This is such a refreshingly honest video. Any fly angler who can admit that there are better presentations outside of a fly rod (your reference to fishing with a worm), is someone you can trust. So very many will not.
This is why I love fishing small water. Just me and my little box of parachute adams hiking around in the creek....chillin. When I'm nymphing, I'm always retying, adjusting my rig, getting flustered, tripping over myself. I start shifting my mindset toward the drive home.
Wow. I haven’t used ANY nymph rig in well over a decade-good to know I’m not the only one! My mindset? Throwing dries is the ultimate-but if the fish are eating subsurface, throw a streamer. And if you go home without putting one in the net? It’s still great. You’re better for just spending time in nature. Besides, fish are allowed to win sometimes. 😊 🎣 ❤👍🏼
After retiring from being a drift boat guide, I haven't tossed a nymph rig. I actually went to a single streamer eight years ago. Only one fly in my box. Great video.
Dry fly is exciting and teaches you a lot about fish behavior. Nymphing can offer plenty of opportunity for learning fish behavior as well. Heck I have even learned alot from throwing streamers. No matter the type of fishing there is something to be learned from it all.
It could be argued that hopper dropper IS an indicator nymph rig…having said that I agree with you almost 100%…for me its streamers on spey…oddly my best trout day ever was on the lower Sac with an indicator rig- caught 13 with 5 of them over 20”…I will still choose the vicious grab of a sculpin fly on a long slow swing and a 14 foot rod (the ultimate)
Ha! I love it, thank you 🙏. Super sorry I couldn't attend the bass presentation like I was hoping too. I'm goin back to school and the funds are tight to say at the least haha but I bet it was awesome 👍. Your the man Alvin
I like it Alvin! I try all of it but recently have done Euro nymphing and it's a new thing for me and it's great fun. I do love dry and dry dropper and often forego the dropper because of the pain in the you know what knowing I will catch less but still plenty. Just have fun whatever that is. Like I said, I like it!
The great thing about youur video is that you highlight our freedom to choose. Ive been casting flies for 64 years and the fun is there sre days I choose to nymph, especially in spring and winter. Then there are days whe I love to throw dry's. There are days when I like to throw a streamer too. Flyfishing is freedom. I love to watch video's and see what others are doing. But after 64 years. I just love the freedom to try and fool a trout. Good video.
Think your thoughts are super balanced man! My fly journey started on the Yakima. With an indicator bobber whatever ya want. With a pats and a prince. Enjoyed a bunch of other ways since. And I run floats and hardware west of the mtns for steelhead. Love when ethics, place and timing all meet together!
I spent the last 3-4 years getting the euro nymphing thing down. Now I’m going back to my roots. Dry flies and dry dropper. Really focusing on mending in the air and on the water. Dry fly fishing is so much fun.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts & experiences. Regarding strike indicators, when I began fly fishing, I wasn't using them because I didn't know they were a thing. Now I'll use them sometimes, depending on the day & water conditions.
Jeff, fishing is fishing, don’t sell it short, same rivers and beautiful places, fish to suit the conditions which are ever changing. Particularly where only one hook is permitted so no dry dropper allowed, in the East nothing happens during the day so it’s stay home or fish subsurface.
Living up here in AK, I would only fish a dry dropper, but we’re only allowed one hook. I don’t know why, and it annoys me to no end, but I have to follow the rules 🤷♂️
Nothing wrong with using indicator nymphing when the situation calls for it. Euro nymphing can also be engaging as well. Dries will always be preferable, but nymphs are solid too.
I like naked nymphing/swinging flies on a floating line. Probably missing a lot of strikes but they hook themselves often on the swing. Bobbers are a pain for me.
An old neighbor taught me how to fly fish and my first rig was an elk hair caddis w/ a beaded PT dropper and since then I never felt the need to use an indicator or bobber. I always figured the reason fly line was so bright was b/c it is an indicator of sorts - I def have seen some subtle strikes when watching my line while nymphing w/o indicator, just high-sticking. I guess you can get a better drift/presentation w/ bobbers & weights but at that point I would just use traditional gear and set down the fly rod that day.
I caught my first trout using fly rod with dry dropper rig, eventually learned to catch on dry fly, later learned to nymph and that worked when waters were high and fast. It's cool how many ways there are to fly fish. How ever you are drifting that line means more then what fly you use but like he said catching em on dry flies is by far the coolest!
You are not alone about 5 years ago, I did the same thing. I even applied this to winter fishing after losing a mountain of nymphs one winter. A dry and dropper is highly more fun and when they eat a chubby in January nothing is more satisfying.
Sometimes a dry fly is like a strike indicator, unless it's one of those the size of a giant goose egg in chartreuse. Ray Bergman talked about using a floating fly as an indicator in 1938; sure he wasn't the first. I just fish a single nymph most of the time, anything else is to much work. The most satisfying way to use a nymph is getting right behind a fish, cast straight up and retrieve it like a dry, to me.
