I listened to a show on fly fishing radio the other day and it was talking about czech nymphing or polish nymphing. Has anyone tried it before? I tried finding some articles about it, but was unsuccessful. Does anyone know of a helpful article explaining it? Thanks.
I think the feild and stream article posted on the board has something about it. I could be wrong but I think Its a method of casting straight up stream and working the nymph back towards you. Supposed to get less strikes but a higher hook up percentage.
WT - I found this brief excerpt on midcurrent.com (search "Czech Nymphing"):
Czech nymphing is "where a heavy nymph is used basically as a sinker to pull a lighter one, attached further up the leader, into the water column. Very little line is used and the nymphs are worked upstream rather than floated downstream. The broken, tumbly water is worked to conceal the movements of the angler."
Czech nymphing is simply high sticking with multiple nymphs. When you use three bugs you hit every slot in the water column with your rod straight up in the air and you leader straight down in the water. There are Czech style bugs as well. Andy Burk has a series of them out right now. You can use anything though. As far as hook ups go I beg to differ. I use these techniques exclusively on some of my favorite waters up north and when you practice this you can get a decent drift and feel every little bump. Sometimes they hook themselves. It's my favorite way to fish since you actually miss 70% of all takes using indicators!
I would also like to add, the most fish I ever caught in Putah, was a day I was stickin'. If I recall I was using one fly, not three. This is also a great way to teach beginners. Throw a hook shot then raise the rod tip.
Thanx for the clarification on that, Like I said I wasnt sure if that was correct or not, I vagly remember reading about czech nymphing. Honestly I hate using indicators or split shot. Some people say once you use shot and indicators its no longer an art, not saying I totally agree with that but thought I'd throw it out there and see if theres some thoughts on that.
I like to high stick when the I'm in a good spot to do so, the drifts you get stickin are quality dead drifts. I guess I kind of Czech Nymph cus I will throw up stream and I have had sucess doing this at Putah.
Captain split shot is your freind a few more tangles but alot more fish. Indicators arent my favorite at all but I use them a ton. And as for taking the art out of it screw that I'm no artist I'm a fisherman out there whacking fish by using different methods to do so. The more methods you have good skills with the more you can adjust to different waters or stubborn fish.
It's a completely different way of fishing, not only are the flies different but the rigging is different and the drift is different. It's not the best method everywhere but if you have a stream with lots caddis larva and pocket water, it can be THE MOST effective way you'll ever fish. I know a couple of guys at a local fly shop that will not czech nymph because it's TOO EFFECTIVE! I wouldn't suggest it at Putah because the amount of vegatation on the rocks and botom of the creek, you would snag wat too much. You have to go into it knowing you will lose a lot of flies because the whole technique is bouncing your flies along the bottom. The czech nymph flies are very heavily weighted to sink fast and the normal set up is 3 flies. I saw a presentation by Andy Burke and the last Pleasanton fly show on czech nymphing, good stuff. Somewhere on my computer at work I have a diagram on how to set up a czech nymph rig that I made for my buddies, if anyone is interested in receiving it email me at rich.garbarino@bbdowest.com ans I'll be happy to pass it on.
Czech nymphing is simply high sticking with multiple nymphs. When you use three bugs you hit every slot in the water column with your rod straight up in the air and you leader straight down in the water. There are Czech style bugs as well. Andy Burk has a series of them out right now. You can use anything though. As far as hook ups go I beg to differ. I use these techniques exclusively on some of my favorite waters up north and when you practice this you can get a decent drift and feel every little bump. Sometimes they hook themselves. It's my favorite way to fish since you actually miss 70% of all takes using indicators!
Something to keep in mind that there are specific flies to use when czech nymphing, you're regular old bead heads are just not heavy enough. Most czech nymphs have at least 2 layers of lead on the hook shanks, way heavier than any beadheads.
And as for taking the art out of it screw that I'm no artist I'm a fisherman out there whacking fish by using different methods to do so. The more methods you have good skills with the more you can adjust to different waters or stubborn fish.
There's another board out there (you know the one) where this topic has come up quite a few times. I couldn't have said it better myself.
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"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."
Your right. I can't remember the last time the actual catching of fish took away from my experience. I can't believe there are still fishing clubs in England where you can only dry fly fish, and you pay for it!
I believe on the umqua in oregon you can't use indicators or shot, or more than one fly. All the weight has to be on the fly itself.
Fly fishing is challenging enough without having to fish completely blind. Unless you've got very clear water, it can be exceedingly tough to see takes when you're not using an indicator. In fact, nymphing only really came into its own because of indicators and shot. Prior to that it was more soft-hackle and swinging flies that got fish. If you were really good, you could high stick just about anywhere even with no shot and do well, but that's beyond most people.
I know of some people that only fish dry flies, but to me it's more a practical matter: Dry flies only represent about 5% of a fish's diet, probably less. Seems kind of silly to limit yourself arbitrarily to dries. I'm not really clear on what is more sporting or pure about fishing dries vs fishing nymphs, wets, streamers, or terrestrials.
