Nymph

A nymph imitates the immature, underwater life stage of insects like mayflies, stoneflies and caddis before they hatch into flying adults. Because trout spend the large majority of their feeding time eating these sub-surface insects rather than adults on top, nymphs typically account for more fish caught over a season than any other fly type.

Nymphs are fished at or near the bottom, usually with some combination of weight built into the fly, added split shot, and a strike indicator or tight-line technique to detect a take that often feels like nothing more than a slight pause or twitch. Depth control matters more with nymphs than with almost any other style of fishing, since the fly needs to reach where the fish are actually holding.

New anglers often fish nymphs too shallow or with a leader that is too short to reach the bottom in faster water, missing strikes they never even see. Carrying a range of weighted and unweighted patterns in different sizes, and adjusting added weight for each run, solves most of the depth problems that make nymphing feel harder than it needs to be.