2 Minute 'Quickie' Guide to Fishing Nymphs & Spiders

[Mike Barrio]

A nice simple early season 'how to' from Nick Thom 

Struggling to catch wild brown trout in cold water?  Here is a quick, no nonsense guide to a method that consistently works for me, particularly when it is too cold to Euronymph.

In this short tutorial, I show how I fish the Nymph and Spiders for wild brown trout during early season, when water temperatures are low and fish are feeding well below the surface.

This simple approach focuses on getting the flies down deep, fishing them in a short dead drift, and then allowing the current to straighten the leader and lift the flies off the bottom.

You can find more of Nick's videos on his YouTube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/@diaryofatroutfisherman

[Mike Barrio]

And a longer version on wider water 

Cold water trout fishing can be tough - but the right tactics make all the difference.

In this session I focus on nymphs and spiders to target wild brown trout in difficult, cold water conditions.  With little surface activity its all about getting flies down deep, low and slow, fishing them correctly and covering water.

I break down the approach I use in cold conditions, from rod, line and leader set up to the fly choice and I explain my presentation and how to read the water - all while battling the scottish elements.

If you are struggling to catch trout early in the season, these are methods that work consistently.

[Michael Kearney]

Thanks for posting these videos, Mike. I'm enjoying watching and learning from Nick Thom. I find it helpful to see techniques in action. Seeing Nick apply spider fishing techniques on the water is eye-opening. I now recognise situations on New Zealand rivers where by following his advice I'll be able to present my flies to fish-holding water that is difficult to access with other techniques.

[Nick Thom]

Ah thank you Michael - that is praise indeed! I enjoy making these videos and glad they are of some use.  Much more to follow.

Tight lines

Nick

[Nick Thom]

Last Cast in Freezing Conditions  - Big Trout Reward!




Fly fishing in snow, wind, and freezing temperatures is never easy — and days like this really test your patience.

In this session, I'm out on the River Don in brutal conditions, battling the cold and struggling to find feeding fish. With little activity and the odds against me, it comes down to one final cast...

What happens next makes it all worthwhile.

This is what fly fishing for wild brown trout in Scottish waters is all about — perseverance, belief, and making the most of every opportunity.

🎣 In this video:

Cold weather trout fishing tactics
Fishing in snow and strong wind
Early season fly fishing approach
A last cast that changes everything

This is Diary of a Trout Fisherman - a life spent fishing, one man's obsession with wild brown trout.

[James Laraway]

following recent posts on here i watched that very episode last night and was thinking that looks very like the Don ! Nice video, look forward to watching the others...

[Mike Barrio]

following recent posts on here i watched that very episode last night and was thinking that looks very like the Don ! Nice video, look forward to watching the others...

Yes James, Nick is the Inverurie Angling Association club secretary 

[Ben O'Neill]

Nick I've been enjoying these too! It's triggered the need for me to build a 10' 3 or 4wt...

Nice work. As you said in that last vid hard won and well deserved

[Nick Thom]

Thanks for the kind comments all. I built a 10' 2 weight this year Ben. Still to christen it but am looking forward to it. Tight lines.

[Allan Liddle]

Love these videos Nick and i still enjoy working spiders in our streams, especially with the brutal winds we've had recently.

[Nick Thom]

Thanks Allan, hope you're well. I'm Heading up to the Deveron later this month and looking forward to working some spiders there too. Got an old split cane rod for the job - that may be an expensive rabbit hole I'm dipping my toe in!!

[Michael Kearney]

While not in Scotland, this southern neighbour enjoys fishing spiders in small streams on a split cane rod

[Nick Thom]

Hahaha. What a coincidence Micheal!  My new video, out tomorrow (filmed yesterday) is me fishing spiders on a JS Sharpes of Aberdeen 'eighty eight' split cane rod. I caught some incredible fish!  You even get a mention!

[Michael Kearney]

I'm looking forward to seeing this adventure, Nick, and hope to see a lovely curve in your cane.

A friend of mine who fishes almost exclusively with bamboo rods holds JS Sharpe's blanks in high regard. Various small streams running through back country in Tasmania, northern Victoria and southern New South Wales are home to surprisingly large trout. For these situations he particularly favours a Sharpe's Scottie 6 foot 6 inch 4-5 weight.

[Nick Thom]

A new video up today with a 4lb 12oz brownie giving me the run around on a 50 year old split cane rod!

Vintage Tackle, Soft Hackle Spiders... and BIG Wild Scottish Trout.

[James Laraway]

Just watched it, lovely video  . One niggle - I've never heard of a size 14 fly being described as meaty
 Meaty is definitely size 8 minimum and maybe a cheeky size 6...

[Nick Thom]

Hahaha you're right James!

It was more the dressing. There's quite a lot going on. Quite a lot of dubbing and hackle and wing and tail. More meaty than a natural LDO. But still relatively wee I guess.

[Michael Kearney]

Great stuff, Nick. Good to see the Sharpe's 88 rod and Young's reel tested by that lovely big Don trout. Good fishing, well done! I particularly enjoy your commentary on birds active on and above the river.
That area of the river under the bank lined with trees proved productive. Although trees can cause us as fly anglers to curse on occasion, there is little doubt that trees in a well-managed riparian strip bordering a river bring great benefits. A review of advisory projects undertaken by the Wild Trout Trust https://www.wildtrout.org/avs shows how frequently ecologist and biological scientists recommend planting and managing trees on river banks to improve biodiversity and the quality of fishing. A case in point is the work of Cairde an Chláir (Friends of the river Clare) in Galway. The Clare is a major spawning stream for lough Corrib. The Friends are working with local landowners and Inland Fisheries Ireland to improve conditions for spawning trout, work that includes planting trees along the river - see https://cairdeanchlair.org/news-articles/bringing-life-back-to-the-rivers/.
Your fishing diaries demonstrate that the Don is a wonderfully healthy river. We all want this still to be true in twenty, fifty and one hundred years from now. Perhaps nudging the land owner to plant that far bank with a few more trees would benefit fish, insects and birds?

[Nick Thom]

My video recap of the first month on the brown trout fishing season. Hopefully it is starting to warm up a little.

Early Season Fly Fishing for Wild Brown Trout | Scottish River Lessons Learned