The Best of Washington Trout & Steelhead
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SHALLOW NYMPHING FOR TROUT
There are many methods to fishing nymphs. More often than not I opt for a shallow nymph approach. The old rule of thumb to ” fish 1 1/2 times the water depth below your indicator” has not proven to be a great technique in my repertoire.
Assuming you as an angler are able to fish slack line drifts, shallow nymphing can be very effective. Throughout the year, all rivers experience nymphal drift. Nymphal drift can be caused by a few factors. For example, water level changes or optimal temperatures for nymph maturity and emergence. What this all boils down to is that nymphs are consistently drifting in the water column.
Often times the water may be 4-5 feet deep yet I will fish at only 1-3 feet deep below an indicator. Certainly, one advantage of this is less bottom hang-ups. The other advantage is of course the replication of nymphal drift. Try it some time, you won’t be disappointed.
This approach can very effective for Skwala stoneflies. Stoneflies are terrible swimmers. They become very active in the mid to late afternoon (in Jan – March) and migrate toward the shore to crawl out and hatch. Often times the get ‘knocked’ off their path and end up in the water column drift / mid column….The best time of day for this approach is in the afternoon.
