Skunked Again Nymphing...

[Tyler25]

Hi All,

 

I've been browsing the forums for a year now, and want to ask some advice on nymphing.

 

I've been running the 'classic' Bow River nymph setup, with a Prince, SJW about 16" up, and split shot another 12-16" up from that, with an indicator near the top foot of my leader. I've also experimented with Stone flys, changing up nymphs, etc.

 

My typical approach is to grid off a section of river (usually at Policeman's or by Glenmore Bridge), by throwing about 5' in front of me, then further out, and further still to about 25', then move upstream.

I cast, mend, and get a good dead drift.

 

I've also swung some streamers as per some excellent advice from various other posts here with little luck.

 

So far this year i've been compltely skunked every time out, yet I keep reading how well everyone is doing! I know people tend to post their successful days, but still....

 

If you have any advice that could be helpful, i'd appreciate it!

 

Tyler

[tbone]

Could be the water your are fishing. The runs I fished in the winter and early spring are not producing any fish anymore. The choppy riffles and seams 1-5ft deep is where most of the fish were feeding the past 2 weeks. Things may have changed in the past few days?

 

Make sure you are using enough weight to tick bottom during your drift. Add external weight if necessary.

 

Set the hook lots! Ive watched so many people complain about success and then have gone fishing with them and have watched them completely miss or ignore so many takes during their drifts. When I am in the zone and know fish are infront of me I set the hook nearly every drift.

 

Hope this helps. Their is a learning curve to fishing the bow but sounds like you are well on your way to figuring it out.

 

PS - you may want to try a olive green caddis pupa if going out again soon. The hatch has started and most fish will key in on them and ignore everything else. Even if you get your prince and worm combo infront of them they may refuse it.

[Hawgstoppah]

Could be a number of things wrong with the way your fishing it. If your using the same rig to fish 5ft in front and not making any adjustments to leader depth or weight on your line, when moving out into the run and fishing 25ft from you, then your not going to be anywhere near the bottom in your drifts. Without seeing what your doing wrong it's hard to take a guess though.

 

If after a year your still struggling, it might be time to shorten than learning curve a ton and hire a w+w guide like maxwell or myself. You'll at least get a really good idea of how to fish the river. Or else hook up with some of the guys here that really know their stuff, and watch them. You can learn a lot from sitting on the bank and watching someone who's catching fish too.

[Tyler25]

Thanks for the great advice guys, I appreciate it. I do intend on getting a guide sometime this summer - probably towards the end. I'd like to shorten the learning curve a bit more still. You're right about the leader length - I don't typically change it much, though I do add/remove weight and make sure i'm tapping bottom. I'm going to follow some of your tips next time out and see what happens. I'll let you know the results!

 

Ty

 

 

 

[Pythagoras]

Set the hook....lots.

[yak]

Thanks for the great advice guys, I appreciate it. I do intend on getting a guide sometime this summer - probably towards the end. I'd like to shorten the learning curve a bit more still. You're right about the leader length - I don't typically change it much, though I do add/remove weight and make sure i'm tapping bottom. I'm going to follow some of your tips next time out and see what happens. I'll let you know the results!

 

Ty

ty,

I was in the same boat about 5 years ago. saved myself a ton of aggravation and reduced the learning curve big time by hiring Bowcrow ( Hawgstoppah) for a day. not sure what him or max charge now but its the best $125 i have spent (fishing wise ) since i took up the sport. I too was close as far as technique,set up etc, but a few subtle changes (still remember bowcrows advice"you can cast like #@**, as long as you mend like a pro") made all the difference.

[bhurt]

Hiring a guide and learning what needs to be done and learning how to read the water infront of you will help you some but this is only the first part, the second part, which is the most important in my own opion, is getting out there as much as possible and working on what you know with cofidence (sorry my spelling sucks ass) beiliving that what you are doing will catch you a trout. After time it will be no problem and you will be into fish.

 

Lots of times I have run into people on the river that is having difficult and they have expressed to me that they have taken lessons, guided trip, etc... and when I ask them how much they have worked on what was showen to them it always turns out to be very little, having the knoweldge in what to do is just one part, you need to work on the technical side (I do not know what your skill level is so I will asume beginner until otherwise told) I belive that everyone can learn something from someone, so hiring a guide or taking a lesson will always benieft you.

 

 

Also I touched on it alittle bit but haviong cofidence in yourself and what you are doing will go a long ways, alot of time people come to the river with the attitude that it is going to be hard and tuff to catch fish and most of the time they are fighting themselfs and not really fishing. Have cofidence that way you are fishin and not fighting yourself.

 

Hope this has helpped some, and I am almost always in fish creek during the evening and if you find yourself down there come stop by and ask some of your questions and I will try and answer them to the best of my ability.

 

[Lundvike]

Set the hook....lots.

It sometimes takes an over aggressive take to get me in the habit of setting often. Don't get too caught up in what anyone recommends in terms of patterns, the real trick is to keep trying different flies until you find what works where you are at that particular time.