I'm a dungeons and dragons nerd and play with a lot of new d&d players. When creating new d&d characters, a lot of times new players will ask me what class does the most damage or is the hardest to kill etc.... I always tell them it doesn't matter one bit--pick the class that resonates with you the most-the one that will satisfy their fantasies. Want to smack things with a mace? play a barbarian. Want to sling spells like harry potter? play a sorcerer. At the end of the day you'll have more fun playing the way you want to play rather than playing what's "best". Same point different game. #dryflyordie
Nicely said, and I will try anything each discipline has its own skills. From two handed rods to euro rods and everything in between. Thanks for all you do😉👍
It's basically the same argument when I moved from a bait-caster or spinning gear to trying to get a flyrod into every and all possible scenarios. Yeah there are times when I catch fewer fish. But it's the _how_ that excites me. Not to mention once you become proficient at it, it makes you a better angler, and next thing you know you're catching _more_ fish than the anglers with the "traditional" tackle.
100% correct. My Dad and I have been using dry flies at every reasonable opportunity for about 20 years and we'll never go back. We are fortunate enough to live in a part of the world where there are many cloudy days and we usually fish in summer, so there's no reason for the trout not to come up.
My most memorable fish have been caught on dry flies but I toss whatever till a fish bites. Only trout water I have access to is on the guadalupe and all you see are indy nymph rigs.
New Subber, love your stuff brother, have seen you in some other fishing videos, I think it was Das boat, you seem like a really decent guy... I think it's all about where we are in the journey. I agree totally with what you said . One of the best things about the indicator is it can get a person who is new hooked on the sport, but I totally agree , it's a part of fly fishing that takes away from what the sport actually is... I find myself using them only when conditions are the most difficult, and I really want to touch a fish or two.... Best man, look foreword to keeping in touch with the channel- You ever get to Wyoming, I'm yer huckleberry... :)
I grew up trout fishing in the Catskills of New York and have never used strike indicators, and still won’t. It takes away from the feel and essence of fly fishing and nymph fishing overall. Drys are awesome, streamers are even more fun, but I can nymph all day long and love the challenge of it. 30 years ago when I started wet flies and nymphs helped me learn and become a better and complete trout fisherman. And nymphs are what got me addicted, not bobbers on my fly line.
Love it. To add to Kingsley’s comment, I will fish a dry dropper or an indicator or just a nymph but I tend to fish em shallow because I like to see the fish take if at all possible. If I can get them to ease over and take a dry or charge off the bottom and slam one, even better, but I love the visual. That said, I try to get guides to believe me when I tell em I want quality over quantity but that’s a tough sell sometimes.
I hear that a lot about guides not believing that their client really will be happy with quality over quantity. They get it after a while and most of us really do like that better as well.
Started fly fishing last summer, threw only dries till Oct and stopped catching fish, so i picked up euro nymphing and ive been set with that since, now im trying to get better at tight casting my 10'6 so i dont have to carry another rod. Ive considered an indicator rig but here lately ive been using almost always a jig streamer and i ive had a ton of success so now im going to be struggling again when its full blown dry season and im still luggin my euro rod around.
Glad I found this video. I recently switched over to Euro Nymphing because of pressure from friends to catch more fish. I even have a buddy that take s ticker counter with him to the river and counts every fish in a day always trying to beat his record. This video made me remember what got me into fly fishing in the first place it was and should not be now a numbers game for me personally. Its always been about getting out into Gods creation and relaxing in nature ! Im going to apply this philosophy and get back to my roots next time im out there !
Everyone has their preference Alvin, that’s great thing about fly fishing it is truly an art and everyone has a favorite technique that they have mastered and works for them.
There is nothing like floating hackle and calf-hair. I'm in New Mexico, not Colorado, averaging about 5-c.f.s. I only have nymphs for cold-water, below 45F. I can't give up on them, as they might be useful for other species - such as bluegill and Rio Grande chub, but, not for trout in our typical streams. I don't own fluorocarbon. Nymphs are fun to use when you can see them like a dry-fly. I always only use one fly on a line, and I don't carry strike-indicator. When you are about 10-feet from your target-fish, it is possible to tease the trout with your dry fly well above the water's surface. I recall someone calling it 'poke-pole-fishing,' when you are at this distance / position. My strategy is to imitate an adult-female depositing eggs on the surface, but, mainly in-flight above it. It is a strange experience to feel a feisty juvenile fish take a fly when you are holding the fly five-inches above the water's surface... If you make your dry fly do a dance, it elevates the excitement, when it all happens. New Mexico's self-sustaining trout waters are only open from April (or as late as early June) to November. Dry fly fishing is amazing. My advice is to stick to the cascades and pocket-water, and go hiking. Cast a size-20 dry fly hook that sports minimal thread and robust amounts of hackle - not really a fly pattern, but, maybe a 'Griffith's-gnat.' There are plenty of spots where your dry fly will be safe from snag. Look for where the geologic faults cross small creeks, this is where you'll find pocket-water and splashing-cascades. When the sun hits a misting New Mexico waterfall just right, you will cast your fly into a rainbow.
I very rarely use a strike indicator anymore. Too many times I've gone all day and my only strikes were at the indicator. So I said why mess with this -I can put a hopper or something on above the nymph, it functions as an indicator and will hook them when they go for it🤷♂ I'm in southwest Colorado - Durango.
Oh I do the same thing. There are days in the winter where the only thing I've caught was on the dry too. I remember very clearly when I made this switch. The only strike I had all day was at my strike indicator. I said forget this, may as well use an indicator that can hook them.
