Having witnessed its effectiveness recently during the Commonwealth Fly Fishing Championships I decided it was time to put it to the test. I purchased the necessary bits and pieces and read what information was available on the Internet...most of which was obtained from The FlyFishingPoint website which is a great starting point for anyone interested in learning more about this style of fishing.
A long rod with a soft action is key to maximising the potential and my 10' 6" #5 was perhaps one or two AFTM ratings too high (going by the number of bounce offs I had), but enabled me to get to grips with the concept.
Target rivers last weekend were the River Irfon & the upper River Wye both in desperate need of some water...both perfect to test the French Nymphing technique. I fished 2 small tungsten head nymphs (#16/18) on a 1.5 metre long tippet which was separated by the hi-viz braided indicator from the 9 metre long tapered leader.
Ideal water to try out 'French Nymphing'
I was nothing short of shocked how this method caught fish from water that you could easily ignore and out of a total of three sessions (including one of my best ever Wye Grayling catches) the results have confirmed to me that this can be a deadly method.
One of two double 'hook ups' I had from the River Wye
As with all styles of fly fishing it has its day, this is possibly not really a method for slow moving water or small stream fishing with over-hanging trees and snaggy riverbeds...but on its day it will out score most other conventional fly fishing disciplines. Give it a go and see for yourself.
