The Jumping
Nymph
Tactics
for stillwater success.
by Gary Borger
 A
lake is a stream that isn't going any place. And,
so, because the water doesn't move, the fish do.
Rather that holding in one place and waiting for
the food to come to them in the currents, the
fish actively go in search of things to eat. For
the fly fisher, this means that the best way to
find fish is to find their food.
Most of the food in stillwaters is in
the near-shore shallows (where the water is less
that 20 feet deep) because it is there that most
of the plants grow. Insects, crustaceans,
mollusks, leeches, minnows, worms, and other food
organisms occupy all levels of the canopy and
feed on living or dead plant material.
Thus, in early morning and late
afternoon, and during mid-day when a hatch is
going on, fish will slide into the
shallows--often very close to shore--and search
for food. For the fly fisher, this can mean some
very exciting, close-in fishing.
The
fish's eye is especially
sensitive to motion...
Because the trout are in shallow
water, they are easily seen, and they know it!
Such fish are extremely spooky, and any mistake
by the fly fisher means a missed opportunity. The
most common mistake is to allow the fish to see
you or to see the moving rod and line.
Anglers unfamiliar with cruiser
fishing cannot believe just how good the fish's
eyesight really is. The fish's eye is especially
sensitive to motion and to contrasts in colors
and in light and dark areas. To the fish, an
angler dressed in brightly colored, reflective
clothing stands out like a sore thumb against the
blues, greens, browns, and tans of the natural
world. And the long, shiny fly rod and
fluorescent line flashing back and forth in the
sun announce the fly fisher as surely as any
heralding trumpet call.
Such sensitivity on the trout's part
creates a very real problem for the flyfisher:
How can you catch the fish if you can't even cast
to them? Fortunately, this seemingly Catch 22
situation has a very simple solution: The Jumping
Nymph Tactic. This technique has its roots in the
premise that if you can't cast to the fish
without spooking it, then you don't cast to the
fish. Instead of taking the fly to the fish, you
let the fish come to the fly.
Cruising trout have a well defined
territory that they work. It could be a segment
of shoreline, the edge of a circular weed bed,
the perimeter of a small island or cluster of
boulders or flooded trees, a creek mouth, or any
other defined structural position in the lake.
The first thing the fly fisher should
do is note the fish's cruising pattern and move
to a point that is at least 30 feet ahead of the
fish. Both during your move to this position, and
during the time you're waiting there, stay
concealed as much as possible, crouching in the
grass or hiding behind, or in front of, bushes,
trees, boulders, stumps, or whatever. Often
times, the presence of such cover will determine
just where along the fish's cruising lane you set
up your ambush. Wearing earth-toned clothing
helps immensely in camouflaging yourself from the
trout.
Once in position, toss the nymph into
the fish's cruising lane. Staying at least 30
feet ahead of the fish keeps it from seeing the
moving rod and line or hearing the fly and line
hit the surface. In addition, there must be
enough time after the cast to allow the fly to
sink to the bottom and for line splash to
dissipate before the fish arrives.
At the end of the cast, drop the rod
tip right down to the surface of the water and
point the rod straight down the line. If the rod
tip is held up, the line will slide back toward
you and move the fly out of the fish's feeding
lane. Pointing the rod down the line allows you
to easily move the fly by simply stripping the
line a bit.
A
long, fast strip will
usually frighten the fish.....
Once you're settled and the fly has
sunk to the bottom, begin watching for the
approaching trout. When the fish gets to within
12 to 18 inches of the fly's position, give the
line a quick 6-inch long pull. Don't get overly
anxious and move the fly too soon. Wait it out.
Remember, you're operating on trout time, not on
human time. And don't move the fly too far. A
long, fast strip will usually frighten the fish
whereas the short pull will usually entice it.
Many times, I've had trout nearly turn themselves
inside out to grab the jumping nymph.
When I was planning the shots for
"South Island Sampler," I decided we
had to end this video about fishing on New
Zealand's South Island with a really big fish.
And I knew exactly where to go to find one. The
question was, would the fish cooperate? Sure
enough, when we got there, the big fish were at
home and cruising. But they weren't cruising
close to our shore. They were nosing about close
to an island about 80 feet away.
As I watched, however, I noticed that
one big brown would cruise along in the shallows
and then swim out into deeper water before
returning to the shallows again. Because the deep
water cruising lane was only 60 feet away, I
decided to intercept the fish there. I tossed the
nymph into the deeper water just as the fish
began the shallow-water leg of its circuitous
route. As the brown turned onto it's deep water
route, a cloud crossed the sun and cut off my
view of the fish. But I'd watched the fish, and I
knew how fast it was moving. So I waited until I
felt the fish was close to the fly and gave the
line a short pull. The result was instantaneous.
The line jerked under, and I slammed the hook
home. The shot of the big eight-pound-plus brown
swimming off after the release made a great
ending for the video. It wouldn't have happened
without the jumping nymph.
 
|