I have found it’s so much easier learning with a hopper dropper rig. Less weight for them to learn basic casting and like you said the excitement they get when the fish launches out of the water to get the dry is the best.
Hi Alvin, I think every fly fisher fishing for trout would agree that catching them on a dry fly is the ultimate. The only thing better is sight fishing for them and watching them come to eat your fly. Most anglers don't know how to fish and hook fish on a dry fly because they set the hook too soon missing most of their fish. With that being said nymph fishing tight to the flies or tight to an indy will catch more fish than any other technique. The world championships are won by nymphing not fishing the film. You have to ask yourself do you want to catch two fish in the film or twenty fish along the bottom of the water column.
@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing Yup. 10lb rainbows on 5x is always a fun time. Best way to get that bobber down? Ignore it or get distracted - “Hey, where’d yer bobber go?!” 😬
I'm with you. Dry dropper or tight line with two nymphs for me. If I'm gonna stare at something on the surface, it better have a hook in it. For extra heresy, use a pan fish popper on top. Amazing how often even wild trout will take a run at it.
I just found your channel. You're a very likable man! Keep the spirit! I'm a New Orleans transplant to Roanoke, VA. Lots of trout streams, but I haven't caught a single trout in a year and a half. I'm really awful. Bass Pro Shops near Richmond has a big plaque with pictures of the 10 worst fishermen in Virginia on it. I'm number 2, in ascending order of worst-ness. I couldn't even catch bass in Louisiana! I'll be watching your channel.
I literally just did this this weekend. Fished a nymph for a while which was fine. But switched to dries. Got two explode on them and it was the best!!!
Completely agree. For me, using a strike indicator is much like fishing with a float. Just not my bag and not the reason for fly fishings appeal to me.
I here you. The thing I love about fly fishing is seeing/stalking a fish and (hopefully) outsmarting it. If I’m fishing blind with a nymph I’m basically prospecting for a fish. I may as well be putting a worm or bait on a hook and waiting. Boring! I want the challenge even if this means I get my arse handed to me but it’s a far better walk up a river than bait shite
I was about to bust you about the strike indicator, we use yarn a lot as a strike indicator and my favorite when there is no ice in the stream and there is a little warmth is the dry dropper.
Just to play devils advocate, a dry dropper is just a different type of indicator (the dry vice a strike indicator). In some situations (or most you fish as mentioned) the dry dropper is more versatile/effective then just an indicator and nymphs but it is still a similar concept so saying you “quit nymphing” is a bit disingenuous
Yeah it was meant tongue in cheek, but I still don't bring indicators or split shot. Most of the time I'm fishing with a single dry, 2 dries, or a dry dropper in that order.
It’s the combo of indicator and split shot that I choose not to do. One reason that, on smaller water, I’m using Tenkara setups, with unweighted or lightly weighted soft hackles and/or dries.
Like you said, I want to catch fish how I want to fish. I used a bobber rig all summer long when I guided in Alaska and 25 years later I haven't used one since. My last week up there the guys wanted to try mousing and it was the most fun I had with clients all summer.
I wish I could like this video more than once. Perfectly sums up my thoughts on it. There is a common misconception that you have to nymph when fish aren't rising and it couldn't be more false.
I would get bored if indicators were the only way to fly fish. I love using multiple techniques. I love dry flies, dry dropper, streamer, and occasionally nymphing. Sure glad there are methods for anyone. Thanks for sharing!
You do you, man! That's the beauty of fly fishing....you can not prefer to fish with a strike indicator while the next guy could love using that setup. Neither are wrong! I certainly appreciate your opinion on the matter, though! It's always great to hear someone else's perspective! I would definitely like to hear how you feel about streamer fishing for trout as well!!
hi , Im a guide here in New Zealand, have a lot of beginners and must say indicator nymphing is my go to to introduce beginners to fly fishing , I seem to get way more hook ups , than missed sets on drys , our trout are incredibly spooky and its not likely a beginner will present a dry well enough. just my 2 cents ... ps if im fishing alone DRYS ALL DAY
High sticking or tight line nymphing with a single bug is a lot of fun and beats indicator nymphing any day for me. Dry fly fishing is super exciting because the fish breaks that super natural barrier with us. So when you need a dead drift in certain scenarios dry dropper is great.
I’ve never even thought about using a strike indicator in the summer time winter time yes. I am in western Montana where there’s some of the best dry fly fishing so idk
San Juan River, New Mexico - poly strike indicator, split-shot or fly that is weighted, San Juan worm, or disco midge. I wonder if I'm doing myself a disservice by not using spin-gear with a float and fly? I'd rather not cast wet rabbit fur with a fly rod if it weighs more than the lures at the department store.
What is your thought on how the dry dropper is different? Guessing b/c it is an actual fly and thus one of the ways we are trying to fool the fish. No one intends for the indicator to be the food. Thanks for all you do and your content Alvin!!
I'm usually hoping that the fish will start eating the dry so I can take the dropper off. I guess it is technically nymphing as someone else pointed out, but just so much simpler.
Great video Alvin. For many years, I’ve used floating poly leaders for dry and dry dropper. The beginners I take out really like how these leaders get the flies out there. Have you used them?
