We all know that a strike indicator can tell us when a fish takes our nymphs, but a crucial piece of information that is overlooked by many anglers is that strike indicators can show us if our nymphs are drifting in the bottom strike zone or not. I refer to the bottom strike zone as the area in the water column from the river bottom to about a foot and half above the bottom. You almost always want your nymphs to drift in the bottom strike zone because trout spend the majority of their time in this zone, and take the majority of aquatic insect nymphs in this zone as well. You can easily determine whether your nymphs are in the bottom strike zone or not by watching your strike indicator and paying close attention to the speed that it drifts downstream.
Due to friction between water currents and the river bottom, water flows much slower near the bottom than it does at the surface. Once you understand that water currents decrease in speed from the surface to the river bottom, you can quickly determine if your nymphs are on the bottom or not by paying attention to the speed that your strike indicator drifts downstream. If your strike indicator is moving downstream at the same speed as the surface current, your nymphs are not in the bottom strike zone because they are drifting in the faster surface current. If your strike indicator is moving downstream slower than the speed of the surface current, your nymphs are in the bottom strike zone because they are drifting in the slower bottom current.
Although this concept and tip is very simple and straightforward, it can make all the difference between catching zero fish and having double digit fish catching days. Even if you do not use a strike indicator, this concept is still applicable to your leader when tight line or euro nymphing, or your dry fly when using a dry fly attractor nymphing rig.
More information on trout nymphing can be found in my guide book SIMPLE NYMPHING FOR TROUT IN RIVERS & STREAMS.
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