Nymphing is a productive fly-fishing technique in Florida

Gibby's Snymphs (simple nymphs) are quick and easy to tie and are very productive for a variety of freshwater species.

A few years ago, I traveled to northeast Georgia to fly fish for trout.

After a frustrating morning on Noontootla Creek, I asked guide Rex Gudgel for a little help.

"I know where the trout are, but I can't catch them," I said. "Why don't you show me what you would do?"

The author shows off  a hefty Mayan cichlid

Gudgel, who was working at the time as a guide out of Unicoi Outfitters in Helen, Ga., surveyed the spot, then tied on a nymph and added a strike indicator. He cast upstream and allowed the rig to float down with the current.

He explained the nuances of nymphing to me. While doing so, he caught rainbow trout of 12, 17 and 26 inches.

I was amazed.

After he left, I caught and released a 27-inch rainbow, the largest of my life.

But that wasn't the highlight of my life. Don't get me wrong. The trout was great. But nymphing lit the proverbial lightbulb in my head.

I thought the technique would pay handsome dividends back home in Florida where freshwater trout were little more than a dream.

John Weimer's peacock bass sucked in a Snymph.

Rather than trout, I envisioned big bluegill and shellcracker. I could see these panfish sucking up nymphs with reckless abandon.

Now, I'm not going to tell you that I'm the first person ever to use the technique in the Sunshine State. I'm sure others have done it. However, I have fished in Florida for more than 45 years and I've never seen anyone use the technique.

For me, freshwater fly fishing was simple. You'd cast a small popping bug for bluegill. You'd cast a larger popping bug for bass.

There was no in between.

Lake Manatee speckled perch on a Snymph.

When the bite ended, it was time to go home.

Sometimes, the bite lasted all day. Often it didn't. We would usually head home by mid-morning.

That all changed when I began nymphing.

I started out using a popular trout pattern: a bead-head Hare's Ear. It produced pretty consistently. 

Later, I began developing simpler patterns that could be tied in just a couple of minutes.

Hefty shellcracker on Snymph.

I first began nymphing on Lake Manatee, a  body of water nine miles east of Interstate 75 in Manatee County. The lake can be tough, but if you invest the time to learn it you'll find it's loaded with fish.

I've used a number of different strike indicators over the years, but I've settled on  Lightning Strike Round Foam Strike Indicators (http://www.basspro.com/Lightning-Strike-Round-Foam-Strike-Indicators/product/15218/)  that I purchase at Bass Pro Shop. They're simple and do the job nicely.

This is no fancy system. I tie on my Gibby's Snymph (simple nymph) and set the strike indicator according to the depth of the water. Usually I set it between 18 inches and two feet.

I cast it out (usually toward the shoreline structure), allow the nymph to sink, and then twitch it during a slow retrieve.

When the strike indicator twitches, moves or goes under, it's time to set the hook.

What could be more simple?

I've used the technique in lakes and streams throughout Florida, and it has rarely failed. I have used it in Lake Manatee and caught hand-sized bluegill, large shellcracker, impressive speckled perch, largemouth bass to 4 pounds and channel catfish.

Capt. Rick Grassett used a Snymph to fool this tiny tarpon.

In a small lake east of Naples, I have caught gargantuan Mayan cichlid, hefty bluegill, shellcracker, largemouth bass and peacock bass.

It has produced in The Everglades, the Myakka River, Upper Myakka Lake, Hillsborough River, Manatee River and other bodies of water.

A month ago, I launched my NuCanoe Pursuit at Benderson Lake near my home in Sarasota. I had only fish the lake a couple of times and not in the last 15 years. I caught a few bass near a spillway on Clouser Deep Minnows, then begain drifting down the east side of the lake. I started nymphing. I caught 25 bluegill, five shellcracker and a hefty channel catfish. I also lost another large channel cat.

I've also caught small snook on the Manatee River on the Snymph. Capt. Rick Grassett of Sarasota fished a small lake in Charlotte County with me and landed a small tarpon.

The Snymph has now become my "go-to" rig in fresh water.

The beauty of the rig is its simplicity.

It is quick and easy to tie.

Most of the time I use a White River 396 No. 10 or 12 nymph hook (Bass Pro Shops).

Slide the gold bead on the hook, then place it in the vise.

Tie on the thread just behind the bead and wrap back to the bend of the hook. Then tie in the tail. You can use pheasant tail, squirrel or whatever.

Tie in a short length of copper wire, then began dubbing with Hareliine Dubbin' Hare's Ear Plus. Build up the body. Finish by wrapping the copper wire toward the bead and whip finishing the thread. The wire serves two purposed: 1. It segment the body; 2. I secure the dubbing.

I usually use tan, olive, brown and rust dubbing. I'm not sure color makes much difference, though.

Simple.

Snymph.

Easy.

When I head to a lake or stream to fly fish, I'll still start out most of the time with a No. 10 popping bug on a 3-weight fly rod. I'll stick with it until the bite slows or stops.

When that happens, I'll pull out my 2-weight TFO Finesse rod and begin nymphing.

What I've learned over the years is when the topwater bites stops, your day is just beginning.

