Open Invitation (from a perched dragon fly)

I have had remarkable success fishing lakes with Kaufmann’s Dragon for years. Yes, I venture off and experiment with Callibaetis, Chironomid and  Caddis imitations. Entire days are spent experimenting with patterns for this mayfly or that midge. But, if I put on a dragon nymph I almost always have success. The Kaufmann Dragon is my go to dragon fly pattern. Green is great, but experiment with a mottled color too.

I am not too superstitious (maybe a little) but when I am out on a lake and an adult dragon has emerged and has taken a position on my rod I take note, of course. Always positioned on the rod facing me, not looking away, but looking at me…extending an invitation to dredge or creep a dragon fly nymph along the bottom. Slow and easy along the bottom; more often than not (way more often than not) I find success. I am going to again experiment with a Morris Foam Dragon. This pattern uses closed cell foam to help suspend the nymph up off the bottom. That coupled with a heavy sink line keeps the floating nymph just moving above the bottom.   

Woolly Bugger (Leech or perhaps Dragon~Baitfish)

 

WB’s are tied and fished, whether intentionally or just kicking along, to be imitative of a leech and only indirectly a dragon nymph or damsel nymph or baitfish. If, as I wrote earlier, trout eat less leeches than we assume, then perhaps WB’s should be tied more often to simulate stout dragons or long dragons or slender damsels. Also, much can be done to imitate bait fish in appearance and presentation. 

 

 

 

Polish, Czech, Euro Nymphing (Dredging w/ Short Line)

 

I know this is not a secret technique or new revelation. The flies and technique have been around for many years. But, things in flyfishing are sometimes rediscovered and that is the case with Cz nymphing, Cz nymphs and Polish woven nymphs. The presentation is a bit intense, born out of competition to outfish your opponent. But, honestly. aren’t we often caught up in that intense focus to outfish someone, catch the bigger fish, remark about how many we have caught so far, etc. And, don’t we all talk about relaxing and taking in the sights and sounds and not bringing the frenetic intensity of work to our recreation? So, slow down and use the technique and just fish a little slower. Ha! Right, you’ll slow down until your predatory instinct (you still have it don’t you?…hopefully you have not been sissyfied..gender/neutered yet) sets in. Anyway, let me yet again reinvent the wheel re this technique and fly style.   

I love the looks of the Cz and Pol Nymphs and the aesthetics of the curved shank hook. Would a straight shank hook work or just the basic heavy stone fly work? Yes, I am sure they would. Just find the correct water flow and work it with the 2-5′ of fly line out the tip of the rod and the muti-fly laden leader. But, there is just something pleasing about the Euro flies and their ‘buginess’ cannot be denied.

The flies are heavily wrapped or molded with weight, which causes the fly to drift point up, much like a bonefish fly. This, theoretically, should cause less snags. Given the method of dredging along the bottom with the shorter line, there will be hang up and ticks along the way. As they have preached, if you aren’t losing flies you aren’t fishing.

This was the ‘secret’ weapon of Polish and Czech flyfishers, supposedly developed because the East Euro flyfishers did not have sophisticated gear so the ‘pole & string’ set up was common, which relied upon a short flipping action with a short line. Stealth is required and timing of the dredging, dragging, swinging action must be a focused action. This compared to the US method of strike indicators and longer hinged lines or the Spanish Nymphing method of a lobbed longer section of fly line and long leader (10-15′) (no false casting, just swing to the rear, load, lob and shoot), which is also dredged along but farther out. 

Some sites to provide info re presentation, tying pattern and equipment:       

http://simanflyfishing.proboards62.com/index.cgi?

http://omega.grad.uiowa.edu/content.php?article.39

http://www.flyguysoutfitting.com/wovenpolishnymph.html

http://www.flyguysoutfitting.com/shuttleweave.html

Vladi Trzebunia,  Oliver Edwards, Jan Siman: Research their works regarding the techniques.

Picture is of Polish Nymphs. Look below for pic of colorful Cz Nymph. Also, link above re Siman shows tying technique for Cz Nymph. Really, the technique/presentation is the critical element here. You can still use Prince, Hare’s Ear, Zug Bug, Copper John or your favorite stone fly pattern to follow this suggested pattern. 

  http://www.flyguysoutfitting.com/shuttleweave.html