Nymph Fishing Equipment

I am often asked about the best equipment for nymphing.  Dry fly equipment is well up to the job but if you want a really good nymphing outfit that gives that extra edge then there are some essential requirements.  So let's work from the fisherman to the fish!  These are the items of equipment that make a difference:

Polaroid Sunglasses, Rods, Reels, Lines, Leaders, Tippets & Nymphs

For a downloadable eBook on nymphing click here.

Polaroid Sunglasses

Fifty percent of the battle in nymph fishing is finding the fish in the first place.  Good eyewear while nymphing can greatly assist in this battle.  I have tried many, many different types of polaroids over the years and have come up with a list of essential and desirable features.

Essential Features:

  • High quality polaroid lenses.  Cheap plastic ones soon scratch and cause vision problems.  Shock-resistant polycarbonate are the best.
  • Dull finish to the lenses and frames.  Anything you can do to reduce glint and reflection will lessen the number of fish you frighten.  Mirror lenses are a no-no!
  • Wrap around style.  This prevents light seepage from the sides and prevents strain on the eyes as they try to deal with two different light levels.
  • Mid range 'shading'.  Too dark and you won't be able to see in to the water, too clear and your eyes will become strained and unable to deal with quickly changing light conditions.  I have tried various coloured lenses.  These work very well under certain light conditions but do not have the versatility to be used in a wide range of conditions.  If you tend to fish under one set of conditions then they could be for you but I would recommend a more generic pair of sunglasses.

Desirable Features:

  • Band or strap to stop them falling off your head!  No point in spending hundreds of pounds on a pair of sunglasses for them to plop into the deepest part of the river on your first trip!
  • Non-slip nose piece.  There is nothing worse than having to continually push your glasses back on to your nose.  The movement of your hand from rod to nose is bound to frighten the fish at some point.
  • Stylish looks.  You don't want to look like a seventies porn star on the river!

My Recommendations:

All the sunglasses below meet the essential features above.  Ultimately the decision comes down to value for money so I have given my views to help you.

  1. Ray Ban Sidestreet 3183 (Around £106.95 from SunglassesUK).  These are the sunglasses I tend to use most often for nymphing.  They are a good balance between style, comfort and effectiveness.  I like the green polarised lenses as they suit the chalkstreams that I fish most often.   Their best feature is the wrap around angle.  This fits my face perfectly and I tend to see fish in my peripheral vision that I would otherwise miss. [4/5 for performance, 4/5 for value] 
  2. Bolle Anaconda Polarised (£79.68 from SunglassesUK or £99.99 from Fishtec).  A good pair of sunglasses and excellent value.   Slightly retro if you prefer the more classic look!  The field of vision is quite good considering the thickness of the rims.  [3/5 for performance, 5/5 for value]
  3. Bolle Windshear Polarised (£101.11 from SunglassesUK).  Good side shading so more suited to exposed fishing areas.  If you fish in windy winter conditions then these glasses are for you.  [3/5 for performance, 3/5 for value]
  4. Oakley Radar Range Polarised (£195.29 from SunglassesUK).  Flipping expensive but just about perfect!  I borrowed a pair from a mate for this review and took out insurance for the day.   These Oakleys have a fantastic field of view and the minimal frame really means you see everything.  Only polarised contact lenses could get close to the vision clarity achieved with these glasses.  [5/5 for performance, 2/5 for value]
  5. Oakley Monster Dog Polarised (£110.67 from SunglassesUK).  Not as good as the Radar Range but definitely more subtle.  I found them quite tight under my hat due to the chunky frames.  [3/5 for performance, 3/5 for value]
  6. Oakley Bottlecap Polarised (£116.24 from SunglassesUK).  These are actually very well suited to nymphing as they have an 'open' lense at the bottom.  However, the Radar Range has a much better open lense design so unless you particularly like the style of the Bottlecap I would go for the Radar Range (provided you can afford them - which I can't!) [4/5 for performance, 3/5 for value]

Rods

Effective nymphing can only be sensibly carried out where the fish can be seen or the leader observed.  This therefore precludes 'long distance' fishing and so reduces the length of the rod required and also allows for a lower AFTM# to be used thus delivering  faster strikes.  An effective lever is still needed for these super fast strikes so extra short rods and not really suitable either unless you intend to fish in small waters with lots of bank cover.  The rod also needs to be manoeuverable as the nymph fisherman does a lot of stalking and will often fish while kneeling.

