Fly fishing - nymph fishing for trout and grayling
- choosing the right pattern

Nymph fishing is one of the most effective methods for trout and grayling. For every natural nymph there are dozens of artificial and given that there are hundreds of naturals, goodness knows how many patterns exist! Shown below are just a few from my fly box. Nowadays quite a number of them have gold heads or tungsten beads to give them extra weight. Some nymphs like the Hares Ear, Prinz nymph, Theo's and Pheasant Tail are universal in their application. The Check nymph and Polish nymph are free swimming caddis imitations and of course the creepers are represented by the Stonefly nymph. The Woolly Bugger may represent creepers, leeches or even small fish and it is another great favourite worldwide. The San Juan Worm is tied in a variety of colours to suit local conditions and may represent a bloodworm or an earth worm type creature. Fishing heavy nymphs on a short line by trotting them along the bottom is a successful method of fishing them. Suspending some of the lighter nymphs below a dry fly the "hopper dropper" technique in one of its many guises is another excellent method. Nymphs can of course be swung downstream like a wet fly but their hooking effectiveness is reduced. Finally the use of indicators and a team of nymphs allows the angler to present then at longer distances and in fairly deep water.