Better Bug Behavior
When discussing nymphing, we usually consider fly size, shape, and color, as well as the best casts and rigs. An often overlooked—and important—element of nymphing is the behavior of the insects and the techniques needed to imitate them. Creating flies and fishing them so they behave more naturally is the premise behind what I call behavioral nymphing.
It’s been said many times that trout feed underwater 90 percent of the time, making nymphs, larvae, pupae, and crustaceans their largest food sources.
On many waters, trout feed heavily on mayfly nymphs, and anglers use a single fly, split-shot, and an indicator to present this food item. Anglers usually dead-drift the flies, wait for the indicator to pause or stop, and then set the hook.
Slack between the indicator and the fly in this situation can equal missed strikes. Furthermore, this approach lacks any imitation of life and movement in the fly.
Behavioral nymphing is more dynamic—the angler manipulates the nymph with rod movement and line control to swim the nymph, or to let it drift. With this subtle technique, you can simulate a living insect that is swimming, drifting helplessly, or rising and emerging. You can activate the nymph by twitching the rod tip, stripping line in quick or slow successions, and by stopping the rod during the drift to allow the fly to rise toward the surface.
Methods to slow and prolong the drift, or sink the nymph in a current seam, include stack mends and hump mends, while releasing line from your line hand. By varying and combining these techniques with standard dead-drift tactics, your nymphs appear more alive and dynamic.
Flies Alive
I prefer flies that look and behave naturally. On top of how you fish the fly, choosing the correct fly with the right materials is key. Ultra-buggy, impressionistic nymph designs are far more appealing to fish than realistic yet static and stiff patterns.
Natural furs like rabbit, hare’s mask, and squirrel work well because they produce bodies that undulate in the current. Soft-hackle collars—and palmered hackle to imitate legs, wings, and antennae—also increase movement in the fly.
To make the materials move, sometimes I dead-drift the flies, and at other times I actively manipulate them, enhancing the current’s effect through both the line and rod action. Exactly how I manipulate the fly depends on water conditions, insect species and life stage, and how trout are feeding. Fished correctly, the flies come to life in front of the fish. Even when fish are not actively feeding, this tactic can trigger an
“induced strike” or involuntary reaction.
In order to effectively imitate mayfly nymphs, it is important to understand the insect’s life cycle. After they hatch from eggs, mayfly nymphs increase in size until they reach maturity. Just before they emerge, their wingpads darken and the nymphs become more active. They emerge into adult mayflies underwater (anywhere from the streambed to the surface), on top of the water through the surface film, or out of the water on streamside rocks or vegetation. Many nymphs ascend to the surface by filling their abdomens with internal gases. This is often accompanied by the nymph swimming vigorously. These body undulations attract the attention of trout.
Versa Nymph
The Versa Nymph matches all mayfly species by merely altering the body, tail, and hackle color to match the naturals. I tie it in both half-dress (half-hackled collar) and full-dress (full-hackled collar) versions. The two-tone body suggests a nymph in transition, similar to the natural’s thorax that darkens as it reaches maturity and emergence.
The half-dress version has a partridge soft-hackle collar covering the sides and bottom of the fly but is open on the top. This adds soft-hackle action while making the color shades of the abdomen and thorax clearly noticeable.
I use the half-dress Versa Nymph in slower water where fish have more time to inspect a fly for exactness. The full-dress Versa Nymph is best in riffles and more turbulent water.
For mayfly emergers, I tie my Transition Flymph with a full hackle collar and with adult mayfly body coloring in the thorax to imitate the dun’s body, legs, and unfurling wings—it’s half nymph, half dun. These three life cycle patterns can be adapted by
altering the hook size, color, weight, and behavior (how you fish them) to match any and all mayfly species.
Wet your rabbit fur dubbing to check the desired color as it will darken when you fish it. Also, match the hackle color, and hook size, to the natural.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
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