Published Feb 27. 2006 - 18 years ago
Updated or edited Nov 26. 2022

Czech Nymphing

The principle of nymph-fishing with Czech nymph is short-distance fishing, practically under the tip of the rod. The flyline is hanging under the tip of the rod and its end often does not even touch the water level.

The development of mayflies, stoneflies, sedges, midges and other insects takes place on the bottom, under stones, among underwater plants and in sediments. Have a good look at the river bottom in some shallow place. Turn over a few stones, take out a sunken branch or wash a bit of pool mud through a sieve. You will see real abundance of life here. Among other things you will discover various nymphs and larvae and also an animal of approximately 1 cm length - a scud - freshwater shrimp. Most of the animals you find under the water surface is an indispensable part of menu of the primary target of our interest and fishing passion - the fish we are catching with flies.

Already after a short look at life under the water mirror it is not difficult to understand, why nymph-fishing is successful. When nymph-fishing on flowing waters we fish with flies in the water column, often near the bottom or on the bottom. Exactly in places, where there is majority of fish food and where
fish are readily taking it. When nymph-fishing, we will most often imitate scuds - fresh water shrimps - as well as nymphs of mayflies, caddis flies and midges.
For many fishermen nymph-fishing will never equal the classic dry fly fishing and its beauty. But thanks to its effectivity this method is indispensable for modern flyfishermen and it will bring a lot of unforgettable experience to everybody, who will master nymph-fishing.

What's Czech nymphing?



Czech nymph and Czech nymphing is a special fly and method of nymph fishing, that developed in the regions of middle and eastern Europe. The original Polish nymph was taken over by Czech fishermen during the eighties of the twentieth century. Especially the top Czech competitors have experimented with this new method, developed it and brought it nearly to perfection.

The principle of nymph-fishing with Czech nymph is short-distance fishing, practically under the tip of the rod, that we are keeping in the outstretched arm. The flyline is hanging under the tip of the rod and its end often does not even touch the water level. Two or three nymph flies of various weights are used. Classic baits for the method of fishing Czech nymph are the so called Bobeshs - this original Czech name we do not translate, because the name Czech nymph has quickly spread and now it is widely used. But also other types of flies are used (jig flies, flies with beads etc.)

Czech nymphs are weigthed flies tied on gammarus hooks, imitating fresh water shrimps or caseless larvae of sedge flies. Imitative as well as fantastic patterns are used, mostly sizes 8 - 16. Czech nymph is quite a simple fly regarding its construction. Its characteristic sign is a rounded (bent) gammarus hook, that is weighted with lead wire. The body is created from natural or synthetic dubbing. Another typical feature of a Czech nymph is the back, made from latex foil or a material with similar characteristics. For ribbing of the fly monofil or coloured wire is used. A real Czech nymph is always tied as a very thin one, to sink very quickly towards the bottom.

History of CZN


Paradoxically the history of the Czech nymph has its beginning in Poland, where during the international fly fishing competition in 1984 the Czech competitors got acquainted with the method of fishing at short distance, used by local competitors. Most of the Polish competitors were forced to fish short, because they had no fishing lines at disposal and had to substitute them with thick nylon monofilament. Flies used by Poles were imitations of Sedges Hydropsyche and Rhyacophila.

Czech competitors got acquainted with the method of short nymph very quickly and already next year they used it during the World Championship, that took place on the Polish river San and where Czech team won the second place - just behind the Poles. In 1986 method of short nymph has brought the first gold medal for the Czech team, when the Czech Slavoj Svoboda won the title of world champion in Belgium.

The first Czech nymphs were tied from materials, that would bring smiles to faces of today's fly tyers. Imagine a plastic foam body from a washing sponge, ribbing from horse hair and back from a mackintosh or bast. Use of gammarus hooks gave the Czech nymph its characteristic shape and the at first thick patterns
changed into thinner ones with coming up of new tying materials of higher quality.

At the beginning of this history imitative patterns were preferred, like scuds and caddis larvae. The originally monotonous bodies of these flies were consecutively enriched by various colour spots and the evolution went so far, that today in fly boxes we can find nymphs of various colour combinations not having
anything in common with natural patterns.

