nymphing

1. 1
   noununcountable

   Fly fishing with a nymph: an artificial fly tied to imitate the young, underwater stage of an insect.

   When the trout ignore the surface, switching to nymphing often saves the day.

   The guide spent the morning teaching us the basics of nymphing in fast water.

   Note

   Nymphs live underwater, so nymphing is done below the surface, which sets it apart from dry-fly fishing, where the fly floats. A fish often takes the nymph with only a slight tug, so many anglers watch a small float called a strike indicator. It is a common fallback when trout ignore anything on the surface.

2. 2
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of nymph.

   We spent the afternoon nymphing in the deep pools below the dam.

   He was nymphing along the edge of the riffle when a big brown trout struck.

   Note

   Only one sense of nymph works as a verb, the angler's, so nymphing always means fishing and never has anything to do with the nymphs of myth. Like other sport verbs it pairs naturally with go, as in go nymphing for trout, and it is usually followed by a place rather than a catch: nymphing in the deep pools, nymphing along the riffle.

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