I suspect this is just a linguistic thing, but as an English fly fisherman, nymphing just means using a fly which imitates the nymphal form of insect (which makes up 90% of a trout's diet). I think you are talking about indicator fishing, which has more of the coarse fishing technique about it. There is a bit of crossover which can be useful sometimes - there's nothing wrong with a spinning-rod user placing a dry fly on their line, and I've once resorted to placing a tiny spinner on my fly line - but of course nothing beats the traditional upstream dry fly, when appropriate!!
I'll fish a dry/dropper sometimes, but I'm almost all streamers now. I'm pretty far into an attempt to catch as many species as I can on a clouser . . . so far I've got rainbow, brown, cutthroat trout, lake trout, bull trout, brook trout, pike, largemouth, smallmouth, striped bass, green sunfish, bluegill, chinook salmon, California halibut, bluefish, spanish mackerel, snook, lizardfish (bleah), barracuda and jacks. Surprised I haven't had a catfish on one so still hoping to add catfish and carp. For trout I fish mostly sculpin and leech and crayfish patterns but for bass I've moved to articulated baitfish from 2 inch shad patterns to 11 inch beast flies. To me there's nothing that beats a streamer bite for primal thrills. I like to see a fish blow up a surface fly but there's nothing like when a fish grabs a streamer.
Good one! To be honest, the whole nymph, indicator og euro nymphing never appealed to me. When fishing after trout in rivers, I prefer my (only) trout rod, a 9ft 4wt and a box with some dries and classic wetflies. So smooth, and I still can appreciate the joy of casting. Nymphing lacks the emphasis on casting, and two or more flies on a rig? Sounds like a hellike tangle up...
I will fish it all. Indicators, mono rig, yarn, dry dropper, tenkara, and combinations of the above mentioned. I meet the fish on their terms. In a high mountain blue line stream in summer I wouldn't dare put on a bobber. In the blue river during December fishing for stocker trout I swallow my pride and fish the bobber. And then that gets boring I strip jig leeches and wooly buggers.
It's true!
I live in Colorado; what is your favorite fishery? Mine has been Eagle.
@@timingram8953 I floated the Eagle 7 days a week when I was up there.
@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing nice!
This is such a refreshingly honest video. Any fly angler who can admit that there are better presentations outside of a fly rod (your reference to fishing with a worm), is someone you can trust. So very many will not.
I appreciate that!
This is why I love fishing small water. Just me and my little box of parachute adams hiking around in the creek....chillin. When I'm nymphing, I'm always retying, adjusting my rig, getting flustered, tripping over myself. I start shifting my mindset toward the drive home.
Hard to beat a small stream.
Wow. I haven’t used ANY nymph rig in well over a decade-good to know I’m not the only one!
My mindset?
Throwing dries is the ultimate-but if the fish are eating subsurface, throw a streamer.
And if you go home without putting one in the net?
It’s still great. You’re better for just spending time in nature.
Besides, fish are allowed to win sometimes.
😊 🎣 ❤👍🏼
I agree. If I do want to throw nymphs in a small stream I like to use no indicator just a tight line.
Thank you for saying it! Fly fishing is already about self limiting in order to catch fish the way you want to catch them. It’s like bow hunting.
So true, I forgot to mention the bow hunting anology.
@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishingwhat the heck, i use the bow hunting example too, i guess i must of heard it from a youtuber or something
I think they both have merit; getting out on a river, regardless of rig setup, is my enjoyment.
After retiring from being a drift boat guide, I haven't tossed a nymph rig. I actually went to a single streamer eight years ago. Only one fly in my box. Great video.
Yeah when it's just you, you can do whatever you want.
And what is your streamer of choice?
@@timwist9472 Bass and Redfish it would be a Clouser. Trout would be a plain old wooly bugger.
Dry fly is exciting and teaches you a lot about fish behavior. Nymphing can offer plenty of opportunity for learning fish behavior as well. Heck I have even learned alot from throwing streamers. No matter the type of fishing there is something to be learned from it all.
Nailed my approach completely! Nice to hear you lay it out there and beautifully putting in perspective. Thanks!
It could be argued that hopper dropper IS an indicator nymph rig…having said that I agree with you almost 100%…for me its streamers on spey…oddly my best trout day ever was on the lower Sac with an indicator rig- caught 13 with 5 of them over 20”…I will still choose the vicious grab of a sculpin fly on a long slow swing and a 14 foot rod (the ultimate)
Love this. It’s all about your experience on the water. How you enjoy it the most is what is important!
Absolutely!!
Ha! I love it, thank you 🙏. Super sorry I couldn't attend the bass presentation like I was hoping too. I'm goin back to school and the funds are tight to say at the least haha
but I bet it was awesome 👍. Your the man Alvin
It is up there as a video on demand. I'm adding more stuff to it so whenever you get a cance to check it out it will be even better.
Doesn't say it's the only way, but an alternative effective way. Nicely reasoned and presented! Way to go👍👍
Thanks! 👍
Same, two hand wet hackle swing is the closest I get. In winter it’s streamers baby!
Thank you Alvin. I totally agree with that. Your videos are great. Awesome.
Glad you like them!