Small minnow produces big results

I'm not very artistic when it comes to designing flies for fishing. I can usually imitate and duplicate, but coming up with my own designs isn't my forte.
However, I'm pretty proud of the Myakka Minnow, a fly I designed about five years ago after a very frustrating morning on the Myakka River.
I was fly fishing from my kayak and I was watching as bass and bluegill exploded upon schools of small minnows along the shoreline. I'd immediately cast a small, white No. 10 popper into the fray, but I came up empty every time. The fish obviously were feeding, but they didn't want what I was casting.
On the drive home, I began thinking about a fly that might work in this situation, one that would imitate a small minnow. I thought about various designs. I looked for small minnow patterns in my fly-tying books. But nothing really impressed me.
So, I sat down at my bench and start playing with various designs. I came up with a small minnow that certainly looked like a tiny minnow, but I had no idea if it would work.
I used a No. 10 nymph hook. The tail was a small clump of Krystal Flash. I added a few wraps of .20 gauge lead wire in the hook's mid-point, then tied in some polyflash at the bend of the hook and wrapped it forward, creating a minnow-shaped body. The body with thin toward the tail and built up toward the head.
When done, I added eyes on each side and coated the entire body and eyes with epoxy. I put the fly in my rotisserie and let it dry.
When it was done, I knew I had a winner.
Next time out on the river, I caught fish on a small popper like always. But when the topwater bite ended, I began casting the new fly. I allowed it to sink, then began retrieving it slowly. I can't remember how long it took, but I caught a really nice bass on it, a fish that weighed about 3 pounds. I later handed a few hand-sized bluegill and a hefty tilapia.
I noticed minnows scurry for safety along the shoreline with fish in pursuit. This was my chance, I thought, to see if the new fly worked like I thought it might in this situation. I cast it out, began retrieving and felt the line tighten and a 2-pound bass inhaled the fly.
Success!
The Myakka Minnow has evolved over the years. The tail is now a clipped bunch of marabou. The body is made out of Bodi-Braid by Spirit River. It works like a charm.
Although it was designed as a panfish fly, it has caught a variety of fish. It can be tied on any size hook, so you can tie it as large or small as you want.
Here's a list of freshwater fish it has taken: Largemouth bass, bluegill, speckled perch, golden shiner, stumpknocker, shellcracker, channel catfish, blue tilapia, spotted tilapia, rainbow trout, brown trout, sunfish, redbreast sunfish, barramundi, peacock bass, oscar, Mayan cichlid, and warmouth perch.
In saltwater, it has taken little tunny, redfish, snook, spotted seatrout, jack crevalle, ladyfish, mangrove snapper, pinfish, gag grouper, flounder, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and others.
It's no a magical fly by any means. But it is productive and works quite well. The secret to success is tying it on your leader and using it. Most of the time, I cast it to a likely looking spot and allow it to sink. Then, I begin a very slow retrieve.
I watch the end of my fly line. If I don't feel the hit, I'll often see the end of the fly line dart forward or to one side or the other. When that happens, it's time to set the hook.
It really works great in The Everglades for oscar. They really love it. I tied up a black Myakka Minnow for my Everglades trips. I noticed during one outing there that there are hundreds of small black minnows along the shoreline.
First time out when black Myakka Minnows, I'll bet I caught 100 or more oscars.
Since the fly has an epoxy body, it's virtually indestructible. There have been days when one minnow has gotten me through the day. It's rare when I use more than two.
The Myakka Minnow catches fish and that's good. I entered it in a fly-tying contest last year and it didn't place. Another fly I tied (which I had never used prior) took third place in the national contest.
Some flies catch the attention of anglers. The Myakka Minnow catches the attention of fish.
Best

Fly Tying

I've been tying flies for 20 years. It's something I swore I'd never do. I didn't want to become one of those "fly-fishing snobs."

But whenever I'd walk out of a fly shop, I'd usually have at least $50 worth of assorted flies. I'd look at them and figure there couldn't be more than 15 cents worth of material in each fly.

So, the proverbial lightbulb shined brightly in my head: I could tie them myself and save a whole lot of money.

I went out and bought a vise, several bobbins, head cement, bodkin, whip finisher, bucktails, thread, Krystal Flash, body materials, mylar and whatever else I thought would be of use. And I've added to my collection over the years.

I now have it figured out. The way to tie a 15-cent fly is to go out and buy $2,000 worth of equipment and materials.

I'm an OK fly tyer. I have come up with a couple of patterns that work well for me and others. The Myakka Minnow is my spotlight creation. And I've adapted a adjust other patterns.

My go-to fly for beach snook is the D.T. Special (variation). The original D.T. Special was sent to me by Naples guide Matt Hoover, who told me it's the only fly I'd ever need for beach snook. He was right. I've tweaked it to suit my purposes over the years and that's why I add (variation) label to it. Many people think I created the D.T., but I didn't. I've just tinkered with it a bit.

The fly in the top left is the Myakka Minnow, a creation that has caught thousands of fish over the years. It was orginally designed for panfish, but has caught everything from bluegill to tarpon. It can be tied on any size hook to suit your needs.