How to Make an Overhand Mend for a Better Nymph Drift

Producer: Red's Fly Shop

Joe Rotter from Red’s Fly Shop introduces a technique that he says “might be the best tip ever for nymph fishing,” which he calls the “overhand mend.” It’s designed to address a fundamental challenge that all indicator-anglers face: because surface currents are faster than those on the bottom, the strike indicator moves downstream faster than the flies, causing them to drag unnaturally.

The traditional solution has been to either add more weight or increase the distance between the indicator and fly, but each comes with significant drawbacks. More weight is harder to cast, drifts less naturally, and may lead to more snags. A longer leader below the indicator reduces your ability to detect subtle strikes.

The Overhand Mend Solution

Rotter’s technique—also known as a “drop mend,” “pivot mend,” or “anchor mend”—offers an elegant solution to this common challenge. The technique is fairly simply, once you get the hang of it:

1. Cast upstream of your target to allow the nymph time to sink
2. Hold your rod tip high, to keep most of the fly line off the water
3. Make mini roll casts directed above the indicator
4. Try to reposition the indicator above the flies

By actively managing the indicator’s drift speed—keeping it from racing downstream of the flies—you can achieve a more natural presentation, in which the speed of the flies matches the actual speed of the subsurface currents where the trout are. Next time you’re out on the water with an indicator rig., take a few minutes to practice overhand mends to learn just how much power you need to use to reposition the indicator without pulling the whole rig out of the water.