Post by yihunt on Mar 28, 2010 10:10:23 GMT -4
European fly fishing techniques rely on feel
Sunday, March 28, 2010
By John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Those that stuck with it learned that under most water conditions, those long, graceful false casts with dry flies result in fewer trout hook ups than the shorter, less-aesthetic rolls of nymph fishing.
Trout get about 90 percent of their food from the bottom. American nymphers learned to position themselves on the water and mend the fly line to get the perfect dead drift -- the fly moving with the current, skipping naturally across the bottom with no line drag as the angler carefully watches a floating strike indicator for a subtle hit.
But for decades, anglers in much of Europe experienced a different kind of drag. An Iron Curtain ran through it and fly-fishing supplies were difficult to get in the East. Most sport fishing was banned, but fly-fishing competitions were permitted. Innovative anglers developed techniques reflecting rules barring the use of lead weights on fishing line.
Now, with European short-liners trouncing the graceful Americans on the competitive fly-fishing circuit, many anglers in the U.S. are taking a closer look at European nymphing.
Last weekend, in a loft at Ohiopyle's Wilderness Voyageurs Outfitters and on the Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only stretch of nearby Meadow Run, fly fishing instructor Dale Kotowski showed a small Venture Outdoors class how it's done. The manager of the store's fly shop, Kotowski said he learned European nymphing during a fishing vacation in the Czech Republic.
The difference, he explained, is fundamental. In fishing with spinning and casting tackle, the rod throws the weight of the bait or lure attached to light fishing line. In traditional fly fishing, the rod throws the weight of heavy fly line attached through a light leader to a virtually weightless fly.
"This throws that out the window," said Kotowski. "In the European styles, what you're throwing is the weight of a heavy weighted anchor fly and an attached dropper, sometimes using very little fly line. There's no false cast, no split shot, no dead drift, no strike indicator. You could use these techniques with ultra-light spinning tackle, because these [weighted flies] are so heavy compared to the flies we normally use."
The point of European nymphing, he said, is to lead two or three flies ahead of the current on the bottom with a complete absence of line drag. European nymph fishing comes in three styles:
• Polish/Czech Nymphing In a method sometimes called "short lining," about 2 feet of fly line extends from the rod tip, followed by about 7 feet of leader and 3 feet of tippet, with one or two droppers tied to the leader. From downstream, standing a rod's length from the spot you intend to fish, perform a tuck cast driving the weighted anchor fly quickly to the bottom. Swing the rod in a downstream direction, advancing the flies ahead of the current through the kill zone. Feel a bump? Set the hook. At the end of the pass, flick your wrist to pull the line from the water, allowing the weight of the flies to load the rod tip behind you, then tuck cast to the next spot.
"The freestone streams we have here are very typical of the fast streams you'd see in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and parts of Bohemia and Poland where this technique was developed," said Kotowski. "It's best fished on fast water in high, cloudy conditions where you can get close to the fish."
• Spanish Nymphing A variation on Polish/Czech style, it's used when fishing at longer distances, usually with a 10-foot rod. A longer leader is attached to as much as 40 feet of fly line. At the end of the pass, lift the line, rolling it in what Kotowski describes as, "sort of an oval lob cast, flinging the weighted anchor fly to where you want it. You're not doing a back cast."
• French Nymphing Similar to Spanish style, but the rig is fished straight upstream.
"The French roll is a modified roll cast, a little more sophisticated than a lob," said Kotowski. "Again, no back cast, and double-taper line works well."
In the absence of a strike indicator, the position of the weighted anchor fly determines the dropper's depth. In a two-fly rig, the anchor is tied at the end of the line; with three flies it's in the middle. In shallow water, move the anchor to the front position, or the middle if you're using three flies.
"For your anchor fly, use something big and heavy," he said, "a Polish Worm tied from a latex condom or stonefly in a size 10 or 8, sometimes a 6. The fly is beaded or leaded so the hook rides up. For the dropper you can use anything."
European nymphing isn't possible in very slow or still currents where a strike indicator is needed to position the dropper.
"When you look at these European fishing techniques, it's all about feeling immediately connected to those flies and knowing the difference between a stick and a strike," said Kotowski, "Sure, you get fooled sometimes. Best advice I can give is when in doubt, set the hook."
