Here's the difference. Nymph fishing has turned into 95% bobber fishing. Fly shops and guides will never put it down because it evolved into their "bread and butter". Bobber fishing requires no skill in fly fishing. Dry fly fishing involves time. Time to practice and actually learn to cast. Hanging a nymph off a dry fly is not dry fly fishing but calling it that makes anglers feel better about their skill level
Agree. Also, euro nymphing takes a lot more skill than indicator nymphing. Dry fly fishing takes more skill than euro nymphing, partly because you're narrowing your odds. Dry dropper is more or less indicator fishing, though you're applying some dry skills. I've soured on indicator fishing. It doesn't feel like fly fishing when I could do the same thing with a spinning rod. I'm ok with dry dropper, but only if the dry fly is a real option for the trout rather than a fancy bobber.
Nothing against nymph fishing - I like to euro-nymph when conditions call for it, but the truth of it is that if you take your typical nymph fisherman, the guy that primarily fishes indicators all day, and you put him on a nice slow dry fly slick on the Missouri, the Big Horn, the Green, the Henry's Fork - 9 times out of 10 he's going to head handed to him by those fish. With the most enjoyable dry fly fishing it is about insect identification (including size, color and what stage the fish are feeding on), its about precision casting, fighting drag in micro-currents, and fishing flat slick clear water with fish feeding on #18 to #22 dries and emergers. There is little room for any bad casting or you'll put a whole pod of fish down with one botched cast. I've watched fish on the Green seem to balance a #22 midge emerger on the tip of their snot, apparently counting the hackle legs, before finally refusing it and quietly sleeping back into deeper water. You need nerves of steel to handle that kinda stuff - something watching a bobber all day just won't ever give you. In fact I've got to go open a beer to calm my nerves right now after just thinking about those freaking "midge feeders" on the Green. And those pseudo and trico sippers on the Missouri and the Big Horn are just about as bad. And don't even get me started on the Henry's Fork! No, dry fly fishing isn't for lightweights. : )
The Difference between a nymph fisherman and a dry fly angler is the ability to stare at a bobber for hours upon hours on end…. Seriously! People are known to spend years perfecting the art of bobber watching! If you want to learn how to, what to, where to & when to dry fly fish ( not just the Missouri ) then Dave Bloom is the professional I recommend to all my friends and clients 😊. He is a fishy dude. Meaning there’s a couple types of fly fishing guides…those who chase a bobber & those who chase big trout….on a dry fly. Dave Bloom is the later.
The nymph fisherman has a much better chance of catching fish since fish feed below the surface in excess of 80% of the time. Dump the dry fly snobbery of the early English anglers.
Here's the difference. Nymph fishing has turned into 95% bobber fishing. Fly shops and guides will never put it down because it evolved into their "bread and butter". Bobber fishing requires no skill in fly fishing. Dry fly fishing involves time. Time to practice and actually learn to cast. Hanging a nymph off a dry fly is not dry fly fishing but calling it that makes anglers feel better about their skill level
Agree. Also, euro nymphing takes a lot more skill than indicator nymphing. Dry fly fishing takes more skill than euro nymphing, partly because you're narrowing your odds. Dry dropper is more or less indicator fishing, though you're applying some dry skills.
I've soured on indicator fishing. It doesn't feel like fly fishing when I could do the same thing with a spinning rod. I'm ok with dry dropper, but only if the dry fly is a real option for the trout rather than a fancy bobber.
Nothing against nymph fishing - I like to euro-nymph when conditions call for it, but the truth of it is that if you take your typical nymph fisherman, the guy that primarily fishes indicators all day, and you put him on a nice slow dry fly slick on the Missouri, the Big Horn, the Green, the Henry's Fork - 9 times out of 10 he's going to head handed to him by those fish. With the most enjoyable dry fly fishing it is about insect identification (including size, color and what stage the fish are feeding on), its about precision casting, fighting drag in micro-currents, and fishing flat slick clear water with fish feeding on #18 to #22 dries and emergers. There is little room for any bad casting or you'll put a whole pod of fish down with one botched cast. I've watched fish on the Green seem to balance a #22 midge emerger on the tip of their snot, apparently counting the hackle legs, before finally refusing it and quietly sleeping back into deeper water. You need nerves of steel to handle that kinda stuff - something watching a bobber all day just won't ever give you. In fact I've got to go open a beer to calm my nerves right now after just thinking about those freaking "midge feeders" on the Green. And those pseudo and trico sippers on the Missouri and the Big Horn are just about as bad. And don't even get me started on the Henry's Fork! No, dry fly fishing isn't for lightweights. : )
Dave & Jim are dry fly hounds. Short drop is cheating, IMO. LOL
The Difference between a nymph fisherman and a dry fly angler is the ability to stare at a bobber for hours upon hours on end…. Seriously! People are known to spend years perfecting the art of bobber watching!
If you want to learn how to, what to, where to & when to dry fly fish ( not just the Missouri ) then Dave Bloom is the professional I recommend to all my friends and clients 😊. He is a fishy dude. Meaning there’s a couple types of fly fishing guides…those who chase a bobber & those who chase big trout….on a dry fly. Dave Bloom is the later.
The nymph fisherman has a much better chance of catching fish since fish feed below the surface in excess of 80% of the time. Dump the dry fly snobbery of the early English anglers.