Fly River Fishing Nymphing palette knife painting.
Painted in Oil Paint on Canvas
Nymphing seems to be patient game, but if you are good, it can be very resourceful, my subject, was pretty good on the day, and it was quite exciting seeing him land quite a few fish.
Fly fishing is unquestionably one of the most iconic and popular forms of catching fish, and fly fishing with nymphs is one of the fundamental techniques that anglers must master. Nymph fly fishing is referred to only as nymphing, which is the term we will use moving forward. Every year, anglers from all over the world bring their fly fishing gear to rivers, lakes, and streams in search of fish. There are numerous fly fishing techniques to choose from. In this fly fishing series, we’ll look at nymphing. Let’s take a moment to answer some introductory questions before we get started. Advanced anglers, feel free to jump ahead.
This introduction will follow basic techniques, the best nymph flies, advanced nymphing techniques, where and when to nymph fish, and trends such as euro nymphing. Let’s talk about nymphing, one of the most effective ways to fly fish for trout in almost any water.
What is Nymphing?
Fly River Fishing Nymphing palette knife painting. Nymphing is a general term for a wet fly representing subaquatic insects. Nymph flies are designed to look like immature insects in a juvenile or larvae stage. Many types of insects spend more time in this nymph stage of development than the adult stage and make up a big part of a trout’s usual diet. The most common insects eaten are nymphs (mayflies and stoneflies), pupa (caddisflies and midges), and mergers.
In contrast to dry fly fishing, nymph flies are fished entirely beneath the surface of the water, and a fly angler will typically use a weighted fly to assist with this. It can prove extremely productive as most trout spend most of their time feeding under the water and not at the surface. Nymphs can be found in most rivers or lakes no matter what time of year or the hour of the day. And where there are nymphs to be found, there are sure to be hungry trout snacking on them!
It is estimated that nymphs comprise 75%-90% of a trout’s diet, so there is always a good chance that there is a nymph along the bottom waiting to be eaten and a trout in search of that fishing nymph.
