'swinging Nymphs' And 'pocket Water'

[Crogg]

I'm familiar with dead drifting, but can anyone explain the technique of swinging nymphs? And, what exactly is pocket water?

Thanks in advance...

[SanJuanWorm]

I'm familiar with dead drifting, but can anyone explain the technique of swinging nymphs? And, what exactly is pocket water?

Thanks in advance...

 

 

Swinging nymphs: When I do it, let your nymphs drift like normal, then when the current takes over leave your nymphs so they "swing" (your upriver mend becomes a downriver mend) this will make your nymphs rise. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT pull those nymphs outta the water until they are directly downstream from you. At the end give your line 2 small 3 inch strips then recast.

 

I caught most of my fish in montana this way. Theory: Loose nymphs dragging on bottom get the fishes attention. They'll follow it and key in on it as SOON as they start to rise. Sometimes they'll just bump it then take right at the end of the drift. Fish this way when you see "fish backs" rising and not "sipping" If they're not takin yer dries they're takin your emergers so this is where soft hackles are deadly.

[SanJuanWorm]

Oh and I believe pocket water is shallow riffles. Pockets are where the trout are hiding. Behind rocks or any other current obstruction.

[Crogg]

Swinging nymphs: When I do it, let your nymphs drift like normal, then when the current takes over leave your nymphs so they "swing" (your upriver mend becomes a downriver mend) this will make your nymphs rise. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT pull those nymphs outta the water until they are directly downstream from you. At the end give your line 2 small 3 inch strips then recast.

 

I caught most of my fish in montana this way. Theory: Loose nymphs dragging on bottom get the fishes attention. They'll follow it and key in on it as SOON as they start to rise. Sometimes they'll just bump it then take right at the end of the drift. Fish this way when you see "fish backs" rising and not "sipping" If they're not takin yer dries they're takin your emergers so this is where soft hackles are deadly.

 

Can this be accomplished with a double/double in hand? Thanks for the help!

[SanJuanWorm]

Hell i fish with a triple triple and a triple nymph rig.

[maxwell]

swingin nymphs can be like swinging wets with a down and acrosss presentation..some people swing them after there deaddrift with an indicator...by simply tightening the lin eup after the drift and letting them swing too shore....

[cdock]

I find lifting my rod tip a bit as it swings helps as well. This has its time and place though, doesn't work everywhere and all of the time.

[lonefisher]

I get my swinging nymphs at this wife swap club I go t.......... oh wait I think i'm out of context........

[dryfly]

Holy crap, the things a guy can't find on his computer after 15 years. See below from "The downstream Swing "in Western Sportsman, June/July 1992.

 

And after all these years I still use this method ... landed my two largest river rainbows in my life last October swinging a caddis emerger as described.

 

Cheers!

 

Clive

...

Over fifty years ago Roderick Haig Brown wrote about this technique for steelhead in his treasure of a book, A River Never Sleeps (William Morrow & Company, New York, 1946):

 

I started down the pool happily rolling the fly

out into the tumbled water, mending the line

upstream to give it a chance to sink well

down...The fly came over the loaded place, and I

held it there in quiet water at full stretch of the

line...knowing how it hung, how it looked, how the

water plucked at it and gave it life. I moved my

left hand up to recover line, and the pull came...

 

Despite its apparent longevity and popularity elsewhere, I don't see a whole lot of straight across and swing down casting taking place on streams and rivers in Alberta. ...

 

The basic technique is simple. If you are casting to surface feeding fish (that refuse other offerings) use an unweighted Prince Nymph or streamer [or caddis emerger, or ????] that will [swing] through the upper layer where the trout are. Cast more or less straight across and manage the line so the lure runs through the best water on the across stream swing.

 

If there is no surface action, and the run looks like it has a deep fish holding pocket, use either a weighted fly or attach one or two soft split shots about a half metre up from the hook. To swim the weighted fly through a deep pocket, mend the line upstream after the cast and pay out a little extra line. The weighted Prince Nymph or streamer will then sink deep for its swing through the hole. Cast, mend, swing, bump, hookup.

 

Pay close attention to the line drag, the feel of the line, and the tip of the rod. In theory you are fishing a lure that will be chased, and therefore you might expect a hard hit by the attacking trout. But I'd guess that a third of the rainbows I caught using this method were quiet takes slow pulls on the line. Perhaps the drag and curve of the thick fly line buffer the hit, or perhaps some fish gently mouth the hook. In any case, pay attention, and react to an indefinite tug as you would a solid hit.

[hydropsyche]

I consider pocket water to be big, fast, gnarly water. Picture rocks the size of washing machines scattered willy nilly with heavy flow in, around and over them creating pockets of tub sized pools, back eddies, etc. Something you would not want to fall into.

 

In all that madness, fish sit in the calm behind the boulders looking for food to roar by with only a split second to decide if they should go for it.

 

The Brooks Stone was invented for pocket water. Heavily weighted to get down fast and tied in the round to look the same no matter how it tumbled about.

[SilverDoctor]

Pocket water is where the river cascades into broken white pools, places where the water swirls drifts and eddies into tiny smooth pools, broken by rocks and boulders scattered all over the river and cause pockets of short water all around them. The water tends to move in all directions. Pocket water is easy to distinguish from other sections of the river because it has an almost whitewater rapids appearance. It is not easy water to read or fish. When you are going to fish pocket water, the harder it is to get to a spot, the better the fishing will usually be when you get there.