Frank Sawyer wrote extensively about the ideal rod in 'Nymphs and the Trout'.  He was quite clear on what his ideal nymphing rod would be:

  • 8' 10" in length with 3 pieces maximum (4 for modern materials).   This gives the right balance between manoeuverability and a long enough rod for fast strikes.  Rods flex better along the full length when there are less sections but modern rod building materials are reducing this as a factor.
  • AFTM #3/4.   The lighter the line the less drag there will be on the tackle.  This leads to faster strikes.
  • Fast but firm tip action.   This enables the fast striking action but also puts 'give' into the rod so you don't break your tippet on every fish.
  • Full flex along the entire rod.   This adds to the 'give' required to avoid breakages.
  • Black/anodised guides, tip tops and ferrules to reduce flash and glint.  Think of how many times you cast to each fish.  Every glint and flash has the potential to frighten fish - cut out flashy materials and finishes whenever you can.

It is very hard to find an off-the-shelf nymphing rod that meets the characteristics given above as many of the requirements are contradictory.  Clearly the fastest rod for striking would be a long rigid stick but they are terrible for casting and the lack of 'give' would lead to regular breakages.  A heavier AFTM# would allow more accurate distance casting but the drag would slow down the strike.  Delicate presentations are less important with a nymph as there is no requirement to place it delicately on the surface film.

The models below are the closest match and would be perfectly adequate for use as nymphing rods.

  1. Sage 'Fli' 8'6 #3 from £224.99 - (Click here for Sage 'Fli' rods from Fishtec).   A really nice rod for nymphing and good value as well.   I particularly liked the low AFTM# on this rod as it is so hard to find a good rod of this length in #3.  The strike speed of this rod is very good.  I fished all day for grayling on this rod using a Sawyer Killer Bug and did not have any problems at all (and had 47 grayling to show for it!)
  2. Sage Z-axis 8'6 #4 from £565 - (Click here for Sage Z-axis rods from Fishtec).   NOT FISHED - if you would like to provide a demo model for me to test please get in touch!
  3. Sage VT2 8'6 #4 from £319.99 -  (Click here for Sage VT2 rods from Fishtec).   Slightly different action to the 'Fli' and I felt the strike was perhaps a little slower.  The slightly heavier line allowed a stronger cast but apart from that it was very similar to the 'Fli'.  Probably better than the 'Fli' if you are going to be doing a lot of mixed fishing.
  4. Scott E2 8'6 #4 from £415 -  (Click here for Scott E2 rods from Fishtec).   NOT FISHED - if you would like to provide a demo model for me to test please get in touch!
  5. Loomis GLX Streamdance 8'6 #4 from £634.99 - (Click here for Loomis GLX Streamdance rods from Fishtec).  Perfectly good for nymphing but has little to offer over the others for the extra money.  That said, this was my favourite rod for fishing the Sawyer Bow Tie Buzzer in still water.  Our lakes have some very big and powerful fish and this rod was by far the best for playing fish.

However, for the ultimate nymphing rod it is necessary to get a custom built rod.  Sawyer Nymphs Ltd deals in a small number of custom split cane and graphite rods each year.  The blanks are made by master craftsmen (the tapers are a closely guarded secret) and the rods built and finished by professional rod builders using components provided by Sawyer Nymphs.  These include our unique green silk used for the wrappings, green agate stripping ring, engraved nickel silver butt plate (engraved with the Sawyer Nymphs logo), individually numbered nickel silver winding check and amboyna burl wooden inserts to the nickel silver reel seat.  All rods come with a spare tip.  Prices start from £1000 and rods are made to order only.  Please email sawyernymphs[at]uwclub.net to express your interest.  The waiting list is currently around 6 months.

