Fly Fishing Rods

Czech Nymphing – The Essential Fly Fishing Technique

 

Czech nymphing was introduced to the UK in the 1990 World Championships. The Czech team beat the UK International teams on the Welsh River Dee. The Czechs caught grayling in numbers from places that were thought impossibly fast or deep previously. This sent shockwaves through the world of competition angling. The technique is today considered to be pretty much a standard – an essential part of every grayling anglers armoury.Firstly, let’s take a look at the flies, the Czech nymph has many, many variations, but all are based upon one simple design, utilising a heavily-leaded hook. They are intended to be fished very deep, in fast water, weight & a slim profile are important.

 

Tackle

 

A 5 or 6-weight rod will be sufficient, 9′ to 10′ is ideal for better control of the flies. Leader should be of about 9′ in length, NOT tapered as they are counter-productive as tapered leader won’t sink quickly enough. Just use something like 6lb down to the top dropper, with 4lb from there down. Use two 5-6″ droppers, one about 18″ above the point fly, the other about 18″ above that. The true Czech method is to fish the heaviest nymph on the top dropper, so that it helps carry the other flies down to the correct level. To help ensure rapid sinking of the flies, degrease the leader. You will be looking for takes on the end of the flyline, so depending on your eyesight you may wish to use some sort of bite indicator.

 

Tactics

 

 

Obviously, with this technique you do not need to restrict yourself to Czech nymphs. The key is to use heavily-weighted flies, so goldheads, caddis will do just as well. ’Matching the hatch’ is not a priority with this fishing! This is an active searching method and, as such, technique is more important than specific pattern.

 

Tags: Czech Nymphing, Fly Fishing, Fly Fishing Gear

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