Shot or Not

[Louis Martin]

Hi,

I've been fishing mostly without split shot for a couple of years, and have had my good days and my bad days doing this.  Lately I've begun to wonder if there are situations where an unweighted or lightly weighted nymph fished with shot is better than a weighted nymph.  

I realize that part of the problem on my "bad" days (see "Beat up on SC" post, for example) may have to do with many other variables besides the weight of the fly etc., and I also realize that a more experienced fisherman who has, for example, fished in competition, may just better know how to choose the right weight for a nymph and how to handle the cast, mends, line, etc. for a better drift.  So, I'm basically stirring the pot here to get some different opinions.  I always learn from you guys.

Oh, and by the way, I have had some good days fishing weighted flies with no shot on SC, though that's one place I now am tending to go for shot and a lighter nymph usually.  

[Loren Williams]

Bare Bones: I guess I don't see much a difference between a light fly and shot or a light fly and a heavier fly except the heavier fly has a hook that can catch a fish.  There are many more dynamics involves which you will figure at as you continue to explore.   It's what makes this fun!

[Rob Twombly]

I had the same debate with myself for the past two years.  As of late, I like not having to use shot.  I have developed enough experience and confidence to fish without it.  I am not saying I am an expert but for my enjoyment of the sport I like not having that dead spot in the leader most of the time.   I think strike detection is superior.  The hard part is controlling your depth and to do that you need to have a good idea of what flys weigh relative to each other.  The absolute weight isnt important but the weight for the tippet/leader size/length along with the water depth and speed are all factors in fishing without shot.  I do once in a while put a shot on here and there for a give situation rather than changing flies...I am not in competition with anyone but myself so I am ok with that. 
I generally start off with one very heavy anchor and anything I like on the dropper.  If I am hanging I find a lighter anchor.  If I am not ticking I will put on a heavier dropper or heavier anchor depending on if I am already using a super heavy anchor.    The ugly part is that as you fish different  sections of water you really need to tailor your flies/leaders and quite frankly its a balancing act and a bit of a pain.  FYI I will  normally fish indicator split shot methods in heavy wind...I feel way more in control of my rig in such situations although yesterday I was fishing an 18ft leader  euro style and a couple nymphs  with the bottom one being extra heavy to get the cast out there, seemed to work ok...hooked 7 landed 4...strike detection was a bit lacking in the heavy wind...it was blowing 20+ and I wish I was not needing such a heavy fly to make it work ...had to pass up some skinny water that probably held fish.

[Dejon Hamann]

"Shot or Not?" = "Why not Shot?"  

Are you attempting to transition into the competitive arena Louis?  If so, then I'm sure you've all ready read the many recommendations here that the best route is just to drop the shot... period.  If not, then why worry about it?  Follow Rob's lead and use it all: split shot, weighted nymphs, unweighted... and have fun with it.

If it's purely a theoretical question: will unweighted nymphs/shot out fish weighted nymphs on certain occasions?  Well, I agree with your analysis - there are too many variables to calculate. It really depends on the individual angler.  Amazing things can be done with and without splishot by a skilled angler.  

For whatever it's worth; Split shot and thingamabobbers are a mainstay in my steelhead pack... and will sometimes make it into my deep winter inland pack.

[Fred Dewees]

As of lately I haven't used any shot and was never really a fan because it kinks your leader moves on you all the time. I have used tungsten putty with Good success before I gave up adding weight to my leader . Plus here is a quote from a friend of mine that I believe to be true.
    "The shot has to move before the indicator can do its job. The further away from the shot the fly is, the more time it can take before that slack is taken up, and can move the shot (and then the indicator).
In the current, the fly is lighter than the shot, and may actually be downstream of the shot. Keeping the distance from the fly to the shot shorter, allows quicker detection of a strike.Keeping the shot 6 to 8 inches away from the fly is a good compromise between quick detection, and a natural looking drift. "