Awesome video, love the perspective. Excited to see more of your content man
Awesome! Thank you!
I like it Alvin! I try all of it but recently have done Euro nymphing and it's a new thing for me and it's great fun. I do love dry and dry dropper and often forego the dropper because of the pain in the you know what knowing I will catch less but still plenty. Just have fun whatever that is. Like I said, I like it!
The great thing about youur video is that you highlight our freedom to choose. Ive been casting flies for 64 years and the fun is there sre days I choose to nymph, especially in spring and winter. Then there are days whe I love to throw dry's. There are days when I like to throw a streamer too. Flyfishing is freedom. I love to watch video's and see what others are doing. But after 64 years. I just love the freedom to try and fool a trout.
Good video.
Well said!
You're a breath of fresh air! I agree completely with your position. Keep on speaking the truth!!
Thanks for watching!
Nailed it brother really enjoy hereing this! Tight lines!
Appreciate it!
Think your thoughts are super balanced man! My fly journey started on the Yakima. With an indicator bobber whatever ya want. With a pats and a prince. Enjoyed a bunch of other ways since. And I run floats and hardware west of the mtns for steelhead. Love when ethics, place and timing all meet together!
I spent the last 3-4 years getting the euro nymphing thing down. Now I’m going back to my roots. Dry flies and dry dropper. Really focusing on mending in the air and on the water. Dry fly fishing is so much fun.
Hell yeah!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts & experiences. Regarding strike indicators, when I began fly fishing, I wasn't using them because I didn't know they were a thing. Now I'll use them sometimes, depending on the day & water conditions.
If indicators and nymphs were the only way to catch fish, I’d give up fly fishing.
Good thing it's not the only way! 😂
Jeff, fishing is fishing, don’t sell it short, same rivers and beautiful places, fish to suit the conditions which are ever changing. Particularly where only one hook is permitted so no dry dropper allowed, in the East nothing happens during the day so it’s stay home or fish subsurface.
Living up here in AK, I would only fish a dry dropper, but we’re only allowed one hook. I don’t know why, and it annoys me to no end, but I have to follow the rules 🤷♂️
Nothing wrong with using indicator nymphing when the situation calls for it. Euro nymphing can also be engaging as well. Dries will always be preferable, but nymphs are solid too.
Amen
I like naked nymphing/swinging flies on a floating line. Probably missing a lot of strikes but they hook themselves often on the swing. Bobbers are a pain for me.
That's all we did before the indicator days.
Heya Alvin speaking truth!! I have the same philosophy. Love ya man !
Yeah it's just more fun for me that way!
90% of what a fish eats is sub surface. I am grateful for all the nymph rig haters it leaves more action for me :) tight lines everyone!
You are correct on that one.
An old neighbor taught me how to fly fish and my first rig was an elk hair caddis w/ a beaded PT dropper and since then I never felt the need to use an indicator or bobber. I always figured the reason fly line was so bright was b/c it is an indicator of sorts - I def have seen some subtle strikes when watching my line while nymphing w/o indicator, just high-sticking. I guess you can get a better drift/presentation w/ bobbers & weights but at that point I would just use traditional gear and set down the fly rod that day.
I caught my first trout using fly rod with dry dropper rig, eventually learned to catch on dry fly, later learned to nymph and that worked when waters were high and fast. It's cool how many ways there are to fly fish. How ever you are drifting that line means more then what fly you use but like he said catching em on dry flies is by far the coolest!
I caught me first trout on streamers. I have since found that dry dropper or dry only are a much more relaxing way to fish and enjoy the scenery.
You are not alone about 5 years ago, I did the same thing. I even applied this to winter fishing after losing a mountain of nymphs one winter. A dry and dropper is highly more fun and when they eat a chubby in January nothing is more satisfying.
Dang, that's impressive for January!
Sometimes a dry fly is like a strike indicator, unless it's one of those the size of a giant goose egg in chartreuse. Ray Bergman talked about using a floating fly as an indicator in 1938; sure he wasn't the first. I just fish a single nymph most of the time, anything else is to much work. The most satisfying way to use a nymph is getting right behind a fish, cast straight up and retrieve it like a dry, to me.
Sounds like fun!
I'm a dungeons and dragons nerd and play with a lot of new d&d players. When creating new d&d characters, a lot of times new players will ask me what class does the most damage or is the hardest to kill etc.... I always tell them it doesn't matter one bit--pick the class that resonates with you the most-the one that will satisfy their fantasies. Want to smack things with a mace? play a barbarian. Want to sling spells like harry potter? play a sorcerer. At the end of the day you'll have more fun playing the way you want to play rather than playing what's "best". Same point different game. #dryflyordie
So true, I love it!
I prefer dry as well and started doing more dry dropper recently. I will use indicator in winter months.
Nicely said, and I will try anything each discipline has its own skills. From two handed rods to euro rods and everything in between. Thanks for all you do😉👍
Thanks for watching!
It's basically the same argument when I moved from a bait-caster or spinning gear to trying to get a flyrod into every and all possible scenarios. Yeah there are times when I catch fewer fish. But it's the _how_ that excites me. Not to mention once you become proficient at it, it makes you a better angler, and next thing you know you're catching _more_ fish than the anglers with the "traditional" tackle.
