Do Nymph Types Really Matter?

[MegaTrout]

The fishing manager at an Orvis shop told me in his experience he doesn't really think it matters what type of nymph you use. If a trout sees a nymph drifting by, and they're feeding, it's going to take it regardless. Thoughts on this? I'm a little overwhelmed by all the different flies (and/or nymhs), and I'm never sure which to use without stopping in a fly shop located where I'm fishing and asking. But this also seems like a way to accumulate a ton of different flies and presents the challenge of remembering where to fish which flies...

 

[albatross]

I'm pretty sure you can get by with just a few colors (maybe 3) in various sizes and do pretty well.

 

[Nympho]

Pheasant Tails and Hares Ear nymphs imitate a variety of nymphs so they will get you by on most streams without getting technical.

 

[dudemanspecial]

I dont think it matters between a size 14 pheasant tail vs a size 16 hares ear vs a size 12 walts worm too much.

I think when they are picking off midge larve they will ignore a size 14 hares ear in favor of a size 20 zebra midge all day long.

Like so many other things in this sport, it depends.

 

[MegaTrout]

Thanks for the replies!

 

[jeffroey]

I'm the guy that carries 2 full double-sided boxes of nymphs in my pack plus one pocket-sized box of nymphs up front with my go-to's in it for quick access - that front pocket box is a very thin 12 compartment rhinestone organizer that hobby jewelry makers use to hold a few of my favorites:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BPZTZ7N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Truth is, I never ever reach for the double-sided boxes on the stream and probably shouldn't bother carrying the weight (a differnet topic we've covered).

Short story long is I fundamentally agree that with a couple of smart choices in size/style/color you can cover 95 pct of situations with a very small selection of nymphs.

Everybody reading this thread will have a few personal puts-and-takes (myself included) but you can't go wrong starting here:

A dozen top flies for PA trout streams

(notice I didn't say the dozen top flies...but if I had to select 12 flies, these would be in my box) After one acquires an 81/2 or 9’ 5 wt rod with matching 5wt floating line and a 71/2’ 3x tapered leader with a spool of 4x and 5x tippet, one can now look at flies. Sinking flies...

www.paflyfish.com

BTW, I originally bought the rhinestone organizers to use to keep my fly tying beads organzied on my bench and liked how thin and compact they are for the front pockets by mistake - they're a great value buy for anyone looking for thin and compact.

 

[Kyle]

i dont care what nympth im fishing. many times ill flip a rock over and then imitate the size and color and be done with it. if i think i need alittle more attraction to my flys and im not getting the takes i think i should be getting then ill add on the same color and size nympth but with a bead head or crystal flash. that system works for me. deff tungston bead heads when thr water is up a bit. a flash back PT can go a LONG WAY.

 

[Kyle]

Pheasant Tails and Hares Ear nymphs imitate a variety of nymphs so they will get you by on most streams without getting technical.

agree. but would also add scuds to that list.

 

[poopdeck]

The manager is correct. If your not catching anything you’re not fishing deep enough. Look at it this way, when you look at a tied fly, do you think it’s a spitting image of the bug it claims to be? The answer is hell no, not even close. It is somebodies abstract representation of a bug and not a realistic looking bug, in most cases. They generally look nothing like the real thing to our eye so what must they look like to a fish whose eyesight is 1/14th of ours? Id say nothing in particular. keeping it simple out fishes complication every time It’s tried.

 

[troutbert]

IMHO, yes having the right nymph(s) can make a very big difference.

If you are just starting out, though, you can just use a few patterns, and carry them in different sizes, and just experiment.

Later on, if you want to, you can start "matching the nymphs." For example, when tan caddis are emerging in good numbers, a good pupae pattern can really slay.

Same with sulphur nymphs. Many flyfishers go to limestone streams to fish the sulphur hatch. They bring sulphur dry flies for this. Why not also tie some sulphur nymphs?

 

[salmo]

I will usually bring over 100 flies with me on the stream and wind up fishing 4. I have noticed that when it comes to Perdigons the weight and shape seem to be more important than color. IMO for what it’s worth.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

It does matter at times, and I agree that presentation (usually depth and a more natural drift) would be my first move. If you have big bugs dragging bottom that may be as bad as light bugs not getting to where the fish are hovering.

However, you can answer your own specific question this way: Have you ever changed bugs while fishing a hole that you know holds fish and all the sudden got fish to cooperate? Well, then, they wanted something other than what you had on. Trout do get choosy about nymphs the same way they do dries.

On pressured creeks, I have even run into fish that won't eat bugs with hot spots or unnatural colors the same way they might hit a basic 18 brown nothing will a dull bead. I like to have choices, and sometimes the right nymph is the same as the right dry fly. You might fool a couple with what you have on you, and if your goal is a couple that is fine, but if you have what they actually want at that time, you might fool 20.

