The Match Before the Hatch

Strategies for taking the guesswork out of fishing nymphs and emergers

We're all familiar with the "match the hatch" program: Use a fly that matches what's hatching. It's never easy, but it is relatively straightforward. What do you do, though, when there aren't any bugs hatching? Do you put down your rod and wait for the next hatch to come off, or do you tie on a nymph and keep fishing? Many anglers are mystified, and perhaps a little intimidated, by nymphing and resort to it only to pass the time between hatches. However, there is a "hatch" going on even when there are no bugs rising off the water; it's the nymph hatch, and this article is about how to match it. Read more – offline – from the current issue; subscribe to FRR.