100% correct.
My Dad and I have been using dry flies at every reasonable opportunity for about 20 years and we'll never go back.
We are fortunate enough to live in a part of the world where there are many cloudy days and we usually fish in summer, so there's no reason for the trout not to come up.
My most memorable fish have been caught on dry flies but I toss whatever till a fish bites. Only trout water I have access to is on the guadalupe and all you see are indy nymph rigs.
Yeah the Guadalupe is one of those places where you have to nymph.
Dry flies are most of what make fly fishing beautiful for me… good on you man
Thanks 👍
New Subber, love your stuff brother, have seen you in some other fishing videos, I think it was Das boat, you seem like a really decent guy... I think it's all about where we are in the journey. I agree totally with what you said . One of the best things about the indicator is it can get a person who is new hooked on the sport, but I totally agree , it's a part of fly fishing that takes away from what the sport actually is... I find myself using them only when conditions are the most difficult, and I really want to touch a fish or two.... Best man, look foreword to keeping in touch with the channel- You ever get to Wyoming, I'm yer huckleberry... :)
I grew up trout fishing in the Catskills of New York and have never used strike indicators, and still won’t.
It takes away from the feel and essence of fly fishing and nymph fishing overall.
Drys are awesome, streamers are even more fun, but I can nymph all day long and love the challenge of it.
30 years ago when I started wet flies and nymphs helped me learn and become a better and complete trout fisherman.
And nymphs are what got me addicted, not bobbers on my fly line.
Love it. To add to Kingsley’s comment, I will fish a dry dropper or an indicator or just a nymph but I tend to fish em shallow because I like to see the fish take if at all possible. If I can get them to ease over and take a dry or charge off the bottom and slam one, even better, but I love the visual. That said, I try to get guides to believe me when I tell em I want quality over quantity but that’s a tough sell sometimes.
I hear that a lot about guides not believing that their client really will be happy with quality over quantity. They get it after a while and most of us really do like that better as well.
Good laugh! Upbeat! Interesting points and well said!
Started fly fishing last summer, threw only dries till Oct and stopped catching fish, so i picked up euro nymphing and ive been set with that since, now im trying to get better at tight casting my 10'6 so i dont have to carry another rod. Ive considered an indicator rig but here lately ive been using almost always a jig streamer and i ive had a ton of success so now im going to be struggling again when its full blown dry season and im still luggin my euro rod around.
Hey, I agree with you on that whole heartedly!
I never started the ping ping ball indicator game, only one I’ve poke around with a bit is the NZ wool stuff. Give it a shot!
I have tried a few of those wool and yarn type indicators.
Glad I found this video. I recently switched over to Euro Nymphing because of pressure from friends to catch more fish. I even have a buddy that take s ticker counter with him to the river and counts every fish in a day always trying to beat his record. This video made me remember what got me into fly fishing in the first place it was and should not be now a numbers game for me personally. Its always been about getting out into Gods creation and relaxing in nature ! Im going to apply this philosophy and get back to my roots next time im out there !
Good for you. Have fun out there!
I couldn't agree more. Cheers brother!
Thanks for watching!
Everyone has their preference Alvin, that’s great thing about fly fishing it is truly an art and everyone has a favorite technique that they have mastered and works for them.
There is nothing like floating hackle and calf-hair. I'm in New Mexico, not Colorado, averaging about 5-c.f.s. I only have nymphs for cold-water, below 45F. I can't give up on them, as they might be useful for other species - such as bluegill and Rio Grande chub, but, not for trout in our typical streams. I don't own fluorocarbon. Nymphs are fun to use when you can see them like a dry-fly. I always only use one fly on a line, and I don't carry strike-indicator.
When you are about 10-feet from your target-fish, it is possible to tease the trout with your dry fly well above the water's surface. I recall someone calling it 'poke-pole-fishing,' when you are at this distance / position. My strategy is to imitate an adult-female depositing eggs on the surface, but, mainly in-flight above it. It is a strange experience to feel a feisty juvenile fish take a fly when you are holding the fly five-inches above the water's surface... If you make your dry fly do a dance, it elevates the excitement, when it all happens.
New Mexico's self-sustaining trout waters are only open from April (or as late as early June) to November. Dry fly fishing is amazing. My advice is to stick to the cascades and pocket-water, and go hiking. Cast a size-20 dry fly hook that sports minimal thread and robust amounts of hackle - not really a fly pattern, but, maybe a 'Griffith's-gnat.' There are plenty of spots where your dry fly will be safe from snag. Look for where the geologic faults cross small creeks, this is where you'll find pocket-water and splashing-cascades. When the sun hits a misting New Mexico waterfall just right, you will cast your fly into a rainbow.
I love fishing the dry dropper. Sometimes, being an old guy, i use a New Zealand indicator to aid in seeing my dry.
I have thought about that as well lately with small dries.
Starting with raw beginners I would set them up with soft hackle flies as there is not a wrong way to fish them.
I very rarely use a strike indicator anymore. Too many times I've gone all day and my only strikes were at the indicator. So I said why mess with this -I can put a hopper or something on above the nymph, it functions as an indicator and will hook them when they go for it🤷♂
I'm in southwest Colorado - Durango.