Technique


The basic method of fishing with Czech nymph is the so called short nymph (rolled nymph). When using this method we are catching fish practically under the tip of the flyfishing rod and commonly without making use of the flyfishing line, the end of which does not touch the water surface in most situations. After casting upstream we leave our flies sink to the bottom gradually and follow their movements downstream with the tip of the rod. We keep the rod in the hand with the arm stretched in front of us all the time. When the flies reach the area under our site, we lift the flies from the bottom with a movement of the rod upwards and cast again.

The main prerequisite of success of the method of short nymph is keeping a permanent contact with the flies. A bite of a fish shows up as an inconspicuous movement of the leader/flyline upstream or to the sides, or just like a short stop of the whole system in the course of the travel of the flies through the
water column. When we are not able to keep our contact with the flies, our chances to observe a take is markedly reduced.

There are several things that can help us to keep our contact with the flies. First of all it is, however, proper leading of the flies and "copying" their movements in the water by rod and line, while trying to keep the leader (cast) stretched all the time. Another important help is also the length of the leader. When using a short one, keeping good contact with the flies is easier than with a long one. Last but not least, it is very important to have a corresponding weight of the fly system. Keeping contact with heavier
flies is much easier than with lighter ones (lighter flies, however, behave more naturally in the water).
Czech nymphs are not necessarily to be used only in the "short" way, but with similar success also in the "long" way, when we cast flies farther and lay the line on the water. Then we identify the takes by movements or stop of the line tip. In this way we can fish upstream, across the stream and downstream as well. When fishing, we combine both methods (short and long) according to given conditions.

Equipment


As a universal and generally recommended gear for fishing with Czech nymphs is a rod AFTMA 5, length 275 cm (9 feet). We use a normal double tapered line of the same class as the rod. Recently there is a trend for using lighter rods (AFTMA 4, 3 or even 2). It is important to use a rod as light as possible, because regarding the technique of fishing with Czech nymph
(fishing with the arm stretched forward, frequent casting) we feel every superfluous gram.
The leader is made from three monofil parts (there is no need for a tapered cast) of 0,12 - 0.18 diameter. The legth of the leader should not exceed the length of the rod.
A useful part of the system for Czech nymphing is a strike indicator. As we identify many takes according to the movements of the line, it is always good to have a well visible end of the line. Especially the so called speed connectors pieces in different colours are very popular. These are also a good device for connecting the flyline and the leader. The last important equipment of a Czech nymph fisherman are wading trousers. As we are looking for fish at a short distance, it is often necessary to wade even to such places, where a fisherman using another flyfishing method only casts to.
Other parts of the gear do not differ from those, used with other techniques.

Tactic


Tactics of fishing with the Czech nymph will always differ according to current conditions and universal directions for right tactics do not exist. In
any case it is important to take several checked up facts into account:

Where to fish:
With a Czech nymph we usually fish in shallow as well as in deep currents and in the boundary lines between them and eddies and calm pools. We look for places, where there are deep places (pits), in these there are often fish. We will be successful also in deep pits between two currents and near bunches of water plants like water buttercups.

When to fish:
When reading some foreign journals we can get an impression, that the Czech nymph method can be effective only when it is used for catching grayling in winter. On the contrary, Czech nymph is successful all the year round. Especially effective it is (when compared with other methods) during times of high water, as after a rain, when other methods are failing, because with them it is difficult to get a fly to places, where fish are feeding. Practically in most cases, when we cannot see any fish activity on the water surface, it pays to use the Czech nymph method.

How to fish:
We fish at a short distance, often only so far, that the distance ist just a bit larger than the length of our rod. We leave the flies drift freely, only during the end phase we often meet with success, when we let the flies rise from the bottom to the surface. Proper weighting of flies is important. The flies must be heavy enough to sink to the required depth, but on the other hand they must not be weighted too much, so as they do not often get snagged on the bottom and also when overweight, they can not be led through the water as naturally as possible. Weighting of the flies we must flexibly adjust to depth and speed of the current. During the actual fishing the flies must be as near to the bottom as possible in places, where we expect a bite. Regarding the short distance we are fishing at, we must be careful not to spook the fish. While fishing in clear or shallow water, the effectivity of our fishing can be remarkably increased, when we lower our silhoutte.

What fish:
Grayling is the fish, that responds to the Czech nymph best. But we can successfully fish for brown and rainbow trout, chub, dace, roach or barbel.

What flies:
There is no general rule determining the most effective pattern of Czech nymph. When we do not know, to what flies the fish will positively respond, we put three fly patterns on the leader, in distinctly various colour combinations and test the effectivity of individual patterns. Usually a natural pattern is tied as the tip fly or first dropper and a "wilder" pattern as the second dropper. The deeper the water and the larger the fish we are expecting, the larger fly patterns we can use.

