Gathering of the Clan

what Czech nymphing is. (Curious because I have seen ads for rods devoted to it.)

Colston, it's pretty much just high sticking a nymph (or nymphs) through a run.

You keep the rod tip high and guide the nymphs along with the current. The idea is to keep the nymph moving right with the speed of the current or maybe just a tad faster. That keeps you in constant contact with your flies and makes it much easier to detect the bite.

It works, I use it when conditions are conducive. It is not my favorite way to fly fish.

Brian

As Brian said, basically high sticking nymph fishing. I don't remember the year but the Czechs, during a world championship or some other such nonsense, cleaned house using the technique. There is no doubt it is extremely effective with two different applications.

The first is as Brian described, however, what he didn't mention is that it is imperative that you use heavily weighted nymphs. Ted Faye on the upper Sacramento River in California showed me this system in what had been very difficult water to fish. Charlie Brooks used his very heavily weighted black Stonefly nymph on the Madison and other Montana waters to do the same thing. This is fishing with shorter casts and total control that happened long before the technique migrated from Eastern Europe to the US. Another advantage to this system is you can use heavier leaders to control bigger fish in most places. It is also the best way to cover pocket water with deeper, faster flows.

The second part of Czech nymphing isn't normally addressed but is also a useful tool. This is used differently in that a short cast is made quartering downstream and swung on a tight line. Heavily weighted nymphs are again the key. This is very effective on tail outs and long stretches of smooth water 2-4 ft deep.

Wish I could still wade to fish like this but, alas, I am mainly confined to a floating device to pursue these wonderful fish.

Charlie

Good point about the weighted nymphs Charlie.

It helps to have some weight down there.
It keeps the nymphs down and I also think that it gives you a better feel for detecting strikes.

If you are fishing deep or swift water, weight is the key.
In the smaller streams of Missouri, the weight isn't as imperative as it is in the bigger streams and rivers.

It is an effective way to catch fish. That's why those tournament guys do it.

From what I remember, the Europeans used a three-fly tandem rig, with the center fly having most of the weight. Fred and I came upon an Austrian guy doing that, in the Blue River in Colorado. He was practicing for an upcoming international competition.

John

Thanks. Now that you explained it, I see I've been doing it ever since I read about high sticking in Charlie Brooks' "Nymphs for Larger Trout." It was technique I learned that started me actually catching trout.

That all may be true but my understanding is that it's pretty much the same as French Nymphing but without the lisp.
YPJ

Jim,

If that was an intentional misspelling....well done!

Bux