Friday Fly Day - Getting down with Jig nymphs

Right now it’s winter, and winter is about getting deep. If you’re not skimming the riverbed then you’re not in the bingo zone. Jig hooks have been around for a while now on the international competition scene and with becoming readily available in stores have created a large presence on our NZ rivers over the past few seasons.

One of the main advantages of a jig hook is that they drift hook point up, lessening snags and break offs, allowing you to bump the bottom with heavier beads and lead wraps without losing as many precious flies and even more precious fishing time. Another advantage is that you can now pack on serious weight, making those short, deep pocket drifts and scouring that deep, fast run much more achievable.

Now that you’re fishing a heavier nymph you may reconsider your rigging. With standard tungsten nymphs its common to fish them trailed by a smaller, lighter point fly. Once you hit real weight however you’ll find they kick about more, increasing tangles as your point fly and trace wrap around your bomb. Also, the point of going heavy is to keep your fly down deep so why not reverse your rig and put the weight on the point?

Your set up is now far more tangle free and with your jig nymph now acting as an anchor on your rig, keeps both flies deeper and your leader tighter throughout for more immediate strike detection when short lining or high sticking.

Struggling to cast tungsten? Check out our advice for moving weight HERE on the Manic blog.

So pack a jig nymph or six this winter to ensure that you’re not missing out. The fish are there. You just have to feed them.

Jig Hares Ear

Jig PT

Jig Worm

Jig Peeping Caddis

Kellers Peach Fuzz