Extreme Nymphing
Getting tight to the fish as firmly and as quickly as possible is a problem when the fly is 70 feet downstream and dead-drifting. You must remove the slack in the line before you raise the rod. But if you take too long, the fish will realize its mistake and spit out the fly. Therefore, the setting motion used when nymphing downstream contains two parts, the strip and the strike, both of which are done simultaneously. The strip, a fast pull of a foot or two of fly line with the line hand, helps remove slack, giving the rod a better chance of driving the hook into the hard part of the fish’s mouth. The strike isn’t as simple as raising the rod into the air. When you lift the rod up, the fly line is released from the tension applied by the current, which actually gives the steelhead a moment of slack. Instead of striking this way, you are better off striking sideways, toward the stream bank. This keeps the line in the water, provides more solid pressure to the fly, and helps bury the hook deeper in the fish’s mouth.
When you set the hook this way, the distance between you and the fish becomes an advantage. A series of strong head shakes from a fresh fish can break a tippet. But fly line stretches, which can help protect the tippet by absorbing the brutal shocks of those initial head shakes.
Downstream nymphing is perfectly suited to the demands of steelheading, especially when eager fish are few and far between. For Northwest guides, the technique consistently makes the difference between a nice day of fishing and a great day of catching.
Downstream Nymphing Gear
You can use standard steelheading rods, reels, and lines for downstream nymphing, but this technique requires specialized leaders, indicators, and flies.
Leaders. Since downstream nymphing allows you to reach deep lies, you need long leaders. For water 10 feet deep, a 12-foot leader tapered to 2X is necessary. Fluorocarbon tippets are essential, not because steelhead are leader shy, but because fluorocarbon is more resistant to abrasion than nylon monofilament tippets, and chrome fish often rub the tippet against submerged rocks and logs.
Indicators. Because you can fish your fly a long ways downstream, and you must be able to set quickly when a fish takes, fluffy indicators that ride high on the surface are best. Yellow is the most visible color.
Flies. Steelhead are rarely selective, and most weighted nymphs work. But flies like the Bottom-Licker Nymph work best because the tungsten bead in the front of the hook makes the fly sink headfirst instead of broadside—a more hydrodynamic position. In high water, a #2 hot-pink pattern is usually best. As the water clears, the fly should become smaller and darker. In clear water, a #6 black or purple pattern is best. A dropper is always a good idea. Many guides trust a #6 egg pattern tied on 8 inches of 2X or 3X tippet, which connects with an improved clinch knot to the bend of the point fly’s hook. The short leash heads off many wind knots.
John J. Larison is a former fly-fishing instructor, guide, and author of Effective Steelhead Fly Fishing (Stackpole Books, 2008). He lives in Corvallis, Oregon.
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