Improve Your Nymph Fishing Skills to Become a Better Angler

The diversity and abundance of blue-ribbon, wild trout water near Bozeman make this area the premier Montana fly fishing destination. I moved here over 30 years ago to chase a few dreams, never leaving after losing myself in these legendary Montana rivers.

Each classic fly fishing river near Bozeman has unique high points, including specific hatch events, r structure, trout per mile, gradient, and scenery that require time and angling experience to begin understanding their nuances.

Early on, I learned I had better master my fly fishing with nymph skills to find angling success on my own across all of the wildly unique rivers in Southwest Montana. Nymph fishing is the most effective fly fishing technique—day in and day out—and refined indicator nymph fly fishing skills are essential for success when exploring new trout waters in Montana.

Nymph rigs are heavy and air resistant with two flies, split shot, and standard ¾ inch foam or plastic strike indicator. Anglers fishing with a tandem nymph setup utilize an “elliptical” casting stroke to maintain an open loop, which helps reduce tangle issues. A crisp, long pause on the backcast will pay dividends in reducing tangles and delivering accurate casts.

Purpose-built fly lines and fly rods available today make fly fishing with these heavy yet highly effective nymph rigs easier than ever before.

Attributes of an Indicator Nymphing Fly Line

Modern fly line tapers and designs simplify casting, presentations, and line handling issues as anglers expand their fly fishing skills with new techniques. A specialized fly line for indicator nymphing easily turns over these heavy rigs with a proper casting stroke.

The long head sections are overweighted by a line weight or two which aids in reducing drag, line management, and buoyancy. Front tapers are designed to be short to effortlessly turnover heavy leader rigs. The longer rear tapers help to smoothly turn over the heavy head sections while casting and improving line handling when mending. These fly lines are purpose-built for indicator nymph fishing designed to improve the angler experience.

It’s worth noting that these fly lines are not designed for fly fishing scenarios where delicacy and distance are required, such as technical dry fly fishing.

There are a handful of fly lines to consider, the best of which are made by Rio and Scientific Anglers. The core, coatings, and refined taper designs in the Elite and Amplitude series stand out in terms of performance and durability from other manufacturers or brands.

The Best Indicator Nymphing Fly Line

The RIO Elite Xtreme Indicator fly line taper has been around for many years, undergoing occasional “tweaks” to the core and coatings with technology improvements.

The 48’ forward tapering head easily turns over short-leash rigs used when fly fishing the Missouri River near Craig, Montana and the double stonefly nymph rigs for Madison River fishing. There is nothing “easy” about fly fishing Montana on the Beaverhead River during high water in June, but this fly line stacks the odds in the angler’s favor when casting those heavy “pogo” rigs.

Featuring the latest generation low-stretch core, Connect Core Plus, hooksets are instantaneous, and the line has an ultra-smooth feel in the hand.

At 185 grains, the 30’ head is two line weights heavier than a standard 5-weight fly line, allowing it to quickly load modern fly rods and effortlessly turn over heavy indicator rigs.

Whether I’m guiding new or experienced anglers – or fishing on my own – if a strike indicator is involved, the RIO Elite Xtreme Indicator will be on whichever reel is in the angler’s hand. It is a terrific tool for trout anglers to uitilze when fly fishing with strike indicators from a drift boat and in most wade-fishing scenarios as well.

Other Specialized Fly Lines for Fly Fishing With Indicator Rigs

The Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Anadro Indicator and Rio Elite Indicator fly lines feature taper designs to perform well when long drifts are the norm. Think upstream nymphing from an anchored boat or trying for long, drag-free drifts while wade fishing the Yellowstone River during the wintertime.

Their long rear tapers are much easier to handle than a standard weight-forward line's thin running line. They really stand out when it comes to mending the 40+ feet of fly line needed to maintain exceptionally long drifts through big pools.

Like the Rio Elite Xtreme Indicator line, both lines are overweighted to facilitate quick turnover of heavy indicator setups. The main difference is the overall length of the head and rear tapers in these line designs.

The Rio Elite Indicator line has a more complex taper design than the SA Anadro fly line, which delivers more turnover power on longer casts. The Rio low-stretch core is much appreciated by anglers trying to make a quick hook set on a subtle strike with 60+ feet of fly line on the water.

Montana Fly Fishing Guide Recommended Indicator Nymphing Fly Rods

As we progress along our fly fishing journey, we eventually realize that our beloved and versatile rod/reel outfit can “do it all” – but not very well.

I prefer a 9 ½ 5-weight fly rod with a fast action and a stiff tip section. The added length and stiff tip aid with mending, hook setting, and landing trout from a boat.

I’ve fished them all and find that most have too soft tips for my liking. The St. Croix Evos, G. Loomis NRX+, and Sage R8 Core – all in the 9 ½ configuration with a fighting butt – are real winners.

Leverage Specialized Fly Fishing Lines to Improve Your Skills

Learning to fly fish using tandem nymph rigs under a strike indicator is essential as anglers branch out to new, unfamiliar waters. Trout primarily feed subsurface, so understanding basic entomology and how to mimic the insects they feed on when hatches aren’t active will exponentially increase an angler's success rate.

Modern fly lines and fly rods make fly fishing with these somewhat complicated and heavy setups much easier. The Rio Elite Xtreme Indicator is our Montana fly fishing guides' pick as the best fly line for indicator fishing. Create your own customized nymph fly fishing setup with a specialized fly rod - paired with this unique fly line – to enhance your time on the blue-ribbon trout waters near Bozeman.