Good advice above about flipping rocks and just observing to narrow down options on size and approximate color.

 

[salmo]

Great advice.

 

[Boulders]

In my nymph box are size 14-16 phesant tail nymphs, flash back pheasant tail and gold ribbed hare's ear.
size 18-20 zebra midges.
When presented well, this seems to cover all the bases for me.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

I’d ask that Orvis guy how many flies they stock in his shop, and why.

When you start fishing a specific stream, at a specific time of the year, and at a specific time of the day, considering the weather, stream level and water temperature on that specific day, you MIGHT want to start out fishing one specific nymph pattern.

But, then you might also want to be prepared with different sizes and different colors of that one specific nymph pattern. Just in case. 50 or so different variations of that specific nymph might be enough to get you covered. For the first hour. Maybe.

Then the fish in that specific stream start feeding on top, on a specific fly, and the weather changes and the fish stop feeding altogether. You might want to try fishing a dry fly on top, or try something entirely different to attract their attention. A few more hundred flies in different sizes and colors might be in order.

Then, you decide to fish and entirely different stream, maybe in an entirely different geographic location, and at a different time of the year. Maybe it’s a tailwater where the fish feed heavily on size #18-#22 insects. That Orvis guy sold you just a single size #12 nymph. What to do?

Limit your flies and you limit your success. And you’ll limit your fun.

 

[troutbert]

However, you can answer your own specific question this way: Have you ever changed bugs while fishing a hole that you know holds fish and all the sudden got fish to cooperate? Well, then, they wanted something other than what you had on.

That's true.

Another way to see this is when two people are fishing together and one is catching far more trout than the other. Then the first guy gives the second guy one of his nymphs, and now the second guy starts also catching a lot of trout.

In both cases, the fly made a big difference.

 

[Boulders]

....so many ways to enjoy our time on the stream

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Before the "first rise of the season" my father-in-law would always start with a three-loop leader, using three different (snelled) wet flies. I can't remember the flies he would use but one was always a hare's ear. If he noticed a preference, he would double or triple the fly that was catching the most.
I can't speak from personal experience since I was never very successful using any wet fly. The majority of my wet fly catches have been on a drowned dry fly. 😉

 

[Bamboozle]

Do Nymph Types Really Matter...? 🤔

I used to think so until I was humiliated by a fishing buddy slamming them on Bead Head (BH) Prince Nymphs while I was getting all "Schwiebert scientific..."

BTW - I never heard of a Prince Nymph until that day and being the moron I am, I asked him if they were purple in color... 😳

The obvious thing regarding nymph choices is fishing the correct species (mayfly, caddis, stonefly, midge, etc.) at the correct time if there is evidence one should be favored over the other, however...

Excluding the BH Prince Nymphs I now carry 👍and a few other "attractor-type" offerings; for decades all of my nymphs (mayfly, caddis, stonefly, midge, etc.) are just generic creations varying only in size & color to match any specific activity and hopefully satisfy any particular fussy fish.

FWIW - I do the same thing with my mayfly imitations. No fancy patterns, I just tie a generic thorax or parachute fly in different sizes & colors. If I pick the right color & size, it instantly becomes whatever bug happens to be hatching. 😎

The good thing about this approach is you carry less flies AND IF you get skunked, you can blame your ineptitude on not having one of those size 13.5 whiz-bang, BH Pterodactyl flies they were selling at the Orvis shop for $3.49... 😉

Have fun!!

 

[krayfish2]

Does it matter? Short answer... not really but sometimes it does. If you're in the ballpark for general size and color of what they're eating, they will take it. More importantly you have to have it in the right portion of the water column. If they're feeding on nymphs hopping around on the bottom versus nymphs that are in the middle of the water column or ones that are headed to the surface to hatch. As many have mentioned, can't get much better than a pheasant tail. Hares ear or a bird's nest are also good patterns to have handy. In my experience, Prince out produces all of them combined. What does it imitate? Nothing but everything 🤣. For years I refuse to use it because I considered it a hokey pattern like a greeny weenie or a San Juan worm.

I can give you one specific time where I was on the water with a bunch of guys from this forum. It was late season and we had three boats with six guys nymphing. On my boat, I had an October caddis pupa pattern that was the ticket that specific day. The other boats did not have that pattern and managed to net maybe a half a dozen fish. We put 45 in the net and lost another 40. I have a feeling it's a day I'll never duplicate on the water but on that occasion, the fly made all the difference. Rhyacophila caddis is another one where the fish seem to become very specific in fly pattern taste.

You can get away with a surprisingly limited fly selection if you are fishing it in the proper part of the water column at the proper time.