FLYMPH FORUM

This is hard for me to ask because of all the variables that go with it, but what's the best type of river water to fish flymps in?

What's the best depth? I hear water from 2 to 4 feet is good to fish.

Fast, moderate or slow moving areas of a river, or can all be fished?

I ask because I generally fish fast freestone creeks and rivers, and don't fish the lazy slower sections because I'm accustomed to as I call it combat fishing, where I'll fish faster pocket water, and cast to an area with four or five casts then move on. Kinda like a search and destroy mission.

I do have an area on a river that's wide, about mid thigh deep during mid July to early Sept., and the surface has a nice roll to it. It's not like riffles are, just a bit softer so the surface is not as rough as riffles are. I understand riffles are a good target area as well, is this true?

The best water is the water you are fishing in at the time.

Basically the only way to find out is go and have a fish in it.....

“All water is Flymph water”

I fish almost all of it. I like picking the pocket water for likely looking spots and running a spider or flymph through it. I've taken lots of fish there. I also like the water that's moving pretty good, rolling over structure, not in the riffle. Three to five feet deep seems to work best for me. The head of a pool and the tail seem to be best for me. If it's possible, I'll cast into the head and fish the whole pool to the tail on a single cast. Riffles are fun to fish. I've had better luck with cutthroat in the riffles than rainbows or browns. My favorite place is the inside of a curve in the stream. I fish on the fast water side of the seam. I've watched fish that were holding in the soft water suddenly dash out into the fast water to grab my fly as it went by. So yeah, fish it all.

Yes all the water can be fished with wet flies, including ponds, but I try to only fish areas that actually hold fish. I always catch more fish when I go slowly.

To paraphrase the immortal Arnaud Amalric: "Fish it all and let the trout sort it out"

Mike62 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 05, 2020 6:07 pm To paraphrase the immortal Arnaud Amalric: "Fish it all and let the trout sort it out"

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Fishnkilts wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2020 2:09 pm This is hard for me to ask because of all the variables that go with it, but what's the best type of river water to fish flymps in?

To put it simply fish the areas where bugs are emerging! Flymphs are emergers, some insects hatch in riffles, some in frog water, some emerge near rocks or the shore. If there are no fish feeding near the top of the water go deeper. The hot action can be at the prime lies in the river. An exercise in reading the water is part of flyfishing as well as bug identification. If nothing is happening on the surface I usually try a 3 fly cast of different flies and search the water from bottom to top.

The hot action can be at the prime lies in the river.

This is what I meant by fishing areas that actually hold fish.
Most always fish in a stream will be near some structure or cover; structure gives them a resting place from the current and cover hides them from both prey and predators. Those long thin smooth runs don't provide much of either.
On my home warm water stream the barren stretches can be a 1/4 mile long in places, much better to walk on past these places and fish the structured areas slowly and methodically. I'll often spend a couple hours on 20-50 yards of stream. Every rock or log may get a dozen casts before one suits the fish. Or the first cast may be the only one needed.

All of you have built my confidence, and I thank you all.

Reading water I can do, and I do stay away from areas that don't hold much cover. When fishing dries or nymphs, I can see what's happening with dries, or have some sort of idea what's near the bottom. It's what's in between the two I can't seem to understand yet, because it's like a void between the two.

Everything you all have said has given me a new attitude towards flymph fishing, and I feel more confident about it for this year. So now, I'm going to look at the patterns here on the forum and tie them up, and later this year, see which ones do best on my waters.

Thank you all, you have been a great help.