 

Oh and hire a quide if you can.

[bhurt]

It sometimes takes an over aggressive take to get me in the habit of setting often. Don't get too caught up in what anyone recommends in terms of patterns, the real trick is to keep trying different flies until you find what works where you are at that particular time.

 

Oh and hire a quide if you can.

 

I agree with what carl has to say to a degree, just going through your box and throwing on whatever might work, but you could be doing more work then what you really need.

 

Here is what I suggest, try cycling through your flies but be aware of what instects are around you at that time and try and match them to that particalluar bug at that time (If you do not have it I suggest you pick up the Western Stream Hatches Book, very helpful in learning the bugs) Also as stated before by many people on this site, start flipping rocks in the water and matching up hooks to what you see.

 

And lastly the one thing people make the biggest mistake in, is to keep your feet moving if you have swung your bug through three or four times and the fish hasn;t taken it whats to say it will take it on the 100th cast? Take two cast and then take two steps, go after the active fish, far better then prospecting a area of water that may not have anything there.

[bigbrooktrout]

Change your setup often, if things are not working. Vary the depth, weight, and watch the water, learn were fish feed and what the are feeding on, flip stones, screen the water, and observe the banks and shoreline for potintial trout food. If all else, ask??????????? others on the river.

[STACKS]

"Also I touched on it alittle bit but haviong cofidence in yourself and what you are doing will go a long ways, alot of time people come to the river with the attitude that it is going to be hard and tuff to catch fish and most of the time they are fighting themselfs and not really fishing. Have cofidence that way you are fishin and not fighting yourself."

 

 

This is very true.

 

go with someone that will help you catch a fish and get your confidence up, then you should try to tackle the bow solo . remember that the fish arent always way out in the middle i catch most of my fish with 10 feet of the bank

 

[Lundvike]

bhurt is right I wasn't meaning randomly grabbing flies out of your box. I have a few patterns that I have success with routinely but not every time out that I will try each time out and can usually find one the group that works.

 

I quite often will roll rocks to see whats around.

[bhurt]

"Also I touched on it alittle bit but haviong cofidence in yourself and what you are doing will go a long ways, alot of time people come to the river with the attitude that it is going to be hard and tuff to catch fish and most of the time they are fighting themselfs and not really fishing. Have cofidence that way you are fishin and not fighting yourself."

 

 

This is very true.

 

go with someone that will help you catch a fish and get your confidence up, then you should try to tackle the bow solo . remember that the fish arent always way out in the middle i catch most of my fish with 10 feet of the bank

 

This is so true, alot of times I will come up to a run and see someone chest high and trying to make 30 foot bombs out intot he middle, then I come around with my jeans and what not make some very small casts with my spey rod (roughly anywhere from 10 to 30 feet from bank) and wham gt a fish. The other fisherman will come up to me and ask me what I am using and my usal replie is, nothing special, I just don;t stand ontop of the fish.

 

After that I explain to them about working water and starting light first (activily searching for the active fish) and then later adding weight and what not and usally they catch something (if the fishin doesn't suck ass at that time)

 

The bow really isn't that tuff to figure out it is just a very technical river, which means alot of practice, and alot of the fish in the bow are what I like to call EDUCATED fish, sometimes it takes a weight fly vs a unweight fly to make or the diffrence, or the hackle could be a bit too long, or one size to big.

 

Switching up and trying diffrent things WILL ALWAYS help you, but remeber, practice, practice, practice.

 

Only reason I got to where I am (other then the people that took time to teach me) was spending over 400 days on the water in the last four years, you would be surprised to see how much your ability will increase when spending alomst 100 days a year on the river.

[Rainbowhunter]

I would like to know how much maxwell or any other guide would charge for a couple hours of instruction on the north west part of the bow. I would like to learn how to nymph better and how to read water and locate where the fish are.

[birchy]

I would like to know how much maxwell or any other guide would charge for a couple hours of instruction on the north west part of the bow. I would like to learn how to nymph better and how to read water and locate where the fish are.

 

Just send him a PM.

[Tyler25]

Update:

 

After following some of the great advice from these posts, I caught my first little Brown of the season. Just one, but that's a lot better than none! Baby steps, right?

 

Thanks again to all for the comments and tips.

 

Tyler

 

[Jayhad]

Update:

 

After following some of the great advice from these posts, I caught my first little Brown of the season. Just one, but that's a lot better than none! Baby steps, right?

 

Thanks again to all for the comments and tips.

 

Tyler

That's awesome, did you get it up in the NW???

 

[agbff]

get out with maxwell, he will show you whats up. In my mind, you gotsta have the right drift.... no fish is gunna eat a shitty drift! I also think time is numbers on the river.

[Tyler25]

That's awesome, did you get it up in the NW???

 

It was around the Glenmore bridge - i've never fished the NW (still relatively new to Calgary). Funny how one catch seems to cancel out all the days of being skunked.

[Teck71]

funny how 1 fish can cancel out a month of skunk.