Small nymphs (to me anyway)

iveofione

iveofione

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Over the course of the winter I have watched dozens of fly tying vids on yootoob and noticed that many vids are of tying small nymphs or Euro nymphs. Many iterations of Perdigons, Shop Vacs or Walt's Worm are shown many down to size 18. Size 14 is as small as I go these days for a couple of reasons. The first is that I am almost 85 years old and those tiny sum bitches are difficult to tie. The 2nd reason is that most of the fish I will be fishing over have never seen an artificial fly of any kind so I'm hoping they don't know a 14 from an 18.

How are you guys fishing these things? Are they primarily east coast fare or do they work on western waters and westslope cutthroat? Back in the day when I was nymphing the Deschutes the usual practice was a heavily weighted fly-usually a stone-trailed by a smaller fly, often a caddis pupa. It produced a lot of fish but now I will be fishing crystal clear streams with pocket water and far more delicacy is required. I'm hoping that a 13' tenkara rod with 6x tippet will put me over a lot of fish without putting them down with a fly line slapping the water.

What advice can you share with me that would help me become competent fishing these tiny flies? Any tricks or techniques that an old high stick guy can utilize to get things started?
 
iveofione said:
Over the course of the winter I have watched dozens of fly tying vids on yootoob and noticed that many vids are of tying small nymphs or Euro nymphs. Many iterations of Perdigons, Shop Vacs or Walt's Worm are shown many down to size 18. Size 14 is as small as I go these days for a couple of reasons. The first is that I am almost 85 years old and those tiny sum bitches are difficult to tie. The 2nd reason is that most of the fish I will be fishing over have never seen an artificial fly of any kind so I'm hoping they don't know a 14 from an 18.

How are you guys fishing these things? Are they primarily east coast fare or do they work on western waters and westslope cutthroat? Back in the day when I was nymphing the Deschutes the usual practice was a heavily weighted fly-usually a stone-trailed by a smaller fly, often a caddis pupa. It produced a lot of fish but now I will be fishing crystal clear streams with pocket water and far more delicacy is required. I'm hoping that a 13' tenkara rod with 6x tippet will put me over a lot of fish without putting them down with a fly line slapping the water.

What advice can you share with me that would help me become competent fishing these tiny flies? Any tricks or techniques that an old high stick guy can utilize to get things started?
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Each stage of midge on the way to adult is often one size smaller than the preceding stage. If you’ve got size 16 larvae, you’ve often got size 20 adults.

As for fishing tips, I usually tight line them.
 
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In the West, I only deploy those things when necessary. It’s pretty rare, frankly. Maybe a Yakima BWO hatch or winter back eddy sippers. Occasionally late season, formerly suicidal stream trout. Tailwaters like the MO, if you do that, you will need those flies. Rarely on lakes I’ve resorted to those tiny nymphs/pupae and had some success when other stuff wasn’t working. That’s usually been fishing shallow flats, tiny dry and tiny dropper type stuff. Come to think of it when I fish those tiny flies it usually is an emerger or dry/dropper situation.
 
I can easily and quite honestly say I have not fished anything smaller than a 16 in over 30 years. And I have caught lots of fish. More than enough to make me a very 'happy camper'...

Edited to add: I have a box of them. I have not used them. My tippets I use will not fit ithrough the eye...
 
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I really enjoy Czech nymphing with two different set ups. Go-to is a 9 1/2' 4 wt rod with tippet down to 4x. Two flies are attached that match what I see on the bottom of rocks. Second set up is a 9 1/2 3wt rod with tippet down to 5x or on rare occasions 6x. Two files are attached according to what's crawling on the bottom of rocks but never less than size 16. I have an orange "leader link" that rides just under the surface that I keep my eye on for unusual movements.

I have an 11' 3" Czech rod that I hardly use anymore after watching this guy from Poland vacuum up about 20 fish after other guys had gone through the same run of pools. He was using a 9' 5wt rod!
 
@iveofione

Sounds like old school "dapping" with the Tenkara rod is what you are thinking. Is that correct? If so Id recommend the flies be weighted.

Honestly though, you know what your doing. If you are fishing non pressured streams, most likely you dont need to go smaller than say a # 16 Pheasant Tail.

High Sticking and Old Men Rule !!!!!;)
 
I don't mess with the small stuff much, my philosophy is to throw something big enough to be worth the fishes' while to move. I do realize I probably miss some fish, and that small PT's and perdigons could be good, but I do better now than I used to, sticking to sz. 6-12 nymphs, maybe a 14. Fishing them usually involves tight line nymphing with 2 or 3 flies, one a heavily weighted anchor on point, or on the middle dropper.
Sure there may be BWO's, and I took one fish on a 18 dry this winter, but really the spring stones are big now, and many caddis are nice and plump as well, just waiting for some warmer weather. I just don't know that I come across selective fish targeting tiny stuff in a slot lair, any time of year. I'm gonna tumble something big that I assume they are used to seeing, down along the bottom, so they will dart out and grab it.
 
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When you need small nymphs, you need small nymphs...
There's a place for some in a nymph box, and while they don't get much use, when the time comes you'll be glad you have some.
;)
 
It seems my go to nymph size is a 16…14’s when the fish aren’t finicky (but I’d rather fish a streamer or leech)…but I do tie 18’s for those low and ultra clear waters, or midges are present. I also have a more difficult time tying anything smaller than an 18, so I don’t…

A couple years back, I was on the S Fork of the Boise in November; in the morning it was below 30 degrees, but by 2:00 a small baetis hatch went off…my buddy was catching on size 20…I had none that small in my box and really had to work hard to hook my first fish…on an 18 nymph & 6x
 
I carry a pretty extensive nymph box, down to 22...
Not a lot of them, but a respectable selection of 18-22's that saved the day more than once.
They don't see a lot of use, but when they are in the water, they make me look good.
🤣
 
Mossback said:
I carry a pretty extensive nymph box, down to 22...
Not a lot of them, but a respectable selection of 18-22's that saved the day more than once.
They don't see a lot of use, but when they are in the water, they make me look good.
🤣
Click to expand...
I'm with you. Except I max out at #20, and I only carry a few of them. A #20 or #18 zebra midge has saved my day a few times.
 
I pretty much figure size 14 for trout. Dry, wet, or nymph. Some size 8 BH buggers and size 10 muddlers to round it off.
 
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