Fly Fishing

NWflyFisher · Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 2:38 pm Post subject: nymphing for steelhead

I was curious how many of you nymph for steelhead. If so what kind of flies do you use and how do you set them up? I am some what new to steelheading. I have been swingingflies every time I have gone out but I would like to nymph also.

Thanks in advance.

Clint

Steelie · Newbie Joined: Sep 24, 2006 Posts: 90 Location: Erie, PA

I nymph on occasion with beadhead prince's, little stones and hares ears. Pretty much anything small with a beadhead works for me. I usually run one of them behind an egg pattern.

Mike

NWflyFisher · Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 3:43 pm Post subject:

When you say small, I am curious as to how small. Size 16 smaller or larger such as size 12?

Steelie · Newbie Joined: Sep 24, 2006 Posts: 90 Location: Erie, PA

I do like a size 16 for water on the clearer side and up to like a 12-14 for normal conditions. And in high wather I generaly do not nymph. But thats for Pennsylvania tribs. I dont know wheter that would be effective in the northwest?

NWflyFisher · Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 4:12 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the information. It may not work but i am just trying to get an idea of flies for steelhead nymphing. Who knows what these suckers may eat.

Any other info would be appriciated.

Clint

SageDS2 · Newbie Joined: Oct 18, 2006 Posts: 17

I nymph fish about 95% of the time im steelheading. In moderatly high off color water your probably going to want to go with big flashy dark color nymphs, such as size 6-10 olive and black bead head flashback hares ears (long and wiggly rubbers legs are an effective touch also), beadhead princes, wolly buggers ect.

In perfect conditions any medium size nymph, about 10-14, will work. Natural, black, and olive hares ears will work, beadheaded or not. Copper John's in blue, copper, and silver are a must have. Surprisingly a purple hares ear has killed the fish for me on more than one occasion so I would recomend having a few in your box. In these conditions, especially when the waters slightly off colored, white, peach, chartuse, orange, and pink Crystal Meth's will often kill the steelies, I prefere smaller sizes from 10 to 14.

In low clear water conditions when the fish are often spooky and hesitant to hit you must fish small. Big fish are tough to hold on tiny hooks but a lot of times its your only chance of hooking into one. My favorite patterns are blue, copper, and silver Copper John's, all color bead head Hares Ear, bead head Princes, small Stone flies, Pheasant tails in bead and regular and any other small nymph. Under these conditions I usually dont fish any bigger that a 14 and down to about a size 20. I would have to say that my favorite fly for these conditions is a size 18 Copper John, however.

The most important thing to nymph fishing is to never give up and keep trying different things. Last time I was out fishing the water conditions were very low and clear and I tried just about every fly in my box with no luck, then I put on a fly that was just a peice of tan cheniel tied onto a size 18 hook with pecock wrapped around for a head and on my first two drifts I hooked one and lost it then I hooked and landed a beautiful 7 pound steel. This just goes to show that some times you just have to show them something that hasn't been difted past them by anyone else. I also notice that if the steelies dont hit your nymph within the first 5 or 6 drifts they probably aren't and you should switch flies.

As far as set ups go I usually fish a right angle set up, which is your fly and leader making a right angle down from your indicator. With this set up you want to make sure your fly lands upstream of your indicator on your cast so you get the right angle from your indicator to your fly quickly. Occasionaly I will use a dropper fly. For indicatiors I usually use a foam indicator but if I am fishing a heavily fished spot I will often use a yarn indicator in a natural color. In these spots it seems like the fish become indicator shy and will not hit if they could tell there's an indicator. Yarn indicators are also good to detect light hits because they are very sensetive. Make sure you have a good range of split shots for fishing various depths. You want your fly deep because thats where the fish are usually feeding. I once heard that, "If you dont loose more flies to the bottom than you do to fish, then you aren't fishing deep enough."

Well, this should be enough to get you started but you will pick up a lot more knowledge along the way. Good Luck!

NWflyFisher · Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 5:22 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the help.

Clint