Fly On The Water
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I thought I invented swing nymphing.
That's not a joke. Back when I was still fishing for Smallmouth Bass with spinning rods, I learned to work jigs and soft plastics along the river bottom. It was deadly effective. When I made the switch to fly fishing, I just tried to do the same thing. Took me a few trips to figure out how to get my flies down deep enough, but once I did, it worked exactly the same way.
Turns out Charlie Brooks had already written the book on this technique. On the Madison & Yellowstone, decades before I ever picked up a fly rod.
I didn't realize how elegant the whole system was until I sat down to write about it. That's what writing does sometimes - it makes you see something you've been doing for years in a completely different way.
My Swing Nymphing piece is in the Summer 2026 issue of Dark Skies Fly Fishing Magazine (Issue 12). Four pages covering the setup, the seven steps, the flies that work, and a species list that took me over twenty years to catch - one river, one fish at a time.
If you've never tried this technique, you're leaving fish in the river.
The link to subscribe is in the comments.
05/13/2026
Someone’s heading to the Amazon targeting Peacock Bass, and these two patterns are going with them. A batch of Clouser Half & Half Streamers and Lefty’s Deceivers, both tied Ghost Fire - my Fire Tiger without the stripes. Three bright fluorescent colors – chartreuse, yellow, and orange – tied on super strong, wicked sharp Gamakatsu USA, Inc. hooks.
The color is hard to miss and dark Tanic water, and that is exactly the point.
These flies will be ready for the hunt. This color also works for northern Pike, redfish, smallmouth, bass, and snook when they’re in dark tannic water. Customer orders available – Etsy link comments.
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