Best Fly Line for Nymphing - A Story on Catching More Fish - FlyRods (2024)

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When I first started fly fishing I would exclusively use dry flies. Dry fly fishing is simple – you watch the fly float on the water, try to maintain the same speed as the current, and when a fish eats it you set the hook. I saw what was going on and I knew what to do.

Besides, the excitement I felt whenever I saw a fish evenlook at my fly kept me coming back to the same method every time I wet a line.

However, the more time I spent in the river, the more oftenI saw people fishing with other tactics. And when the seasons started to change,the dry fly bite really slowed down.

So, I was forced out of the comfort and understanding of dryfly fishing into the unknown world of a new tactic: nymphing. I quickly foundthat I had been missing out on untapped potential success on the river while Irefused to sink my fly beneath the surface. I was catching more fish nymphing than I hadbeen on dry flies and I actually found nymphing to be almost as exciting.

I’ll stop that story right there before I bore you too much,and I’ll redirect to the topic of this article: the Best Fly Line for Nymphing.

First we’ll discuss why nymphing is such a potent method forcatching trout, then we’ll talk about the benefits of using fly lines madespecifically for nymphing. I’ll wrap it up with some product recommendations,and then you can head to the fly shop, pick up some new line, and head out tothe river.

Why Do We Nymph?

The simple answer- nymphing catches fish. It catches bigfish, small fish, a lot of fish. But why- that’s the better question.

Trout aresimple creatures. They eat, they mate, they try not to die. Nymphing is aproductive method for catching trout because of those former and lattercharacteristics.

The normal feeding behaviors of trout place it on a conveyorbelt of food. The current pushes the water and the water is full of aquaticinsects, crustaceans, fish eggs, and everything else trout love to eat. Thetrout swims against that current and waits for food to come to it.

When there’s a hatch, the trout swims below the surface andwaits for insects to land on the water so that the conveyor belt brings thatfood to them. But when there’s not a hatch, or the hatch isn’t bringing a lotof food, the trout prefers to eat where there’s always food: below the surface.Nymphing imitates the food that trout are seeing the most, the food that’sdrifting under the water.

“Nymphing takes advantage of this tendency of trout by bringing the “food” to where the trout feels safest“.

For an analogy, imagine you’re trying to trick your fat lazyfriend into eating a Ghost Pepper. The best way to do it wouldn’t be to stickthe ghost pepper into a salad, sprinkle it over a filet mignon, or stuff itinto a Thanksgiving Turkey and ask him to come eat it. That would be toosuspicious- he doesn’t eat that stuff usually and he’s not one to get up andmove just to eat.

But if you put the Ghost Pepper right in the middle of a BigMac and took it to him in his favorite chair, he’d probably chomp down on thatspicy sandwich without giving it a second thought.

Trout are the same way. They want the food to come to them,and they want to eat what they’re used to.

Alongside appetite, the tendency for trout to be caught bynymphing can also be partially explained by their naturalinstinct to avoid dying. Survival is, after all, nature’s most powerfulmotivation.

In most trout streams, the majority of dangers for maturetrout are outside the water. Their natural predators are mostly birds, aquaticmammals, and humans. And the best way to avoid getting eaten by these predatorsis for the fish to remain unseen. So, trout have fantastic camouflage, theyhide under structure for cover, and they do most of their feeding below thesurface where their predators can’t get to them.

Nymphing takes advantage of this tendency of trout bybringing the “food” to where the trout feels safest.

The Benefits of Using Nymphing Line

Now of course, you don’t have to use a nymphing line tocatch trout nymphing. In fact, you’re probably using a regular fly line rightnow and catching fish just fine. But using a nymphing line while you’re fishingwill be more effective. Having specialized equipment always gives you anadvantage.

You don’t hunt dove with a .30-06. You don’t putt with your driver. The best way to ski powder is with powder skis.

Fly fishing is best accomplished with the proper tools, andyour fly line is no exception. Here’s how using nymphing fly line helps.