Reels

I have never seen the need to buy top of the range expensive reels.  The essential requirements are very simple:

  • As dull a colour and finish as possible.  Flashy models with lots of glint will just frighten fish.
  • A large arbour model to reduce line memory.  Straight lines are essential for nymphing due to the speed required in the strike.   Kinks and coils slow everything down and you will miss fish as a result.
  • The smallest and lightest model comensurate with the line weight you are using.  Why put extra strain on your body by having a big reel?
  • A model that attaches securely to your rod - stating the obvious but some quite expensive reels don't work well with certain reel seats.

My recommendation:

I only have one - the Greys Streamlite.  It is the perfect combination of all the requirements listed above and is great value.  Click here for Streamlite reels from Fishtec.

Lines

A floating line is required for nymphing.  I have tried several different types in weight forward and double taper.  I think it probably comes down to personal preference but I do find a weight forward provides a better nymph presentation.  Integrated loops on the fly line are essential as these make attaching the leader so much easier and neater.  It is not necessary to spend huge amounts of money on a fly line as the increase in performance is marginal over the mid-range lines.  I have used the Airflo Ridge Line model for a while now and have found them good value for money.  Click here for lines from Fishtec.

Leaders

Floating leaders are essential for nymphing in order to present the nymph at the right depth in the water.  I have tried high visibility indicator leaders, braided leaders, knotted, knotless, tapered, polyleader etc.  All work pretty well so it comes down to personal taste.  Personally I am not a fan of anything 'high-visibility' when nymphing so I would stay away from the bright orange and red versions available.  Just make sure your leader floats and as a general rule the leader and tippet should be the same length as your rod.  As for breaking strain, I use a weight equal to the largest fish I am likely to encounter.  So if I am on the chalk streams, realistically this is likely to be around 6 pounds.  I always try and use the smallest diameter leader possible.  Click here for a good selection of leaders from Fishtec.

Tippets

There is one simple rule for nymphing; use the lightest and smallest diameter tippet possible.  I know that doesn't help much so I will elaborate using personal experience.  The Storan river system in Sweden has particularly strong trout and very clear water.  I started out fishing there on 2 pound tippet strength but the powerful fish tended to break me 60-70% of the time.  If I went up to 5 pound strength then the fish saw the tippet 60-70% of the time but I succesfully landed the ones that were hooked.

Clearly is a happy medium somewhere between the two.  This is where personal preference and tippet diameter come in to play.  I have had terrible problems with fluorocarbon lines and now avoid them, but some nymphers swear by them.  If you do use fluorocarbon tippets change them regularly and check your knots again and again.  Other nymphers use co-polymer tippets but these have always seemed quite thick to me when compared to monofilament.

My general rule when nymphing is to use a monofilament tippet with a breaking strain of half of the weight of the heaviest fish I am likely to encounter.  So in the Storan where an 8 pound fish is likely to be the heaviest I use a 4 pound breaking strain tippet.  I always use the smallest diameter tippet possible at the required breaking strain.  A small diameter is important as this lowers the drag in the water and allows for a faster strike.

Nymphs

Sawyer Nymphs - need I say more!  With a Sawyer Pheasant Tail Nymph and Sawyer Killer Bug you can fish anywhere in the world - lake, river, stream or pond.  Visit www.SawyerNymphs.com to order nymphs and to buy 'Frank Sawyer's Nymphing Secrets' for detailed instructions on how to fish and tie the various Sawyer Nymphs.

Sawyer Pheasant Tail Nymph

Sawyer Killer Bug

Sawyer Grey Goose Nymph

 

Sawyer Swedish Nymph