The best tactic I know for getting large nymphs down close to the stream bottom in the deep runs for bass with a floating line is a method Charlie Brooks taught me for trout in the Madison River– “The Brooks Method.” Because of the fast current in the Madison River Brooks used a fast sinking head which he made himself. Since the currents on most smallmouth rivers are not as fast as the Madison River I use a floating line and with a few minor changes from the “Brooks Method” call this technique “Swing Nymphing”.
This method is easy to learn and it is very effective. Many of the beginning anglers in my “Smallmouth On The Stream School” catch their largest bass with this method. Set yourself up right beside the deep run you plan to fish. Your first cast is 20 feet long up and across stream at a 45 degree angle. Allow the nymph to sink deeply on a slack line–relying on the 2 MFS Indicators on your nymphing leader to assure your nymph is down deep. At this point remove the slack line with your line hand and swing your rod downstream at the same rate the nymph is drifting so you can feel the strike and set the hook.
Successive casts are made two feet longer until you have covered all of the water out to 30 feet. By stopping every 10 feet as you wade downstream to repeat this method you can catch many bass from the deep runs.
Sharp hooks are a must to hook many large bass on nymphs. To sharpen your hooks easily watch our video
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