I have been thinking about this for a while and quite honestly I wonder whether the method should be allowed, especially in international competitions which are all about fly fishing.

But can a form of float fishing with a weighted artificial nymph on the end of the line fished under a float by dropping the whole bag of tricks upstream and watching for the float to go under signifying a bite be classified as fly fishing?

They will be using stick floats and wagglers next.

But what do you think?

I dont use indicators apart from my fly line for czech nymphing.

the czech nymph method is meant to be fished on a very short line where an indicator is useless.

In alot of ways i like the idea, pushing the boundaries, new methods different tactics etc.God forbid the sport stays static.
In practice while very efficient i am not entirely convinced its how i like to spend my time fishing.
One thing though, floats are not involved or even indicators /big dry flies that nymphing which i do enjoy

At risk of been shot at by many members of the forum in someways I tend to agree with you . Although saying that its a tricky area.

Personally I dont use indicators and fish with bungs and the like,and as the other posters say wouldnt be used czech style anyway. I like to fish with traditional dry fly, nymphs and wet spider patterns on occasions. I fish mainly on rivers which I personally prefer to stillwaters. When the sea trout are in our local river I prefer to fly fish for them because I dislike spinning and get much more enjoyment from a sea trout on fly than one caught spinning. However I do use small tube flys. I have tried czech style and realy didnt enjoy it.

However all those are my preferences and have no problem with people using other methods as long as they are legal.

It would seem to me that czech nymphing is not a lot different to the ancient art of dapping ,,long rod no fly line difference one fly is on the top where czech style its on the bottom. Perhaps thats an over simplification.
The only issue i have with czech style is the unrestricted wading that is associated with the style rivers now have enough fishing pressure without people in wetsuits wandering over every inch of river bottom...

Andy

its probably the method that i use least on rivers , don't know whether its because i'm least successful with this method or more successful with others.

but i will use it now and again when nothing else is working or fishing is difficult.

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CHEERS SID
FTM

"if my answers frighten you , don't ask scary questions".........Jules Winnfield

So its all right to explore every inch of the surface (I fish dry all the time also)

Pressure is half wits standing in the middle of the river splashing away with their high viz lines and white baseball caps fishing down and across spooking every fish within an 800 yard radius.

While no great fan of Czech nymphing the people that do it are highly experienced very good anglers IMO.

at the end of the day sometimes you need to adapt to the conditions to get the best out of the fishing- its your choice weather you want to get the best out of the fishing or not. I personally like czech nymphing, but I use it to solve a problem to suit the conditions rather than as a go-to method.

I am referring to the damage to the underwater eco systems by the constant passage of many feet.

Just to echo the above, what you have described is not Czech nymphing.

On a more general point, I believe "fly fishing" is reading the river, putting yourself where the fish are (rather than attracting the fish to you) and then choosing the most appropriate presentation of an artificial fly for a naturally feeding fish to intercept.

I really enjoy dry fly fishing and nymphing in all its forms - as well as sculpin or "baitfish" imitation fishing. The satisfaction comes from tuning your tactics to the moods of the river, the fish and the most available/appropriate part of the foodchain on any given day. You are then free to roam - pick off some fish at will, chat, spot fish, move on and take a couple more fish (when it all goes to plan and you've worked things out correctly!).

All of these tactics that are available to the angler are just options along a continuum. Some people don't get much pleasure out of using particular techniques, and so don't use them. That is just as it should be. It is a mistake to think that one tactic is definitively "more skillful" than another. There is an awful lot of layers of subtletly in applying each of the methods properly.

I like to engage my brain when fishing in order to crack a particular situation. I then test if I got it right by applying my chosen method as skillfully as I am able to. If the fish approve then I may feel a little smug for a while, until they go and buck the trend (as fish always will in the end).

Czech nymphing - the way I see it - is just a progression of the form of fly fishing. People adapted what they perceived to be a more successful way of catching fish.

You could argue that the traditional way of flicking a team of spiders upstream or French style nymphing without actually casting any fly line out is similar to 'Bleak Whipping'.

Purists will always favour the dry fly and anything else simply won't do, but those with an open mind will find all diversities of fly fishing a challenge and certainly worth exploring.

As for using a 'float' well if the conditions dictate and I feel it will improve my catch rate then I’ll certainly consider using one. Have you never supported a nymph underneath a dry before because the principals are the same. Even greasing the line to help see the takes better could be deemed as a form of float fishing if we were to get really picky.

Saying all that, there is no better satisfaction of stalking and catching a rising wild brownie with a dry!!!!

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