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NYMPHSa.k.a NAIADS
A lot of the fish that the fly fisherman is going for will certainly take the bait of an imitation fly. A nymph (a.k.a naiad)is the "baby stage" of a kind of insect or bug that freshwater fish love to munch. It's one of their favorite dinners done up as a larva or a cocoon instead of a more-difficult-to-catch adult. So these lures simply imitate the baby stage of all the familiar adult-imitating flies.
Baby insects are typically born in the water, and their imitator fly lures are made to resemble the critters that fish have seen living beneath the surface of the water. These lures are heavier than most other fly lures so that they'll sink somewhat below the surface of the water -- because that's precisely where the fish you're going after will expect their meals to be. Because your quarry is out of sight, a lot of anglers put strike indicators on their lines so that they'll know when a fish has taken the bait -- especially needed if you're fishing a stream or river where the current is strong and the water's bubbling like a cauldron. Nymphs (naiads) are perfect for fishing either upstream or downstream, too. That’s because it’s very difficult for a fish to resist a meal when it’s floating right in front of its face. When the fly is inhaled, it’s your job to set the hook.
However, this is a fact that cuts both ways: fish can also be lazier to approach if your fly does not appear to float naturally in the water’s current. (Click here to learn about mending line and casting flies). So patience is vital to successful fly fishing with these kinds of lures. One thing that's on your side: the majority of a freshwater fish's diet comes from eating naiads. They ARE going to bite. Don't snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by jerking the fly away from your catch!
One thing an angler needs to watch out for when using a naiad fly is underwater objects like rocks or plants. The weighted fly may get knocked around or snagged and the fisherman may have to endure the arduous task of extricating it from whatever it hooked into down there. Or worse, he may loose this rig altogether.
It takes some time with naiad fishing to learn to accurately assess how far down the trout, salmon, whitefish, or whatever you're hoping to catch is choosing to hang out. So, fishing with these lures requires more patience than with most other methods of fly fishing. For the novice, nymphing can be the most challenging and the most maddening method of fly fishing. But the catches can be really great; and remember, if you can fly fish this way, you can master the other ways too.
Return from Nymphs to Fly Fishing Flies
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