Fly fishing done well is a mental game, a series of tips and tricks. Those tricks are like a deck of cards, all stacked up and ready to play, ready to pull out and utilize the one that best fits the moment. Sometimes we know what card to play, and other times we stand in the river befuddled and confused. In those perplexing moments, we shuffle the deck and then choose: Pick a card — any card.

Adding cards to the deck of tricks is half the fun of this whole thing. All the good anglers I know are constantly searching for the next trick, the next clue, because a larger deck provides more options and more solutions.

In his latest article over at Livin’ on the Fly, George Daniel offers another card for your deck — another piece to the river’s puzzles — with this thought: Tightline Nymphing: When in doubt . . . drag ‘em.

At the heart of George’s point is an idea that strike detection should take precedence over the nature of the drift. Is a totally drag free nymph presentation important? Sometimes. But given a reasonably convincing presentation, you catch more fish with less slack in the system, because there’s a better chance of determining when a trout eats the fly.

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George writes the following:

You can’t detect a strike if there’s too much slack in the line. Slack may help you achieve a natural drift, but but if you can’t detect the strike then what’s the use? Although the drift may not be as natural when you’ve got too much tension in the line, at least you’ll be able to feel the strike.

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George explains more about when, why and how in his article at Livin on the Fly. Check it out.

READ: George Daniel | Tightline Nymphing: When in Doubt . . . Drag ‘Em

It’s a good trick to stack into you deck of cards.

Enjoy the day.
Domenick Swentosky
T R O U T B I T T E N
domenick@troutbitten.com