FlyFishing Colorado Naked
When and How to fly fish a naked fly line
"FlyFishing Colorado" naked does not mean without clothes. Unless you want to feed several thousand mosquitoes and black flies. Or spend time in jail. What it does mean is fly fishing without using a drift or strike indicator.
When I started fly fishing nymphs back in the early 1970's, there were no strike indicators for fly fishing. Only those bobber thingys used in bait fishing or lure fishing in lakes. Soo, you learned to use the fly line as your indicator or a large dry fly such as the Royal Wulff as an indicator. I still use the naked fly line method regularly and consistently catch fish without any yarn, foam strips, orange foam ball strike indicators on the line.
What is a naked fly line? A naked fly line is one without any strike or drift indicator. In other words, a normal fly line, braided line to leader connector and a leader system including flies.
Orange braided fly line to leader connector for flyfishing colorado with a naked fly line.
When is the time for flyfishing colorado or any place with a naked fly line?
When you are fishing short distances. Using about 20 to 25 feet of line and a maximum of 10 feet of leader including your nymph system. If you have to fish longer distances, using a drift indicator will probably help you control your drift and detect a fish strike.
When the water is low and gin clear as Bear Creek was on 5/15/06. The flow was only 24.9 and very clear water. I have found that any kind of drift indicator in these conditions, tends to make fish more wary. Not that you can't catch them using a drift/strike indicator. But using the fly line as your indicator will improve your chances for catching more fish. Because, I believe, you get a more natural drift without a strike indicator in these low and clear water water conditions. The leader and a little bit of the floating tip can get under water quicker and drift with the current in a more natural manner. Without a strike indicator, there is less overhead material to cast bottom shadows on a sunny day and spook wary fish.
flyfishing colorado using a naked fly line!
Setting up your rig. Start with a 7.5 feet RIO trout leader tapered to 4X in the early spring. Add about 8 - 10 inches of 4X tippet material to the end of the leader. Then tie on your point fly.
With a piece of 5X tippet material about 1 foot long, tie an improved clinch knot or your knot of choice loosely around your left or right index finger depending on whether you are left or right handed. Firm the knot to the standing part of the tippet and slip it off your finger onto the hook bend of the point fly. Next wet the knot with salvia and pull it tight to the hook bend. Slip the loose end of the material through the hook eye of your next nymph. Adjust the fly on the material so that you end up with a maximum distance of 8 inches between the point fly and first dropper fly.
If you want to add a third nymph to the rig, just repeat the procedure you used for the second fly. Only step down to a 6X or 7X tippet depending on water, fishing conditions and size of your tail fly. Again keep the distance between flies to about 8 inches or maybe even 7 inches on the tail fly. Tapering down your distances in essence makes a tapered nymph system cast easier and more accurately.
Once you make your cast and any line mends, watch the braided line to leader connector for any odd movements. A hesitation, a sideways jerk or an upstream movement. If you see any of these, set the hook. Generally setting the hook downstream will catch more fish.
If you are "High Sticking" a nymph drift pattern, let the line form a little J where it enters the water. Then watch the "J" in the leader, or line where it enters the water. Again if you see any unnatural movement, set the hook.
After you master "naked" fly line nymphing, you will hook up with as many or more fish than with a strike indicator.
After 36 years of "flyfishing colorado" with nymphs on a naked fly line, I know the method works.
Tight Lines and Good FlyFishing Colorado to you,
Marshall, Editor
FlyFishing Colorado
