tying

The Czech Nymph

By Jeff Morgan

An Eastern European import that trout can't resist.

hen you think of world-class competitive fly anglers, which region of the world comes to mind? Montana, with its big-water, big-fish anglers? The Catskills? Maybe the English chalk streams with their tweedy, tradition-minded anglers?

Did anybody say "Eastern Europe" or "Czech Republic?"

No, it's not a bad ethnic joke. The Czechs place very well in international fly fishing competitions.

By the way, American teams are usually also-rans at international meets. One reason is that competitive angling is not a major sport here, while the Europeans have a strong tradition of match angling. Another reason is that European fly fishers often use killer fly patterns and tactics that Americans--conditioned by the corporate structure of the sport to fish only basic, mass-marketable fly patterns--are unfamiliar with.

Czech Nymphing Tactics

One of those deadly but unfamiliar-to-Americans patterns is the Czech nymph that is described below. The tactic that is used with this nymph is a favorite in many parts of the world, from the grayling streams of Norway to the brown trout rivers of the Czech Republic. In America, however, it is less well known. In this country, the technique is sometimes referred to as high-stick nymphing; on this website, the more descriptive term "tight line nymphing" is used.

Few American fly anglers use this technique; they are too much in love with their indicator tactics.

"Czech Nymphing" is best suited to large streams, where you can approach fish quite closely. However, in swift, deep runs and pools, it can be a killer technique for small streams.

To recap the basics:

1. Use a floating line and no indicator. Make a short cast with only a little line (less than ten feet) extending from the rod tip.
2. Cast upstream and follow the nymph with the rod, raising it high as the fly drifts to you, and lowering it as the fly passes.
3. Don't pull the fly too fast or too slow; just go with the flow of the current.
4. Keep the line tight for the entire drift.
5. Make another cast when the fly reaches the end of the drift.

Your drift is quite short (only ten to twelve feet), so you have to get close to the fish; that's one reason it works well in heavy or riffly water. Because there is little or no slack in the line, the strike can be almost always be felt.

While there isn't a lot of slack line, the fly is still dead-drifting. You can actually achieve a better dead drift this way than you can with an indicator. That's because the water on the bottom of a stream is always slower than the water on the surface, so the indicator will always be trying to pull your nymphs faster than they should go. With Czech nymphing you can compensate with your rod tip, and keep your team of flies traveling at the correct speed.

Fly Choice is Crucial

The Czechs usually use a team of three flies: the heaviest pattern in the middle, with the lighter patterns ahead and behind. This way the heavy fly keeps the others down deep near the bottom.

Fly choice is a key to the technique. There is no lead attached to the line, so the fly must be able to descend on its own. A dense, heavy pattern is essential so that your fly sinks quickly and so you can feel where it is at all times.

While the "Czech Nymph" style is popular for this technique, woven-body patterns and other flies with little water resistance work quite well too. I will also use a dense stonefly nymph pattern for this kind of nymphing, as it is easy to feel the aggressive strikes that those big flies bring on. Finally, using a double-bead pattern can be effective, especially a double tungsten bead pattern.

What It Imitates

The traditional Czech Nymph is suggestive of several natural trout foods, including caddis pupae, caddis larvae, and scuds. It is an incredibly versatile pattern, and the creative tier can easily add beadheads, legs, CDC, or flashbacks to suit whatever mood the fish are in. I use it as my standard spotted caddis larvae, and I always use a variation when fishing tailwaters or spring creeks.

You cannot buy this pattern in American fly shops, so make sure you tie up a bunch before you hit the road for an extended fishing trip.

For tying instructions, click on the links below.
Tan CDC Czech Nymph
Olive Czech Nymph

Jeff Morgan has written many articles for Westfly, mostly on entomology and fly tying. He is the author of An Angler's Guide to the Oregon Cascades and Small Stream Fly Fishing. Jeff is currently a graduate student at Stanford University, where he is finishing his PhD in History.

Uploaded 09/01/2001.

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CDC Czech Nymph

Olive Czech Nymph