have a completely different approach.
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magguscdc |
#4 | |||
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Posts: 26 03/30/2009 07:13 |
Hi,
when looking at the above comments it seems that you do not use a special taper for fishing nymphs, but rather the one you also use for dry fly fishing... I thought there might be some tapers which are particulary well suited for fishing a little bit heavier nymphs... Anyway, nice to see that there seems to be nor special magic... :-) Best regards Markus |
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 cwood |
#5 | |||
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Posts: 545 03/30/2009 08:30 |
Contrary to Mr. Engle, I like slower rods for nymphing. The feel of a subtle take is more apparent to me with a slower rod (medium anyway). I like the
longer Heddons, like the 8.5 ft. 2f, or the same length but with the 1.75 f which may be my all time favorite nymphing rod. Plenty of heft in the butt section
to lift a fish, but light enough tips to protect light tippets and feel a tiny bump. I drop down to 7-8 ft. when dry fly fishing. I also had a P15 taper once
that was great at roll casting and getting the nymph where I wanted, but it lacked the sensitive tips I like with the Heddons. It also didn't have the
strong butt I tend to prefer.
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tiptop |
#6 | |||
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Posts: 522 03/30/2009 08:59 |
I agree with CWood totally. I also have a Heddon 8.5' 1.75F which for me is an ideal nymphing rod. For me, high sticking is an essential part of nymphing
and for that, the longer the better. That said, I seldom head out the door knowing that all I'm going to be doing is nymphing so I'll usually take a
shorter rod that can do both.
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Aransas |
#7 | |||
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Posts: 121 03/30/2009 17:37 |
magguscdc wrote:Markus, for nymphs I personally believe the two most important factors are length and a rod that's a decent roll caster. Of course, there are different types of nymph fishing and some like, Czech nymphing, don't involve much casting at all. The Heddon 8.5' 1.75F would be a great rod as would many others. I use a 5-wt, Carlin 8' 3" in his SH taper. It's a great dry fly rod but also works well with the nymphing style I prefer. I'm probably out of the mainstream in that I also like longer rods for dry flies, but that also depends on the streams I'm fishing. Different strokes for different folks also applies to fly fisherman. |
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Flyman615 |
#8 | |||
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Posts: 3166 03/30/2009 18:00 |
I too fish nymphs a lot. But almost never larger than size 14.
Therefore, I prefer a rod I can also comfortably switch over to emergers or dries if need be. I like my Carlin 795 SH and my new Cunningham Premier 7'6". If I need a little longer rod I use my 8'0" Blitzen 5 or 8'0" 4 1/4oz. SF Winston. In the case of the latter, I like its "quick" or firm hook set rather than a soft one. Regards, Flyman 
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Eperous |
#9 | |||
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Posts: 49 03/31/2009 20:19 |
I have two used Orvis Battenkills that I purchased just for this purpose, fishing weighted nymphs - basically using a short line. One on the rods is 7 1/2
foot for 5 weight, the other 8 foot for 6 weight. I chose Battenkills since they are impregnated, almost indestructible, and won't take a set when fishing
a bit of lead. All my other cane is for dries, wets, or streamers - no weight.
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creakycane |
#10 | |||
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Posts: 2150 03/31/2009 20:28 |
I do find the longer slower rods - like an 8' moderate/semi para action 5 wt - cast weighted nymphs or larger dries with droppers very well - but I do
think I miss some strikes that a faster rod would be better at detecting and getting the fish on the rod. I find fast dry fly rods don't cast these rigs
as pleasantly, so live with the losses and delay in striking when nymphing or fishing big tandems to keep the casting pleasant. I fished a certain
7'9" 5wt a few weeks ago for the first time with a big dry and weighted dropper and thought, after a few dozen casts, "what a lousy
rod!"........ But I clipped the dropper off and the rod fished the dry quite fine. Some rods tolerate droppers, and fish nymphs better than others, as
do some casting strokes and fiishermen!
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mvinsel |
Fishing Nymphs not indicators | #11 | ||
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Posts: 325 03/31/2009 21:13 |
Hello,
I mostly fish weighted flies and don't use an indicator. When some people write "nymphing" they mean "fishing with indicator". In getting flies to sink, I find the most important thing is to be able to land the fly directly downstream from the end of the line, and if the last few feet at the end of the line can also point downstream, this all gives the fly the ability to sink freely into the depths which usually have slower currents than the surface. So for this, I like a rod that can cast big wide open loops, which when cast sidearm can place your fly in a nice arc of line with the fly well downstream from the line. As it sinks, the tip of your line becomes your indicator. Another method is to make your leader be mostly tippet, which will help you land the fly right near the end of the fly line, with plenty of slack to let the fly sink, rather than extended straight out and tight to the fly. For this I also like a rod that can cast a very wide loop to keep the "wrong" tapered leader from tangling. For these, a long soft rod like an 8.5' or 9' slow action works best for me. -Vinnie in Juneau |
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tedgolden |
#12 | |||
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Posts: 2801 03/31/2009 22:01 Moderator |
I agrees wit Vinnie.
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teter |
#13 | |||
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Posts: 1276 03/31/2009 22:16 |
A Granger 8642 or its Phillipson counterpart.
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Aransas |
#14 | |||
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Posts: 126 03/31/2009 23:03 |
mvinsel wrote:I think indicators are useful when you're first learning nymphing. I usually cast to a spot and then throw a mend into the line. Your technique definitely makes sense for getting the fly to sink and eliminating initial drag. I'm going to work on that. Thanks!!! |
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riverfloggin |
#15 | |||
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Posts: 75 03/31/2009 23:13 |
Aransas wrote: |
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Aransas |
#16 | |||
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Posts: 127 04/01/2009 18:31 |
riverfloggin wrote: Certainly! I wasn't trying to say they were exclusive to learning, just that they're useful when learning how to nymph fish. Lots of folks use them all the time. Geary |
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cyangler |
With or without indicators | #17 | ||
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Posts: 63 04/03/2009 15:56 |
I find too slow a rod difficult to set a hook with. Also, where a longer rod is beneficial here, tiring if one needs to mend the line regularly. I prefer a
medium-fast to traditional fast (as opposed to super or hyper fast graphite) rod for nymphing large or medium weighted nymphs and, tandem rigs even in smaller
sizes. My favorite is a W&M Granger 9' for 6/7 that I have lined with a 6GPX. I believe its a model 9053.
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mtn |
re | #18 | ||
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Posts: 454 04/03/2009 16:42 |
I prefer fishing subsurface similar/along the line of Vinnies method. I do use bobbers in some cases and conditions. I like the slower rods for open casts
with the extra weight. We all miss fish now and then but I never really blame the rod :-) I have a F E Thomas wet fly taper, 8.5' 5wt thats an excellent
rod for this type of fishing. Also a slower version of Dickersons 8013 thats a nice do everything rod nymphing included.
Mike |
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cyangler |
I heard that | #19 | ||
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Posts: 64 04/04/2009 05:18 |
I agree, what they used to refer to as a "Dry Fly Action" rod, back in the day, as opposed to a "Fast Action" (what I was referring to as
traditional fast) would not quite cut it. Not enough backbone deep in the cane. Another taper type that works well for me when fishing para-Vin', is a
circa '30s/'40s "Bass Action" stick.
Cy |
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flyfishermann1955 |
#20 | |||
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Posts: 169 04/04/2009 08:06 |
Here's another vote for an 8.5' Heddon with 1 and 3/4 ferrule. Mine is a Model #14. I usually fish a 2-fly set-up, but have also used it for
everything from a small jig to a single size 20 midge emerger.
Ken |
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