No Indicators

[Zach Bearden]

Well... I am under "strict training" for the tryouts for Fly Fishing team USA youth. I was wondering if ya'll would have a few good ways to fish nymphs without an indicator. I cant have shot or indicators because those are some of the rules for the competitions. I know that there are some ways in the still waters to fish unweighted nymphs and wait until they hit bottom the recast to cruising fish, but other then standing at an outlet and tossing a nymph indicator and shot rig I dont know anything else.

Any kind of a teqniques would be great to learn about! Thanks!

[Danoinark]

Zach, I sent you a pm re: Team USA

[Rolan Duffield]

Zack:

Here is an old technique we used to fish nymphs without using an indicator. Make your normal cast and as soon as the fly sinks, raise the rod tip to about 2:00 O'clock. This will result in forming a "belly" in the fly line. Keep the rod tip high and let the rod follow the direction of the current downstream while watching the curvature of the "belly" in the line. Any change to curvature of the belly in the fly line is likely a strike. Watch for a slight jump in the line, the line stopping,or any change in motion of the line.

This technique is very effective in running water though can also be used when slowly hand stripping the line towards you. It has advantages over using floats as the fly will travel in a natural drift along the bottom.

The key to this is to keep the rod tip high and carefully watch the line for any changes to the belly in the fly line.

Rolan

[Phil Lilley]

Not sure if they allow floatant on the line. But if so, grease the line down to where you'd put your indicator and watch the point where the line enters the water, which should be the point where the floatant ends. Hold the rod high like Rolan says.

Hi Rolan!!

[motroutbum]

Send me a PM with any questions you have. I could help you quite a bit since I have a lot of experience with the Adult US Fly fishing team and BTW I am heading to nationals on the 26th. top 10 finish and Im on the team.

[motroutbum]

It is really tough to learn through reading a description. It would be best to set up a time and I can teach you how to do it. The flies that you use are completely different for most other rivers that just fishing the tailwaters. You will rarely sight fish to fish. Its almost a waste of time unless you can catch the fish. YOu only have 3 hours to fish your beat. I dont know if you know or have looked this far into the rules yet, but you cant use a bead head over 5/32". you can not use coneheads, or beadchain/dumbell eyes. You may not tie off the bend of the hook above nor the eye of the hook above. Saying this, you have to tie your multi-fly rigs, you have to tie off the tag of your tippet to tippet knot. Your flies have to be 50 cm apart hanging from eye to eye. the flies can be as heavy as you want and you can use as many beads on a fly as you want, but all the weight on the fly (lead underbody and all except one bead) have to be covered. This eliminates copper johns and brassies.(the exposed copper wire is considered weight.) This is where Polish Nymphing comes in to play just like I had mentioned in some posts a few months ago.

Fishing without an indicator is not as hard as it seems. and once you become comfortable without using one, you wont go back to it. To start getting used to it, you can use a dry fly as an indicator. and you are able to use up to 3 flies at a time.

when casting 3 flies, you cant really cast a tight loop. you have to force yourself to cast a very wide loop. and when nymphing with multiple flies, I would recommend getting the Rio Nymph line. it has a bright orange tip and helps you when high sticking. also when nymphing with multiple flies, you dont cast them. its more of a lob. YOu should be fishing in the high percentage areas: you should be fishing fast water. dont waste time on pools. Learn how to fish pocket water. You only have 3 hours to fish your beat and you have to catch a fish. Blanking is UNACCEPTABLE in competitions. YOur whole attitude on fishing will change. If you dont catch fish you lose.

FOr lakes: since we dont have any high country lakes here it will be EXTREMELY and I mean EXTREMELY difficult, to learn how to catch trout in lakes. They arent like bass or pike or perch or walleye's. You cant just go to a lake and throw a bugger. you have to learn how to fish BIG midges size 10-16, damsel nymphs, caddis, and callibaetis.

They only way to get used to the comp stuff is to start practicing and setting up the situations you will face in competitions. I dont know if you have school or not, but the best way to get a feel for it is to go and watch a comp. Contact me if you want to fish and learn about competitive fly fishing.

[Matt Tucker]

Randy:

Good tips on the competitions. I have never competed in one, but have followed them for awhile now and am a real big fan of them (hope maybe one day to see them more frequently). Did you go to the North Carolina trial a couple weeks ago (at least i think it was a couple weeks ago) to practice? I see you made the finals from Colorado.....CONGRATS MAN!

--Matt Tucker

[Zach Bearden]

Thanks for the Information guys!

[motroutbum]

I did go to NC for practice. I ended up 8th, but won my first session. I had a really really bad beat my second beat and I blanked. My third beat I picked up 2 fish for a 3rd place. ive been to every one except the michigan one because it was the following week from cody and I didnt have the funds to go.