For fishing for brown trout imitative patterns are more suitable, for rainbow trout and grayling beside natural patterns we use various colour combinations, having nothing in common with imitations of natural food. For catching non-salmonids flies of "sober" colours are best.

Flies


The basic pattern for fishing with Czech nymph is a fly, in Czech called Bobeš (read bobesh = Czech nymph). It is a weighted fly tied on a Gammarus hook.
The Czech nymph imitates freshwater scuds, caseless caddis larvae, or is tied in absolutely fantastic colour combinations.

A true Czech nymph must be thin, to sink as near to the bottom as possible during its short trip through the water. Sizes of the flies differ according to fishing conditions (water depth, clarity, current speed, size of fish etc.). The most used sizes for European waters are #10 and #12. When nymph fishing on large rivers or expecting a strike of a large fish we often use flies up to the size #6. On small streams we can get down to nymph size #16.

Czech nymph is not the only type of a fly, we can successfully use for Czech nymphing. Also other types of artificial flies are effective, like jigs, nymphs with beads (gold, silver, brass), classical nymph types (pheasant tail, hare's ear etc.) or nymph tied on special hooks (e.g. nymphs tied on hooks with a drop).
We can combine types, patterns, sizes and colours of the flies to our heart's content and there is no guaranteed or best combination. When we know, what flies the fish are taking, we can fish with three identical patterns. In a situation, when we are not acquainted with the river or do not know the fish appetite, there is nothing left but to make some experiments and in such a case it gives us an advantage, when we tie on three different flies in different colours and sizes.

Fly-tying basics


Tying a Czech nymph is very simple and no special or exotic materials are needed for it. Fot tying a standard Czech nymph we need to have the following items in our tying box:

  • tying thread
  • Gammarus hook
  • lead wire
  • natural or synthetic dubbing material in various colours (rabbit, hare, opossum, antron etc.)
  • vinyl foil
  • nylon


With these materials we will be amply supplied for the beginning. If we wish to experiment more with tying Czech nymphs, then it will be good to add the following to the above mentioned materials:

  • gold tinsel
  • synthetic mother-of-pearl dubbing
  • metal beads
  • various types of wire
  • special foil for tying nymph backs
  • alcohol felt tip pen


The basic tying procedure of tying a classical Czech nymph we will show in the folowing tying process
(text and drawings by Bohumir Sumsky. Another version can be found here.


1. We lay a foundation of lead wire in tight turns on the shank of a hook, fixed in the vice. Number of turns and diameter of the lead wire we choose according to the requisite weight of the fly. In flies, where we do not put much weight on, or none at all, we use copper wire, or we leave out this step entirely. We make the turns in the middle third, or two thirds of the shank. We leave some space at the hook eye for the head and at the end of the shank for tying in the material and tapering of the rear of the abdomen. (Ill. 3)

2. We fix the tying thread between the eye and lead and wind a few turns of the wire over it, so as they do not get loose and do not turn around the axis of the shank. It is advisable to put a drop of varnish over the lead on the turns. We leave the thread and bobbin hanging at the end of the shank (Ill. 4).


3. Here we tie in the material successively. We begin with that one, that we will use as the last and consecutively we tie further material in the reverse succession, than we will use it. We begin by tying in about 10 cm of nylon line of 0,10 - 0,15 mm diameter, that we will use for final ribbing and strengthening of the fly. We fix the end of nylon line behind the lead turns with the tying thread, the rest is directed to the rear and we proceed with several turns (3-5) to the end of the shank. It is good to flatten the end of the line a bit with help of a forceps. Then it holds better (Ill. 5)

4. Further on we tie in a 3-4 mm wide vinyl strip, the dim side up. There where it is tied in, we shape it into a point with help of scissors and this point we tie in to the back. We tie the whole length we have, we will shorten it to the proper length till before tying the head. Thus it is easier to work with and we spare the material (Ill. 6).