I rock a dry dropper setup in the winter
You are committed!
Oh I do the same thing. There are days in the winter where the only thing I've caught was on the dry too. I remember very clearly when I made this switch. The only strike I had all day was at my strike indicator. I said forget this, may as well use an indicator that can hook them.
I have found it’s so much easier learning with a hopper dropper rig. Less weight for them to learn basic casting and like you said the excitement they get when the fish launches out of the water to get the dry is the best.
I do not use a strike indicator/bobber on the rivers. I do use them on my favorite cutthroat lake though.
I stopped fishing for trout at least twenty-five years ago when I discovered fly fishing for carp in the same waters that I had been catching trout in
I don't fish for trout nearly as much as I once did. I would fish for carp more if I was better at it. 😢
@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing But they are typically best to nymph for!
Reply
@gzeppe4671
@gzeppe4671
Hi Alvin, I think every fly fisher fishing for trout would agree that catching them on a dry fly is the ultimate. The only thing better is sight fishing for them and watching them come to eat your fly. Most anglers don't know how to fish and hook fish on a dry fly because they set the hook too soon missing most of their fish. With that being said nymph fishing tight to the flies or tight to an indy will catch more fish than any other technique. The world championships are won by nymphing not fishing the film. You have to ask yourself do you want to catch two fish in the film or twenty fish along the bottom of the water column.
I'm good with 2 fish. 😂
Love youe “rant” because it is true and heartfeld. Thanks for sharing, I can relate
Thanks for watching.
Me too, but my one exception is chironomids on the lake. Just a chill day zoning out.
I have also caught some nice fish that way. Wind River Range in Wyoming has some great lakes for that type of fishing.
@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing Yup. 10lb rainbows on 5x is always a fun time. Best way to get that bobber down? Ignore it or get distracted - “Hey, where’d yer bobber go?!” 😬
I'm with you. Dry dropper or tight line with two nymphs for me.
If I'm gonna stare at something on the surface, it better have a hook in it.
For extra heresy, use a pan fish popper on top. Amazing how often even wild trout will take a run at it.
I might have to try some poppers next time I'm trout fishing. Thanks for the idea!
I just found your channel. You're a very likable man! Keep the spirit! I'm a New Orleans transplant to Roanoke, VA. Lots of trout streams, but I haven't caught a single trout in a year and a half. I'm really awful. Bass Pro Shops near Richmond has a big plaque with pictures of the 10 worst fishermen in Virginia on it. I'm number 2, in ascending order of worst-ness. I couldn't even catch bass in Louisiana! I'll be watching your channel.
Keep at it, it's gonna happen!
I literally just did this this weekend. Fished a nymph for a while which was fine. But switched to dries. Got two explode on them and it was the best!!!
It is definitely the best.
I’ve instantly fell in love with your style. Dry fly guys stick together
Thanks, that put a smile on my face!
@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishingWhen do you not have a smile on your face when discussing fishing? 😊
Completely agree. For me, using a strike indicator is much like fishing with a float. Just not my bag and not the reason for fly fishings appeal to me.
I here you. The thing I love about fly fishing is seeing/stalking a fish and (hopefully) outsmarting it. If I’m fishing blind with a nymph I’m basically prospecting for a fish. I may as well be putting a worm or bait on a hook and waiting. Boring! I want the challenge even if this means I get my arse handed to me but it’s a far better walk up a river than bait shite
I only use a classic wet fly method. I can out fish anyone at the Swift River (MA).
Could you recommend a video/ tutorial on RUclips? I'm trying to learn about as many methods as possible as an absolute beginner to fly fishing
I was about to bust you about the strike indicator, we use yarn a lot as a strike indicator and my favorite when there is no ice in the stream and there is a little warmth is the dry dropper.
I like your thinking.
Thank you!
Just to play devils advocate, a dry dropper is just a different type of indicator (the dry vice a strike indicator). In some situations (or most you fish as mentioned) the dry dropper is more versatile/effective then just an indicator and nymphs but it is still a similar concept so saying you “quit nymphing” is a bit disingenuous
Yeah it was meant tongue in cheek, but I still don't bring indicators or split shot. Most of the time I'm fishing with a single dry, 2 dries, or a dry dropper in that order.
It’s the combo of indicator and split shot that I choose not to do. One reason that, on smaller water, I’m using Tenkara setups, with unweighted or lightly weighted soft hackles and/or dries.
Like you said, I want to catch fish how I want to fish. I used a bobber rig all summer long when I guided in Alaska and 25 years later I haven't used one since. My last week up there the guys wanted to try mousing and it was the most fun I had with clients all summer.
Yeah man it's just about having fun out there.
I wish I could like this video more than once. Perfectly sums up my thoughts on it. There is a common misconception that you have to nymph when fish aren't rising and it couldn't be more false.
Thanks!
Heck yea, I am totally with you on this one.
Thanks, it sure is fun!
I would get bored if indicators were the only way to fly fish. I love using multiple techniques. I love dry flies, dry dropper, streamer, and occasionally nymphing. Sure glad there are methods for anyone. Thanks for sharing!
