Scenario Question Would like your opinion
Method: Short Line Nymphing/2 flies
Location: Let's say Monument
Let's say I have been fishing a particular stretch of water...say 30 yards long by however wide.
I have had a couple of hookups but nothing to rave about. My questions are:
1)Do you move onto another piece of water?
2)Do you fish the same stretch again?
3)Do you change flies to fish the same stretch?
4)Switch to long line or right angle indie rig?
Obviously no right answers...just curious to hear other's thought processes on this.
Re: Scenario Question Would like your opinion
Here's a point-by-point response based on the confident approach Aaron teaches. When we first fished he taught me the psychological game based on his hockey experiences. If you keep fishing with an attitude of "I won't catch any," you won't! This one piece of advice had a major impact on my catch rates and totals.
1) Do you move onto another piece of water? YES, in a river like that you know there are high numbers of fish.
2) Do you fish the same stretch again? YES, when conditions change.
3) Do you change flies to fish the same stretch? NO, not usually productive unless you are VASTLY off in size. You should have a good general knowledge of what works in that season and those conditions.
4) Switch to long line or right angle indie rig? NO, unless you feel there is an area of the pool you can't reach with the short line. I have found the long line setup to be more general, i.e. you can short line nymph with the long line setup, but not vice versa. The most general method is using an indicator.
Nothing beats confidence coupled with time on the water.
Re: Scenario Question Would like your opinion
Agree with you about confidence and time on the water.
Something I wrestle with is moving on from a piece of water. I hate the idea of leaving it behind. What I am asking is when are you sure you have it covered...or does that not even factor in.
Re: Scenario Question Would like your opinion
Knowing when to move & how much time to spend in a spot is prob IMHO one thing that separates great fishermen from the average ones. Most people, myself often included, spend way to much time in the same spots. I usually have my best nymphing days when I cover lots of water.
If you have covered the better looking spots, move on- unless you don't feel you are "dialed-in" on your flies. In that case, if you are in a really good spot, play around a bit, but move if you don't feel like you are doing as well as you should be.
It's often hard to to leave a location, esp. when you know from past experience that a particular spot holds many and/or large fish. It's also hard to know when the right moment is. My general rule is, if I'm not catching or missing fish, move!