5. Now we tie in about 10 cm of a golden glossy tinsel. These are sold under various business names in various colour and iridescent shades. We are using them for various flies, especially in gold and silver
(Ill. 7)


6. Now we come to dubbing. We make a 10 - 12 cm long dubbing loop from the tying thread and hang a twister in it. We fix the loop with a few turns and proceed with the thread to the hook eye, where we leave the bobbin hanging (Ill. 8)


7. By pulling the twister with the left hand we close and again open the loop a bit. We close the loop and smear it lightly with dubbing wax. With help of tweezers we choose small wisps of hair and insert them into the opened loop successively.We close and open the loop again. The wax should hold the hair, even when the loop is opened. First we must check, what amount of hair to put in. It is better less than more.


8. When we have inserted the required amount of hair along the whole length of the loop, we spin the loop with the hair, producing a wick by means of the twister (Ill. 9 a, b)


9. We wind the wick in tight dextral turns towards the hook eye. At the eye we leave enough space for finishing the fly. We fix the wick with two turns of the thread and clip off the rest (Ill. 10)

10. We rib the body of the fly by 5 - 6 dextral turns of the tinsel and fix the ribbing with the thread (Ill. 11)


11. We put the slightly stretched vinyl stripe along the back of the body and fix it at the eye with the thread (Ill. 12)

12. We rib the whole fly with 6 - 8 tight sinistral turns of the nylon line. We must take care not to move the vinyl stripe to one side. Therefore we fix it with our left hand and keep straightening it during the process. Then we fix the line with the thread and clip off the rest (Ill. 13) We form a tiny neat head from the thread and whip-finish in the least three times. We cut off the thread and varnish the head (Ill. 13)

13. With a brush from a dry zip fastener we comb out downward pointing legs from the body on both sides (Ill. 14)

Instead of a dubbed wick we can use a ready made wick twisted from copper wires, instead of nylon line we can use a thin copper or brass wire. We can dye the head and a small part of the hair adequately with some dark permanent felt-tip pen. In this way we also can darken the whole back of the body or its part. A darker back and lighter abdomen is sometimes very effective. A conspicuous colour dot, e.g. a red dot in the centre of the body can be also very effective. We must keep in mind the whole shape of the fly, that should be thickest in the center and gradually thinner towards the head and tail.

Ed: For more information on Czech Nymphs, I suggest readers visit web site Czech Nymphs

Comments

I really love the sa...

I really love the sanctimonious, holier than thou comments that Czech Nymphing is not truly fly fishing or that it's not pure. Or how about anyone who wants to catch more fish is missing the point of fly fishing. I was 13 when I started fishing and I used crawlers to catch bass. It wasn't until I was 38 that I started fly fishing for trout. I truly love it. However, I would never force my idea of fishing on another person. If it's legal, it's fishing.

As for the notion that if your counting how many fish you catch, then you're missing the point . . . the great thing about fly fishing is that you're always learning something new. How exactly do you measure your learning? The fish are the final judges. Certainly, the beauty of my surroundings NEVER goes unnoticed when I'm trying to perfect my dead drift. And on the days that I get skunked? I agree with my fishing buddy who says, "At least it was a nice day out of the house." However, I do get a slight sense of disappointment when I catch nothing. Besides, how many fly fisherman that are purists don't relish those days when they catch 10, 20, or even 30 fish in a short span of time. It merely confirms their dead drift, elk hair caddis was a perfect presentation. It confirms the proportions of the fly they tied were accurate. It confirms the slight variation of color they chose was more effective than the traditional. It confirms that their casting is accurate. All of this reinforcement to come back and do it all over again. Yes, we all need the fish to bite. The tug is the drug.

I was first introduc...

I was first introduced to nymph fishing by Ed Koch more than 40 years ago and the method he used was referred to as "Pennsylvania High Sticking". The flies were different, Ed's were much smaller and all fur.

I live in central Pe...

I live in central Pennsylvania and this technique is absolutely dynamite in the winter when the trout congregate in deeper pools. The technique itself is quite similar to something the old timers in my area developed decades ago using monofilament with heavily weighted leaders and flies. I especially like the patterns. It's my opinion that most of us tie our nymphs with far too much dubbing and too little weight. The Czech patterns definitely get down into the strike zone quickly.

After reading many d...

After reading many diaparaging remarks by some on this technique, I find it a lot like the old nymph fisherman who did everything by feel. This tecnique is all about your ability to feel the movement of the flies and the take by the trout. I fished this just this last weekend with Lance Egan, world champion, and find it to very effective and enjoyable. Fishing is all about catching fish and I have ample opportunity living within three and a half hours of both the Green and South Fork of the Snake not to mention both the Provo and Weber rivers. I love dry fly fishing but in most cases the majority of the fish are feeding in the zone, on the bottom and either you fish there or you leave with a sore arm and no fish.

