Think like a trout
Nymph fishing is all about line control and right depth
STATE COLLEGE — George Daniel says many fly anglers fish too shallow. Except for when they fish too deep.
Mr. Daniel, a former Fly Fishing Team U.S.A. member and coach, two-time national fly fishing champion, fifth-place winner in World Fly Fishing competition and author of two books, has a new gig. In December, Penn State hired him to lead its world-famous angling program, a course previously taught by fly fishing legends George Harvey and Joe Humphreys.
After class, Mr. Daniel talked about becoming a better fly angler, the theme of his upcoming presentation on nymph fishing at International Angler in Robinson on Feb. 29.
“Fishing at the wrong depth is something I see all the time,” he said. “Not only with beginners but sometimes with very good fly fishers around the world.”
Mr. Daniel fishes mostly for wild trout on unstocked Central Pennsylvania limestone streams where fishing is legal year-round. On those waters 80% of a trout’s diet is comprised of nymphs, the larval stage of mayflies, caddisflies and stoneflies that live for years under submerged wood and stones. The fish hug the bottom, nosing through gravel and debris looking for a meal.
“Seeing one insect 4 or 5 feet above them isn’t going to get most trout to go up,” he said. “If you’re not feeling the fly bouncing on the bottom, if you’re not losing some flies [on snags], you’re probably not fishing deep enough.”
When trout notice a significant hatch, however, they rise from the bottom and feed higher in the water column or on the surface.
“Then, a lot of anglers are fishing too deep,” he said. “When a trout is feeding on a hatch, it’s not going to notice your fly on the bottom.”
In his Penn State classroom and at seminars, Mr. Daniel tries to teach situational awareness.
“I don’t want to tell people what to do. I try to teach them how to think,” he said.
It’s easy for anglers to notice the turbulent water during the height of a major fly hatch. Often, however, emerging bugs are being devoured before they reach the surface. Unaware there’s a hatch, anglers may keep their nymphs on the substrate.
“I want to show [students] things to look at — hydrology, fish activity,” said Mr. Daniel. “If you’re seeing flashes, that could indicate the fish are high in the water column. Just being more aware and thinking about your situation gives you an idea how to rig and how to approach the water.”
Having an understanding of what’s going on is useless, he said, without line control.
“With dry fly fishing and some other techniques we can see the strike. I’m not saying that dry fly fishing is easy, but it’s easy to see when your fly is floating naturally,” Mr. Daniel said.
“The whole idea with nymphs is that we can’t see them because they’re too deep. We need to have some degree of tension from the rod tip or strike indicator to the fly. Whether you’re fishing with an indicator or an in-line European rig [with colored line tied into the leader], that tight line is all you have to let you know when there’s a tap.”
Unlike more violent predators, trout typically don’t grab and go, particularly when they’re eating bugs. More often a trout will sip, or open its mouth and inhale a potential food source, quickly spitting it out if the sample isn’t edible.
“The strikes are very subtle and you have to have control of the line to recognize that,” said Mr. Daniel. “Strike awareness starts with the cast and continues through the drift. If you can learn to cast and have good line-leader control, that’s 80 percent of nymphing. The rigging, the patterns, that helps. But the crux is casting and line control.”
Mr. Daniel’s nymphing clinic at International Angler will begin with a $40 class at 8:30 a.m. Feb. 29. A free session including rigging, nymphing tips and a tying demonstration will start when the store opens at 10 a.m. International Angler is at 5275 Steubenville Pike, Robinson. Information: 412788-8088 or ia2@internationalangler.com.