Czech Nymph for First Time

I had arranged to go to Cheesman Canyon with Jim today. The Cheesman Canyon is known for its very, very large trout. Jim is known for his expertise in Czech Nymphing (CZN). The Cheesman Canyon trout are rumored to be particularly susceptible to CZN. It was all coming together masterfully until the dam that feeds the Cheesman Canyon tailwater started releasing Friday night. It generated up to about 520CFS (yes I monitor these things throughout Friday night). That flow is way too high to fish in the Canyon.

Then, this morning Jamie calls me and says we are meeting Jim on Clear creek. Then I get a call that says that Clear Creek is a wind tunnel and isn't fishable.

I finally head out to a tucked away spot I found on South Boulder Creek and Jim decides to come meet me there. While I'm waiting for him to arrive in the mountains I shot these three pictures. This series occurred in a 10 minute span, for real.


The clouds just poured over the mountains like molasses, the wind picked up, and it started snowing. Pretty bad ass if you'd like my opinion. We hiked down the gorge about a mile and started fishing in the snow. It makes for some divine scenery.

Conditions such as snow, clouds and rain can actually be beneficial when sight fishing because the water will have less glare for sighting, and the trout will feel safer under the apparent cover. This will lead to them feeding more out in the open. In addition, the dim lighting allows you to get much closer to the fish without them noticing.

Jim had offered to teach me how to CZN after a conversation we got into about tying the CZN flies online, and he knows all the ins and outs of the technique. He really gave me a solid understanding of how to apply the method. He detailed nuances that a book could never convey.

He wrote a report about today on the forum that was so detailed I'm going to have to cut and paste it here:
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So. Boulder Creek 4-26-08 « on: April 26, 2008, 09:05:15 pm »

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Oh man what a day! New water, beautiful fantastic scenery, and some of the prettiest fish i've seen in a long time!

Met with Tangler to teach him some Czech Nymphing, and he sugguested one of his spots to try it out on. Oh, i'll be back there soon! You'll get tired of me saying what an amazing little trek this place is

Anyway, got on the water about noon, light flurries and a touch of wind. Hike in was about a mile or so, again, great scenery!!

Water temp was 41deg, not perfect but not bad either. Walked along the river a bit getting a feel for it, flows were a little quick ( guessing 150cfs) and the clarity was gin clear!

Spotted a few fish rising in some back eddies, bright red bows! Thought they were brookies at first, just bright red bows! Really added to the majesty of the area. Spotted plenty of fish, a couple pushing 18"! great to see in this area.

SO we got to chuckin some flies, Tangler picked up on the new technique pretty quick, and had tied up his first Czech Nymphs as well to test out.... they worked! Got into a couple pools that kicked out some beautiful 13-16" bows! That completed Tanglers homerun : 1) learning a new method of fishing, 2) Tying some specialized flies he'd never done before, and 3) catching fish on them using the new technique! Very cool day.

Walked about a mile or so of water, and as the day progressed, the snow stopped, the wind died and the sun came out. Really made for a near perfect day on the water. Enjoyed the heck out of it!!

Some pix :

One of the larger bows, landed a few of them around 16"+

Tangler stalking a few real nice fishPerhaps the most vibrantly colored Brown i've seen, taken on the Brown Suga (of course)! The fish in this area are amazingly colored!
Tangler with another good size Bow, bout 14-15

On the way out, there was a good herd of Mulies and Elk on a hillside

-Silent_Light
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I couldn't have put it better myself, he nailed it!

Side notes:
-"brown suga" is a fly that Jim ties that has an ever-growing reputation for slaying brown trout.
-"Mulie" is a nickname for the Colorado mule deer. Seeing them mixed with a herd of Elk was a special surprise indeed. Even the animals are laid back here.

Being taught how to CZN by Jim felt like the scene in The Matrix when they upload the martial arts to Keanu Reeves' brain and he turns to the camera and says, "I know Kung Fu". Except, I know Czech Nymph.

I'm really grateful I got to be tutored by a master in the privileged art of CZN. The on-water direction is irreplaceable, and the technique is deadly.

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Background on the "Czech Nymph":

It was developed by one of the European National fly fishing teams for international competition. The technique was so effective that others started copying it. Apparently several countries have claimed credit for method, one of which is the Czech Republic. You will also hear people referring to Euro Nymphing.

The purpose was to have a fly weighted within the body (because in tournament fly fishing no visible beads or weights are permitted) using lead, and to have direct contact between the fly and the rod at all times. The direct contact was beneficial because they fished for grayling which are notorious for very soft and difficult to detect takes.