I used to have the s...

I used to have the same snagging problem. The best way I know to avoid snagging on rocks is to "lead" your flies and indicator through the stream, that is, by keeping the rod tip ahead of the flies. The second I let my rod fall behind my flies, I risk hanging up, over and over. By leading, there are fewer hangups by far, and most of them you can simply pull on the line from upstream and you will pop off. I do not understand why this technique works, but it does. I learned it from an excellent guide in Pennsylvania named Tom Baltz.

i have been flyfishi...

i have been flyfishing for years, yet have only tried czech nymp recently, have to say i enjoyed, but found that i was getting into a lot snags, then i would have to set up again,which was time consuming what can i do to eliminate this problem, and don't say give it up tom in ireland

Good Article... I...

Good Article...

In my opinion fishing is fishing, and this is just another form of "fly" fishing. Again in my opinion, the defining difference between Polish/Czech nymphing and American "old school" high sticking is the consistent "contact" with the team of nymphs, the leader builds, rod lengths and actions, and of course the difference in the flies themselves.

Also, (and again--just my opinion) any "fly fisher" that has ever walked back to the car after a day of fly fishing and asked his buddy "how'd you do?" is a competition angler--methinks. :)

A nice article on a ...

A nice article on a technique I wish to learn. Thank you for sharing it with us and for the traditionalists, this is only one method of many in fly fishing :)

To all of the fly fi...

To all of the fly fishing purists up above, quite be a bunch of old smelly *beeps*. Hooking a fish that you can't even see by feel alone is a lot harder that fishing with a dry fly. I'll hook you in the ear with a barbed skagit minnow for being old and lame.

Good article. I woul...

Good article. I would like to express my opinion because I am from Czech Republic and currently I live in Ireland so I believe that I know "both sides".
I agree with opinion that Czech Nymphing is not graceful fly fishing. Personally I love dry fly fishing and I am happy I can use dry flies almost whole season in Ireland. During two years I used Czech nymph only several times mainly for perch fishing in high water. (I also improved my casting in this two years more than in ten years of fly fishing in Czech rep)
On the other hand this "technique" was invented in country where fish do not raise so easy as in England, Scotland or Ireland. In Czech Rep. there are lot of trout rivers where fish feed whole year close to bottom and is necessary to get flies deep to catch something.
Czech Nymphing is very effective and could be abused (like almost everything) so I agree with ban of it on some rivers but still from my point of view it is more sport method than worm fishing or dapping the natural mayfly (that is considered as sport method in Ireland).
This technique allows fishing when other ones does not work like high water so it worth to try and learn ( and have several Bobeshs in fly box)
Petru zdar

Pavel Adamovski. Ver...

Pavel Adamovski. Very clear and informed article. I was using method similar to it as mentioned here-in as a result of "Hatches" tying techniques [Caucci&Nastasi] in the late 60's. Was in the middle of the pool catching fish right next to me. Never moved from the spot. By the way, how about plastic bubble blowing kits? The comments are great stuf.

I am in agreement wi...

I am in agreement with Ralph 100% ..
One of my fishing buddies has been using this technique exclusively since the early fall, and although on more than one occasion he has been the only one to land fish, I find the technique Neanderthalic .....

I have tried it, and yes, it lands fish ...... *yawn* ...........
It is as comparable to me as angling or float fishing - a stick and a string, with a worm at one end and a fool at the other .......

Fly fishing is an experience of the senses, a serenity of the mind ..

"Fly fishing is for those who hold that the fun in the race of life is in the running, not just the winning, that existence is its own justification, that a day spent in a stream or a pond with a goal in mind is a joy even if the goal is not achieved."
~by Jon Margolis and Jeff MacNelly, How to Fool Fish with Feathers

If you're fly fishing as though you are 'in a contest', and the only objective is to 'catch fish' - you are missing the point .... and that is disappointing .............

In away i agree with...

