Flint's Question:

I am 15 years old and I fly fish all around Colorado. My question is on small mountain streams: When I try to fish with nymphs, I can never tell if I get a strike or not, especially in faster moving waters. Do you think you could give me some tips on this problem?

Flint Datino

Mark's Answer:

Flint,

Until you fish with nymphs and take some chances on setting the hook and have success with those chances, you won't be able to catch many fish with nymphs. When fishing nymphs, some anglers rely on feel more than sight. A slight hesitation of the fly or line, a gentle tug, the subtle difference between bumping bottom and the open gape of a trout's mouth. Fishing nymphs is an acquired skill.

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You don't mention if you are using a dry fly as a dropper on top but using that kind of rig is one way to learn how to recognize when your nymph is being taken. You can find in the skills section how to rig up a dropper fly and nymph. Try a dropper fly with a nymph and your hookups will increase significantly.

A couple of hints if you are fishing a nymph dead-drift style:

		Keep the slack out of the line without keeping the line too tight. This way you can 'feel' when a trout takes your nymph.
		Don't be afraid to set the hook when you believe a trout is taking the nymph.

In faster moving water, your nymph may not be getting down to the fish quickly enough before being rushed off downstream. Consider using beadhead nymphs, weighted nymphs or adding splitshot. One of the most frequent errors beginning nymphers make is not getting the nymphs deep enough. When in doubt, add more shot.