Zach Matthews
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A Word About Loops
When you’ve made any of these casts, or just when you are out practicing, have a buddy stand off to the side and help you diagnose your loop size.
On the rivers I fish, Steve, if the shot hits the bottom it is likely to snag, so I usually try to set it just off the bottom and use a weighted nymph to get on down.
Zach
Hey Okieff-
Unfortunately, I started out on those waters the same as most people and I doubt I could offer any sage advice on how to fish them.
Here’s how I do it, for what it’s worth:
I start with a 9′ 5 weight rod and a 9′ mono leader tapering to 5x. I add two feet of 6x flourocarbon to the end of it. I very rarely vary from 6x tippet, as it will catch very large fish if you’re careful and why sacrifice hookups unless you’re breaking them off?
I tie my fly, typically something like a #20 Miracle Nymph or a #18 Trout Crack on the end of the tippet, then crimp on a split shot above the knot, so when it slides (which it will) it will hug the knot and stop.
I then guage the depth of my river and select a spot on the leader approximately 1.5 times the depth from the fly to my spot, or in very slow water I just use the absolute depth of the river. Make a half hitch knot by making one loop, then another just to the line-side of the first, and place the line-side loop through the fly-side loop.
Once you have a half hitch, cut a piece of pre-treated yarn (Gink works fine, keep it in a yarn tub you can buy once and use egg yarn to refill) about 3/4″ long, and put it through the lineside loop, now sticking out of the fly-side loop. Wet with spit and tighten.
For a heavy nymph use a balloon indicator made with a very minimally inflated child’s water balloon with the nipple cut off with scissors (use folding sewing scissors stream-side).
Once said rig is ready, get yourself to the river in as stealthy a location as you can manage with a drift lane running right by your side. Cast upriver, preferably to an area behind structure. Your splitshot will pull your fly taught quick enough for you to set a hook if you get an immediate strike, which happens quite a lot actually. Let the indicator drift back by you, stripping line into big loops in your off hand or into a stripping basket if you have one, then Czech nymph or highstick the nymph as it comes by your position.
When the fly is downstream of you, simply play line out with a light shake of the guides and mend frequently to maintain a drag free drift. It’s actually quite an elegant little way to fish, and it presents a lot of challenge. I’ve caught 90% of my trout to date using this method.
Zach
Thanks John –
The reason I am looking at the D2x instead of the D200 is for the increased ability to make sales to commercial catalog outfits and to make high-end prints.
Man I don’t know who Tred Barta is and I’m pretty vague on Jimmy Houston, too, but the subject of that video is weak!
And more importantly they are exactly right.
Crap on the one hand I’ve got the NARC officers on my board and on the other I’ve got their targets!