In away i agree with the comment below, but not that it is not fly fishing. you are using flies that represent the trout or graylings natural diet and you are using a rod,reel and line so how is it not fly fishing.
As i have said previously on forums and such if you want to fish with a dry fly in the middle of march and catch nothing or go home because the dry fly isnt working in high coloured water then so be it but i know ill be abe to stay and catch fish.
Thats why i use this method because it catches me fish in beautiful surroundings and i am proud to say i am a nymph fisherman. This is not to say i wont use a dry fly in certain water conditions but 9 times out of 10 a nymph will out fish a dry.
I know there is no better feeling seeing a fish and taking your time and casting too it and the explosion on the water surface. I know but i cant help love seeing my little red braided baking indicator shoot of and then lifting the rod and feeling the weight of the fish.

I agree that the art...

I agree that the article is well written and informative.
However I am disapointed that there is only positive feedback. Let´s give the flyfishing philosophy some consideration. How about the old adage that "fly fishing is not (only) about catching fish". There is more to it. The method has nothing to do with flyfishing. To quote Howell Raines from his famous book "Flyfishing through the Midlifee crisis", fishing e.g a gold beaded nymph with a strike indicator with a flyrod has nothing to do with flyfishing. Flyfishing is not defined by the fact that you use a flyrod.
It is too bad that there are flyfishing "contests" that lead to excesses of this kind.
I know my comments will not draw sympathy here. I hope that at least a small minority of true flyfishermen will start thinking.

guys i seen another ...

guys i seen another method of fishing this way but using only 20lbs backing as your fly line. Attach 20 or 30ft of the backing to your fly line and wind on to your reel (so there is no fly line of the reel) and then attach 10 or 15lb line to the backing, put a loop on the 15lb line and attach your leader with czech nymphs and hey presto your ready to czech nymph. The added goodies about this technique mean you can feel so much more when the flies are bouncing along the bottom (due to non-stretch capailities of the backing), the 15lb line stops alot of tangles and this way stops you casting long distances (a common problem when people start with heavy czech nymphs) because you cant really cast very far with just backing. I use either bright red or fluo-green backing for this technique depending on light and water conditions. I also mark the first 2 feet of backing with a black marker pen at intervals of about an inch for increased take detection. (it should look like this - - - - - ) Again instead of using the 15 or 10lb line you could use braid but it is hard to get hold of very fine braid which is suitable for this technique. This method doesnt cost you much more than a fiver to make as backing and heavy monofil is cheap as chips thee days. Give this a try for winter grayling and spring and autumn trout and i gaurantee you dont regret it.

Please can somebody ...

Please can somebody tell me where to find a diagram for the czech leader dropper making?
Or as well, where can I buy some on-line?
I never used this but I being reading for a while and it seems it's FULL SUCCESS"
I got here and can read the excellent results obtained by many of you!
Tks,
Jorge Postigo

Ive tried it without...

Ive tried it without the indicator and even i found it quite difcult, and ive been fly fishing for 4 years now.
Never really used the technique correctly til i looked it up last month and its been killing them. Its an absolute killer on the southern upland trout and grayling streams in scotland !!!!!!! (or anywhere in scotland for that matter LOL)
I think the indicator gives you that extra confidence and confidence is crucial when fishing....
One thing he forgot to mention is try and use barbless hooks !!!!!!! Its so much easier to get out of snags and it doesnt cause the fish as much stress and makes it much easier to release the fish
I havent lost anymore fish on barbless hooks as long as the line is kept tight the fish will stay on
Show the fish respect use barbless
Tight lines and happy baboshing AHAHAH

I've been fishing th...

I've been fishing the fast rivers of the Eastern Sierra using a three nymphs on the east walker and I KILLS the browns I highly recomend high sticking, during high and fast moving waters. Go to June Lake and fish we need it!!

I have been fishing...

I have been fishing like this for over 30 yrs.I have never used an indicator.I believe that an indicator strike is not as feeling as fishing without one.I fish all nymphs like this not just these Czech nymphs.In central Pa. we call it high sticking.This type of fishing is very productive and prduces bigger fish.

Bob, Nice article. ...

Bob,
Nice article. I just sent the link to an old friend who is giving it a go on the Owens in California.
Lets fish,
Gert

GREAT ARTICLE, UNFOR...

GREAT ARTICLE, UNFORTUNATELY HERE IN PENNSYLVANIA, YOU MIGHT WANT TO HAVE AN 11' TO 12' ROD TO APPROACH WITH THIS METHOD. HOWEVER, AFTER A RAIN STORM I MIGHT GIVE THIS A TRY.

Fantastic and cleer ...

Fantastic and cleer informations.Thank You.

In Mendoza, Argentin...

