High Stick Nymphing Leader

High stick nymphing is a common strategy employed by fly anglers fishing nymph flies in the faster deeper water of pockets and short pools and is an extremely effective way to fly fish when there is little or no observed dry fly activity or visibly rising trout.

High stick nymphing leader.

Tapered nymph 7 to 9 3x knotless tapered leader next a 10 sighter and 3 to 6 tippet usually 4x or 5x. If you re fishing deeper water you may find that using heavier flies will make your high. But there are some pieces of equipment that you can use to make your high stick nymphing more productive. High stick nymph fishing does not require any special equipment.

In high stick nymphing a technique similar to short line nymphing a strike indicator is often not used but can be effective for practiced anglers. Your typical 9 foot 5 weight trout fishing setup will work for high stick nymphing. And by high sticking the leader over the water you stay more focused on and in touch with the fly. High stick czech 2 to 20 of 011 to 006 fluorocarbon material used when nymphing with heavily weighted nymphs or split shot.

No discontinuities created by the split shots or strike indicator which only served to dampen your feeling for strikes anyway. When the euro nymphing leader straightens or pauses it gives you the visual cues to set the hook. A combination of the high sticking method and the leisenring lift both generally referred to simply as high sticking are among the most effective nymphing techniques.