Today let’s discuss my six favorite springtime trout nymphs and why.
Jack Sperry who taught me nymph fishing in the East and Charlie Brooks who taught me nymph fishing in the Rockies were the two finest nymph fishermen I’ve ever known. They both believed it is important to match the natural insects with the nymphs we use.
Six Favorite Trout Nymphs
- The Mr. Rapidan Bead Head Nymph is definitely my favorite early season nymph. Why? It matches the Epeorus pleuralis mayfly which is the first large mayfly on most eastern streams. They are present in great numbers in most streams. I fish these upstream dead drift on a Murray’s Trout Nymph 9ft 5X Leader. This leader has two Murray’s Fly Shop Indicators built into it. The primary feeding station is immediately below the riffle in the head of the pool but I drift it all the way through the pool.
- The Murray’s Olive Caddis Pupa is very important early in the season because there are large numbers of these in many streams. Last spring, using my fly rod as a yard stick I estimated there were over 200 caddis pupa in a back eddy. This eddy was 3 feet in diameter on a small headwater stream in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I fish the pupa upstream dead drift along the edges of the back eddies and just below. I use the same leader on these as I do the Mr. Rapidan Bead Head.
- As the season progresses three Stenonema nymphs grow rapidly. These are very active throughout the pools and the trout feed heavily upon them. I fish the Mr. Rapidan Soft Hackle Nymph with both the dead drift and swing nymph tactic using the same leader as above.
- Next is the Little Yellow Stonefly Nymphs which reach their full sizes in the leaf jams and in the moss around the boulders below the water line. I fish these upstream dead drift beside the leaf jams and beside the moss covered boulders on a Trout Nymph 9ft 6X Leader.
- I fish the Murray’s Professor Nymph in the spring with a slight rod-lifting action to match many of the later emerging stenonema nymphs. This can be done very effectively with an upstream dead drift as well as a swing nymphing tactic. The broad distribution of the natural sulphur nymphs makes it very important to both the trout and the angler. These are found in large streams, small meadow streams and mountain streams. Their density and longevity make them important to us.
- Later is the Sulphur Nymph which is effective on small streams. Fish these on an upstream dead drift on a Trout Nymph 9ft 5X Leader. On the meadow streams and large streams the swing nymphing tactic is very effective.
Early season nymph fishing for trout is a great amount of fun. It is very effective and very gratifying.