You do you, man! That's the beauty of fly fishing....you can not prefer to fish with a strike indicator while the next guy could love using that setup. Neither are wrong! I certainly appreciate your opinion on the matter, though! It's always great to hear someone else's perspective! I would definitely like to hear how you feel about streamer fishing for trout as well!!
I like streamers, but not as much as a dry, I do throw a bunch of streamers for bass, but I like a popper better. 😂
@@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing Makes sense! Definitely nothing like a good dry fly eat!
hi , Im a guide here in New Zealand, have a lot of beginners and must say indicator nymphing is my go to to introduce beginners to fly fishing , I seem to get way more hook ups , than missed sets on drys , our trout are incredibly spooky and its not likely a beginner will present a dry well enough. just my 2 cents ... ps if im fishing alone DRYS ALL DAY
I just subscribed because of your opinion. Refreshing to hear something different.
Thank you!
I only do it when I have to, but I'm with you, I don't like to do it, I'd rather cast instead of lob and watch a bobber.
High sticking or tight line nymphing with a single bug is a lot of fun and beats indicator nymphing any day for me. Dry fly fishing is super exciting because the fish breaks that super natural barrier with us. So when you need a dead drift in certain scenarios dry dropper is great.
I agree 💯
I agree 💯
Great video, something about top water and streamer strikes.
For sure!
signed up for the workshop! looking fwd to it!
Awesome! Thank you!
I’ve never even thought about using a strike indicator in the summer time winter time yes. I am in western Montana where there’s some of the best dry fly fishing so idk
San Juan River, New Mexico - poly strike indicator, split-shot or fly that is weighted, San Juan worm, or disco midge. I wonder if I'm doing myself a disservice by not using spin-gear with a float and fly? I'd rather not cast wet rabbit fur with a fly rod if it weighs more than the lures at the department store.
Can't stand indicator nymphing. Couldn't agree more. Hooked on trout spey now! Great content, Alvin.
A dry fly take is just so much more satisfying
What is your thought on how the dry dropper is different? Guessing b/c it is an actual fly and thus one of the ways we are trying to fool the fish. No one intends for the indicator to be the food. Thanks for all you do and your content Alvin!!
I'm usually hoping that the fish will start eating the dry so I can take the dropper off. I guess it is technically nymphing as someone else pointed out, but just so much simpler.
What fly fishing provides is versatility. The more ways you figure out how to catch fish, the more fish you will catch
Dry fly dropper is still basically an indicator rig. They can just hook up on the indicator too.
I've been drifting crawlers for over 5 decades....wild Steelhead...no reason to change.... whatever season it is
Great video Alvin. For many years, I’ve used floating poly leaders for dry and dry dropper. The beginners I take out really like how these leaders get the flies out there. Have you used them?
I suspect this is just a linguistic thing, but as an English fly fisherman, nymphing just means using a fly which imitates the nymphal form of insect (which makes up 90% of a trout's diet). I think you are talking about indicator fishing, which has more of the coarse fishing technique about it. There is a bit of crossover which can be useful sometimes - there's nothing wrong with a spinning-rod user placing a dry fly on their line, and I've once resorted to placing a tiny spinner on my fly line - but of course nothing beats the traditional upstream dry fly, when appropriate!!
You are correct Sir!
100% agreement!
I'll fish a dry/dropper sometimes, but I'm almost all streamers now. I'm pretty far into an attempt to catch as many species as I can on a clouser . . . so far I've got rainbow, brown, cutthroat trout, lake trout, bull trout, brook trout, pike, largemouth, smallmouth, striped bass, green sunfish, bluegill, chinook salmon, California halibut, bluefish, spanish mackerel, snook, lizardfish (bleah), barracuda and jacks. Surprised I haven't had a catfish on one so still hoping to add catfish and carp. For trout I fish mostly sculpin and leech and crayfish patterns but for bass I've moved to articulated baitfish from 2 inch shad patterns to 11 inch beast flies. To me there's nothing that beats a streamer bite for primal thrills. I like to see a fish blow up a surface fly but there's nothing like when a fish grabs a streamer.
If I could only use one fly I would probably say a Clouser.
I also just call it "Bobber Fishing"
I'm a dry fly purist in the summer, streamer junkie in the spring and fall. Late fall and winter is for skiing and shooting deer LOL
Great video.
Glad you enjoyed it
Anything’s better than a treble hook😄love the videos!
True!
Have caught a bunch of bass on nymphs with no indicator
Always did it like that before I heard about indicators
Good one! To be honest, the whole nymph, indicator og euro nymphing never appealed to me. When fishing after trout in rivers, I prefer my (only) trout rod, a 9ft 4wt and a box with some dries and classic wetflies. So smooth, and I still can appreciate the joy of casting. Nymphing lacks the emphasis on casting, and two or more flies on a rig? Sounds like a hellike tangle up...
I will fish it all. Indicators, mono rig, yarn, dry dropper, tenkara, and combinations of the above mentioned. I meet the fish on their terms. In a high mountain blue line stream in summer I wouldn't dare put on a bobber. In the blue river during December fishing for stocker trout I swallow my pride and fish the bobber. And then that gets boring I strip jig leeches and wooly buggers.
Got to do what you got to do.
Agree !
I am with you, I can’t stand bobber fishing. Call it what it is…bobber fishing.