In Mendoza, Argentina i use this technique during winter, it`s bery useful in the Andes mountains creeks.
perfecttackle.blogspot.com/

David is correct - C...

David is correct - Czech Nymphing for Yellowfish in South Africa is quite popular. You can check out www.upstreamflyfishing.co.za if you are planning a trip to SA and would like a guided tour to many great destinations.

Wonderfully informat...

Wonderfully informative and helpful. Good to read.

A gold bead pheasant...

A gold bead pheasant tail nymph is the only nymph you need if coming to Ireland.

Dear all...

Dear all,
I'm fisherman from the Czech Republic. I have to say that czech nymph (bobesh) is quite popular. However, dry flies during grayling season are more important here.

Here in the States t...

Here in the States this method we refer to as "high sticking" and takes can be seen by watching the bow in the line as you lead the offering downstream. One must strike often as delays caused by bottom structures can mimick a hit. Enjoyed the article and will be using the technique in Missouri in a couple of weeks.

i will add that it i...

i will add that it is common to use strike indicators that are fluorescent orange or red, which might indeed frighten the fish in clear shallow water conditions, but i am beginning to experiment with painting them white instead as this may resemble foam or other detritus already normally present in the water and should be nearly as visible as red.

Very informative. I...

Very informative. I will go to the vice with some great ideas for new flies. The main point I have taken from the information is that czech nymphs should be kept as thin as possible.

Many thanks

Very nice article, t...

Very nice article, thanks for the information. Will try it also with a crab pattern in Patagonia.

Guys!, come on we do...

Guys!, come on we do this type of nymphing all the time in the mountain streams, it is about the only way to catch wild browns, when the dry fly fishing is slow, and the water is clear , the browns lay in the tail out of the pool, and you can't let your fly line hit the water or they are gone. Can't be stealthy with a strike indicator , those are for beginners.

why wouldn't you jus...

why wouldn't you just use a strike indicator?

great flys for brown...

great flys for browns rainbows and perfect for ambushing land lock salmon.It doesn't get much better than this.

I am going to repeat...

I am going to repeat what has already been said. This technique definitely works on Dolly Varden in Alaska. Roll it and follow it, easy to learn and very effective! Its time to get a "fish-on", go get yours.

Excellent article an...

Excellent article and very accurate. I flew from British Columbia, Canada to the Czech Republic this past spring to further study this highly-effective technique.
Todd Oishi
Team Canada Member
www.bcflyfishingadventures.com

great reading very i...

great reading very imformitive going to give it a go , like the photos this is certianly going in my favorites, glad i found it .
many thanks

Very well put-togeth...

Very well put-together article. I might just have a go myself. Thanks very much!

I can't wait to try ...

I can't wait to try out this method of Czech short nymph fishing as well as to tie up some Bobesh's! Fascinating article.

This method is now u...

This method is now used succesfully in South Africa for catching yellowfish in streams.

I was very impressed...

I was very impressed with this method of fly fishing. Being fairly new to this wonderful sport, I love to learn about all methods to improve at this sport.

Very good and instru...

Very good and instructive article!
Nice, action packed photos.

Interesting article ...

Interesting article and thanks for the link at the end (more good information). This is a new technique for me to try and lots of new patterns to tie.

Very good article an...

Very good article and thank you for the link at the end (even more good information). A whole new technique for me to try and a whole new set of flies to tie!

Again, a lovely arti...

Again, a lovely article on a method that I practice and believe in more or less every time I go fishing (except salt of course!).
Ripley davenport

Discussion "what is not fly...

Discussion "what is not fly fishing" is as old as fly fishing itself :-). I live in Poland now, where this method very popular, but called "Polish nymphing", which is the same in my opinion. Also it's popular in Slovakia where I'm fishing quite often, maybe they call it "Slovak nymphing"? :-) I learned interesting technique from Slovak guide on river Vah, which is combination of Czech/Polish nymphing and wet fly swing. In this method 3 flies are used. Anchor fly is heavier nymph, used for weight, middle fly is very light nymph, and top fly is a wet fly, usually spider pattern. Cast flies slightly upstream, follow it with the rod tip, then in the middle of the run rod is gradually lowered. When the rig is on 45 degrees downstream from the angler, fly line and rod almost dropped to the water. So it ends up like classic downstream swing. I tried that in the riffle full of graylings and trout, and half of fish takes were on wet fly, when rig was 45 degree downstream or in the lower part of the drift.

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