Many years ago the late Charlie Brooks taught me how to fish multi-nymph rigs for trout on the Madison River in Montana. If you read Brooks’ many fine books you know he was strictly a large trout fisherman. For example, one day while we were fishing Brooks told me about an eastern angler he guided the day before….He looked straight at me and stated, “I don’t want to be bothered releasing the size trout that fellow fishes for.” The standard Rig Brooks encouraged me to fish included a size 4 Brooks Stonefly Nymph, size 8 Caddis Larva and size 10 Mayfly Nymph. Using this rig fished with the Brooks method in Hole Number Two behind the ‘barns” on the Madison River in the Yellowstone National Park produces many large trout.
Actually this multi-nymph rig is very effective all across the country by adjusting the specific nymphs and their sizes to the natural foods in the stream you are fishing. A basic selection of nymphs on streams which are smaller than the Madison River would include the Murray’s Dark Stonefly Nymph 12, Mr. Rapidan BH Nymph 14 and Professor Nymph 14.
In order to get the maximum depth with this system you can use the “Brooks Method” which requires casting up and across stream with a sinking head line and sweeping the nymphs into the deep, fast runs and pools. If the stream is only moderately fast with few runs over five feet deep a floating line will be fine. In fact, frequently in the average stream in the east you can fish the three nymph rig down and across stream with a floating line.
If you find you get twisted and knotted leaders with three nymphs just use two. The easiest way to rig the two or three nymphs is to simply come off the bend of the nymph on the leader with a 2 to 3 foot strand of mono with an improved clinch knot and attach the next nymph down with a regular knot. If you use a 3rd nymph just come off the bend of the 2nd nymph with a 2 foot strand of mono with an improved clinch knot.
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