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Mending

The most technical aspect of nymphing is keeping your fliesmoving at the same speed as the current.

To go off our earlier example of tricking your friend intoeating a ghost pepper, if you walked up to him at a normal speed with thepepper stuffed Big Mac, he may take it. If you sprinted at him at full speedthough, would he be a little suspicious? Or if you walked towards him as slowlyas you can?

Trout think the same way. They’re sitting on a conveyor beltof food, and when that food varies from the conveyor belt’s speed, they usuallydon’t eat it.

“You don’t hunt dove with a .30-06. You don’t putt with your driver. The best way to ski powder is with powder skis.”

So, to prevent our flies from going too fast or too slow, wemend our line. Mending is the most important part of fishing with nymphs. Andso, the ability of a nymphing fly line to easily mend is a top priority.

Nymphing fly lines are designed with longer heads that allowfor easier mending. The mass of the line allows you to easily lift the line andthrow it in the proper direction. Normal floating lines don’t have the shapethat allows for you to easily turn them over, so nymphing with them requiresmore work and yields less productive results.

Floating

Normal floating fly line is designed to float. Nymphing flyline is designed to float better.

Because nymphing rigs often include heavy flies or evenadded weights, lines designed specifically for nymphing have more buoyancy thannormal fly lines. They do this by making the fly line less dense.

For you, that means your line will be less likely to sinkduring a drift, wasting your cast. You’ll be able to see your fly line easier,as it will be floating higher out of the water, notifying you of any necessarymends. If you’re nymphing through rough water, the current will be less proneto inhaling your line. And you’ll be able to add as much weight or as manyflies as you want- your line will still float.

Casting

The primary concern with fly fishermen whenever they’rechoosing a rod or fly line is casting. I’d argue that fly fishermen (myselfincluded) may even enjoy casting more than they enjoy catching fish. There’s justsomething about whipping that line out as far as you can that gives animmediate satisfaction.

But casting is also an important factor in catching fish.You have to be able to cast far enough to reach the fish. The cast has to beaccurate enough to put your flies in the path of the fish without scaring thefish away. And you want the casts to be consistent, so you can build a castingrhythm.

Nymph rigs can be big and heavy. They sometimes have multiple flies, a number of split shot, and an indicator. All this stuff makes them hardly aerodynamic (like a single dry fly is) and the added weight makes them tricky to cast.

Fly Lines created for nymphing have a longer head which balances out the added weight of the nymph rig. They’re also tapered to cast, creating aerodynamic efficiencies that counteract the bulkiness of the nymph rig.

Product Recommendations

Now that you understand why you should buy a nymphing line(or if you skipped to the bottom), here are some of our favorites.

This Euro Nymph fly line from Rio is specially designed for (you guessed it) Euro Nymphing. It’s ultra thin, so you can feel even the subtlest bites. And the core has no stretch, keeping the fish from working your line.

Rio also makes the InTouch Xtreme Indicator for normal nymphing. This line is easy to cast, even with multiple flies and big indicators. It has a no-stretch core, enhanced floatation, and is one of the most accurate casting lines out there.

And Orvis’ Hyrdros Nymph is another great option for nymphing fly lines. The design of this line brings the weight forward on the line, making it cast more accurately and far. The rear end tapered design makes the line mend more easily. And the highly visible chartreuse color makes seeing drift ruining bends in your line a piece of cake.

Best Fly Line for Nymphing Conclusion

We don’t always get to experience the adrenaline, euphoria,and joy of dry fly fishing. Sometimes we have to nymph.

And sure, any old floating fly line will get the job done.But don’t you want to use the most effective tool? Don’t you want to catch asmany fish as you can? Nymphing fly lines help you catch more fish while you’renymphing. If you want to improve your nymphing, buying one will help.

If this article helped you pick a nymphing fly line, let us know in the comments below. And share it with your friends! They probably suck at nymphing too.

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