Always drop your fly well upstream of the fish and let it drift into the correct position. Remember the rises of the fish are misleading and do not indicate where the trout actually lie. Nymphing on the Cumberland river is similar to that of dry fly fishing. Nymph fishing or wet fly fishing is different from dry fly fishing in that the fly sinks. Cast your fly upstream at a diagonal and let it drift into position.
Streamer fishing is a great method for the trophy fish.
Streamer flies are generally bigger than dry or wet flies. The trophy fish feed mainly on bait fish. Streamers are most commonly tied to mimic shiners, dace, sculpins, chubs, darters, and even young trout. The drift is a good basic method for using streamers but because you are trying to mimic a smaller fish darting across the current using a jerking action with the fly is often more effective. Remember to vary the speed and the direction of your retrieval.