The Indicator Nymph Rig, a monument to simplicity By: Dave Bergman

Ye old nymph rig, how I love you so. Yearning for my days as a youngster fishing with a worm a bobber and a split shot on a pond, but we are talking about fly fishing! How do these relate? Well the nymph rig is just a glorified version of this set up where everything is scaled down and made lighter to be able to cast flies. Its effectiveness and simplicity make it a thing of beauty. Purists may not approve of it and prefer a dry fly only approach, but for those of you who know us here at Hendo Outfitters, we are not purists. We are all about fun and education, so let me educate you on a few ways you can set up the nymph rig. Now Ambre is the artist around here but I took a stab at illustrating these rigs for you. I think the roughness gives them some charm.

The Classic

This is most akin to the “bobber on a pond set” It is incredibly effective if you are using the correct length from the Strike indicator to the Split shot and the right amount of weight to get it to the strike zone. In this set up I always fish with two flies. The one on top will be larger and more of an attractor and the one on the bottom will be small and natural. The attractors will catch their eye, and if they don’t eat it they will see the smaller less intrusive fly come in behind it and usually cant help themselves. Using enough shot to hit the bottom is critical. If you aren’t hooking any rocks, you aren’t in the right place. If you are hitting rocks every single cast, then take some off. But always change the amount of shot you have before you change the fly.

The Dry Dropper

This is a preferred method for many anglers as they can utilize the dry fly and the nymph at the same time. You are getting the best of both worlds. The dry fly acts as a bobber and a bait at the same time. However, there are a few cons to this set up. For one if you need to get that nymph to the bottom with more weight, you will sink your dry fly. Yes, you could always use a foam terrestrial, but even those have more limits than a good ol airlock or oros indicator. The other thing is you cannot adjust the depth. It is safe to assume that you are basically fishing the middle water column with the nymph instead getting to the bottom missing a whole section that could be holding fish tight to the rocks. This set up is awesome for small creek fishing where the water isn’t very deep or overly quick. I love it for small wild pocket water.

The Tungsten Fly Sub Shot

This is a cool setup that changes your split shot into something a fish can eat. Using a fly with a big tungsten head on it can be used to get your nymph down to the same depth split shot would. So it is the same idea as the dry dropper, but instead of making the bobber the fly, you make the weight the fly and continue to use a bobber. The cons of this method are that now your weight has a hook on it and is constantly in contact with the bottom which makes it more prone to snags. It also is important to use the right size tungsten fly and if you are in fast clear water where fish are spooky, they may not want to see a giant funky bug with a big silver ball attached to its head. Other than that, this method has gained much popularity.

Now you will notice throughout this segment I say “Bobber” a lot. The preferred term for fly anglers is “Strike Indicator” because it doesn’t always “bobb.” Sometimes it will just stop abruptly in the current “Indicating” a strike is taking place. Whatever you decide to call it, we don’t care. Go catch some fish.