 

Start at the back of the pocket run and work your way to the front. Target one current break at a time, such as a large rock, and fish it until you are satisfied that the fish will no longer bite. I love targeting pockets with large Wruff flies before deep nymphing.

[birchy]

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/s...1&langId=-1

[matt1984]

I have been trying the swinging method the last few days and it has been the most sucessful for me using soft hackles, however I have been getting broken off pretty regularly by big fish. I am using 8lb test so I don't think it's a matter of that. Are you not supposed to strike at the take and just let the fish hook itself? I have been trying that too, but the excitment of how hard the fish nail the fly on the swing leads me to striking and busting off. Also should your rod be pointing downstream when you are nearing the end of the swing, and if so should you instantly bring your rod back to apply side pressure when a fish hits? thanks...

[toolman]

Matt, the Brown trout have been slammin' the fly so hard on the swing this past week, it is unbeleivable. I had three snap offs on the grab on Sunday night using 10.7 lb nylon tippet/leader. Last night, MissinTheBow had a big brown snap his 10lb. tippet.

Try to keep a couple of feet of line hanging out of the reel as a strike loop. When the fish grabs, slowly let go of the line to let the rod load more gradually and to allow the fish to turn back away from you. Don't set the hook on the initial grab as that will likely lead to a break off. Also, a light drag setting is recommended so that the rod does not load fully and instantly, when the trout takes the initial panic run. After the cast, down and across at a 45 degree angle, throw an upstream mend, then follow the fly with your rod tip held low to the water. Keep a tight, straight line, allowing the fly to swing all the way to the shoreline below you and hang for a few seconds on the dangle. Sweep/lift the rod tip towards the shore on the take.

Nothing beats the feeling of the grab on the swing. Wham!

You should try it in the dark...very intense.

[matt1984]

Thanks Toolman, I went out today from 12-5 and had 4 in the first run, all swinging a soft hackle. Also, I did not snap one off, however I only got one to hand. Now I need to practice fighting a fish that has a downstream headstart I guess. THe day really slowed for me after that, I couldn't get much on anything I tried. I am definitley planning a night trip soon. Thanks again for the help

[vhawk12]

Fished the Elbow for the first time last friday, got my first little Brookie swinging a EHC at the end of a drift...must have ducked under for a second or something, but my best luck was swinging a black wooly bugger...I had all sorts of little guys trying to hit it right as the line was directly downstream of me and I was giving those three little strips....I did see one "fish back" that looked like it could've been a nice 12-14", but of course, that was just before I had to leave to pick up my wife....My guess is that those guys were thinking the bugger was a stonefly nymph making it's way to the surface and shore? I was thinking I should've clipped the tail off to make a wooly worm and see if that got more attention. That's my best guess, any other opinions would be welcome. I'm new to 'swinging' myself, so this is all good info.

[birchy]

What's funny with me is that I NEVER catch fish on the swing when I'm doing it intentionally. Swing my rod tip towards the shore.. pause, a couple or three little strips.. nothing.

 

BUT.. if I'm not paying attention, or I'm not pausing at the end.. I will always catch a fish or two then! haha. The other day I was crossing the stream and focusing on not drowing.. holding my rod out to one side and the flies were dangling in the current and WHAM.. fish on!

[keet]

I know this is an old topic. But I have a question where to begin the drift. If you are concentrating on a seam would you cast quartered down to the seam to let them drift and then let it swing away from the seam? Or have them swing through the seam to let the flies rise while crossing the seam?

[Dangus]

I don't know. I've always just done 45 down, mend and let it ride.

I'd rather dead drift a seam. I typically swing where there's a natural greasiness to the water/upwelling current/tailoutish. That being said, sometimes I will dead drift the gut and then let it swing at the end of my drift.

Those are the spots imo where a bug would be able to start acending. In a turbulent seam, I'd think they'd just be getting washed around.

I'd like to hear what others say, though.

[BigFoamy]

QUOTE (Crogg @ Jun 21 2007, 11:31 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I'm familiar with dead drifting, but can anyone explain the technique of swinging nymphs? And, what exactly is pocket water?Thanks in advance...Swinging nymphs: When I do it, let your nymphs drift like normal, then when the current takes over leave your nymphs so they "swing" (your upriver mend becomes a downriver mend) this will make your nymphs rise. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT pull those nymphs outta the water until they are directly downstream from you. At the end give your line 2 small 3 inch strips then recast. I caught most of my fish in montana this way. Theory: Loose nymphs dragging on bottom get the fishes attention. They'll follow it and key in on it as SOON as they start to rise. Sometimes they'll just bump it then take right at the end of the drift. Fish this way when you see "fish backs" rising and not "sipping" If they're not takin yer dries they're takin your emergers so this is where soft hackles are deadly.

This is old but yes, soft hackles are deadly .

[BigFoamy]

I know this is an old topic. But I have a question where to begin the drift. If you are concentrating on a seam would you cast quartered down to the seam to let them drift and then let it swing away from the seam? Or have them swing through the seam to let the flies rise while crossing the seam?

 

Soft hackles. See "liesenrings lift" it works and it's deadly.