Sunday, March 28, 2010
By John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Those that stuck with it learned that under most water conditions, those long, graceful false casts with dry flies result in fewer trout hook ups than the shorter, less-aesthetic rolls of nymph fishing.
Trout get about 90 percent of their food from the bottom. American nymphers learned to position themselves on the water and mend the fly line to get the perfect dead drift -- the fly moving with the current, skipping naturally across the bottom with no line drag as the angler carefully watches a floating strike indicator for a subtle hit.
But for decades, anglers in much of Europe experienced a different kind of drag. An Iron Curtain ran through it and fly-fishing supplies were difficult to get in the East. Most sport fishing was banned, but fly-fishing competitions were permitted. Innovative anglers developed techniques reflecting rules barring the use of lead weights on fishing line.
Now, with European short-liners trouncing the graceful Americans on the competitive fly-fishing circuit, many anglers in the U.S. are taking a closer look at European nymphing.
Last weekend, in a loft at Ohiopyle's Wilderness Voyageurs Outfitters and on the Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only stretch of nearby Meadow Run, fly fishing instructor Dale Kotowski showed a small Venture Outdoors class how it's done. The manager of the store's fly shop, Kotowski said he learned European nymphing during a fishing vacation in the Czech Republic.
The difference, he explained, is fundamental. In fishing with spinning and casting tackle, the rod throws the weight of the bait or lure attached to light fishing line. In traditional fly fishing, the rod throws the weight of heavy fly line attached through a light leader to a virtually weightless fly.
"This throws that out the window," said Kotowski. "In the European styles, what you're throwing is the weight of a heavy weighted anchor fly and an attached dropper, sometimes using very little fly line. There's no false cast, no split shot, no dead drift, no strike indicator. You could use these techniques with ultra-light spinning tackle, because these [weighted flies] are so heavy compared to the flies we normally use."
The point of European nymphing, he said, is to lead two or three flies ahead of the current on the bottom with a complete absence of line drag. European nymph fishing comes in three styles:
• Polish/Czech Nymphing In a method sometimes called "short lining," about 2 feet of fly line extends from the rod tip, followed by about 7 feet of leader and 3 feet of tippet, with one or two droppers tied to the leader. From downstream, standing a rod's length from the spot you intend to fish, perform a tuck cast driving the weighted anchor fly quickly to the bottom. Swing the rod in a downstream direction, advancing the flies ahead of the current through the kill zone. Feel a bump? Set the hook. At the end of the pass, flick your wrist to pull the line from the water, allowing the weight of the flies to load the rod tip behind you, then tuck cast to the next spot.
"The freestone streams we have here are very typical of the fast streams you'd see in Slovakia, the Czech Republic and parts of Bohemia and Poland where this technique was developed," said Kotowski. "It's best fished on fast water in high, cloudy conditions where you can get close to the fish."
• Spanish Nymphing A variation on Polish/Czech style, it's used when fishing at longer distances, usually with a 10-foot rod. A longer leader is attached to as much as 40 feet of fly line. At the end of the pass, lift the line, rolling it in what Kotowski describes as, "sort of an oval lob cast, flinging the weighted anchor fly to where you want it. You're not doing a back cast."
• French Nymphing Similar to Spanish style, but the rig is fished straight upstream.
"The French roll is a modified roll cast, a little more sophisticated than a lob," said Kotowski. "Again, no back cast, and double-taper line works well."
In the absence of a strike indicator, the position of the weighted anchor fly determines the dropper's depth. In a two-fly rig, the anchor is tied at the end of the line; with three flies it's in the middle. In shallow water, move the anchor to the front position, or the middle if you're using three flies.
"For your anchor fly, use something big and heavy," he said, "a Polish Worm tied from a latex condom or stonefly in a size 10 or 8, sometimes a 6. The fly is beaded or leaded so the hook rides up. For the dropper you can use anything."
European nymphing isn't possible in very slow or still currents where a strike indicator is needed to position the dropper.
"When you look at these European fishing techniques, it's all about feeling immediately connected to those flies and knowing the difference between a stick and a strike," said Kotowski, "Sure, you get fooled sometimes. Best advice I can give is when in doubt, set the hook."