Euro Nymphing

[huntfish]

I'm getting curious about euro nymphing. I almost always use a strike indicator when nymphing and I recently seen some people who were very productive without an indicator euro nymphing. Do any of you guys euro nymph and if so is it hard to learn and get the hang of? How do you guys set up your leaders for this type of fishing?

 

[Twofly]

A great book to get is Dynamic Nymphing by George Daniels. He covers all the euro techniques, leader formulas and flies.
Longer rods 10-11' 3-5wt are best
In faster water i use a 10' czech leader; 20"red amnesia butt section 24"of jan siman bi colored mono to 2mm tippet ring then 6' of 5x or 6x tippet.
I use 2 flies a heavier fly at the point and a smaller fly 20"up on a 8"dropper
In slower runs a 7.5 3x tapered leader with a 2mm tippet ring as a base
from there i can build off my tippet section for
Dry, dry dropper, or tandem nymph with in line sighter
I carry about a dozen bead head nymphs in different size and weights
variations of prince,pheasant tail, hairs ear,zebra midges etc...
try it you wont regret it

 

[afishinado]

huntfish wrote:
I'm getting curious about euro nymphing. I almost always use a strike indicator when nymphing and I recently seen some people who were very productive without an indicator euro nymphing. Do any of you guys euro nymph and if so is it hard to learn and get the hang of? How do you guys set up your leaders for this type of fishing?

Here is info on all types of Euro rigs, flies and how to fish them:
Euro Nymphing

 

[franklin]

Assuming George Daniel still works at TCO State College and you show central PA as your location why not stop by and get advice from George. He also has a program that he puts on for TU groups and such which is a great source of information. (I had the opportunity to attend one at my local TU.)

 

[hendeylathe]

What ever happened to American Nymphing ?

 

[SBecker]

Pretty sure most people realize by now that "Euro Nymphing" is just an over arching name for a style and that it was not actually invented in the country of Euro. Heard they have great food there.

 

[SlingerFlyRods]

franklin wrote:
Assuming George Daniel still works at TCO State College and you show central PA as your location why not stop by and get advice from George. He also has a program that he puts on for TU groups and such which is a great source of information. (I had the opportunity to attend one at my local TU.)

George does not work at TCO anymore. But he can be reached by facebook at Livin on the Fly. His book on nymphing is how i learned.. Great stuff there

 

[NewSal]

Just my two cents, Im a beginner so take this with a grain of salt.

I've never had luck fishing with an indicator, always felt like it screwed up my drift.
So I've been fishing tight line "euro" style for a while now.
For a leader I use something similar to what twofly said.
The main goal is to only have one diameter of tippet/leader under the water. You don't want two different diameters under the water when "euro nymphing", this is due to drag on the lines, if you use a tapered leader, the heavier section of leader will drag more then your tippet section. So you want a (4x,5x,6x ect) tippet section 4-6'. Depending on average water depth. After that you can kinda do whatever you want, everyone prefers a different sighter.

Some guys like to run a all mono system, (25' + utilizing 20# as your fly line). I never had luck with that set up.. coiling is too much of an issue for me.

As far as strike indication, (not using indicators, only sighters), some people say you miss a lot of strikes. This is probably true, but you probably miss a lot with a indicator as well. Im sure I miss a lot of strikes but for me I've been way more successful with a tightline then with indicator, so Ill take the trade off of 'MAYBE' missing more strikes.

As far as flys... You want a heavy anchor fly, typically a tungsten bead in a size 14+ for your bottom fly. You can get away with running two smaller flys but youll just need to add shot.
I like a size 14 tungsten bead on the bottom and a smaller nymph 20" up tied off the tag end of a surgeon knot.

Hope this helps, again Im new to this but these are my experiances.

 

[JG63]

Nothing new under the sun - Fothergill was high sticking many years ago:

http://www.maineflyfishing.com/trout-lessons/

 

[DavidFin]

If you're having a problem with your drift due to an indicator you're either not setting it high enough or not mending your line above it enough. Indicators should increase your potential when applied correctly.

I think it's important to consider the size of the water and the direction of your cast. For instance, tightlining (no indicator) upstream in a small river can be more advantageous because the indicator can spook fish in situations like this, especially thingamabobbers.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[ponner1us]

"Pretty sure most people realize by now that "Euro Nymphing" is just an over arching name for a style and that it was not actually invented in the country of Euro. Heard they have great food there."

It actually was invented in the country of Euro but when Checkoslovakia fell to the Greeks during the Great Pelopennessian War of 1812, the Greeks renamed the country Euro (commonly spelled Gyro), and it became known as Check nymphing.

 

[ponner1us]

On a more serious note, can anyone recommend a good instructional DVD for nymphing? I have George Daniels' book but I'm more of a visual learner, it has lots of pics but just isn't the same as watching someone.

 

[NewSal]

DavidFin wrote:
If you're having a problem with your drift due to an indicator you're either not setting it high enough or not mending your line above it enough. Indicators should increase your potential when applied correctly.

I think it's important to consider the size of the water and the direction of your cast. For instance, tightlining (no indicator) upstream in a small river can be more advantageous because the indicator can spook fish in situations like this, especially thingamabobbers.

Just my 2 cents.

Yeah mending is my problem with an indicator, cant ever seem to get a good drift with it. Just having better luck tight lining.

I still practice with a indicator when I need to get out further but I still need to get better.

Wasn't saying that an indicator causes problems was just saying that it causes ME problems.

And on top of that, fishing with an indicator isn't much of my cup of tea to begin with, I never liked the idea of using a bobber, kind of complicates everything, I like the simplicity of not using one, to each his own, no better no worse.

 

[OldLefty]

Perhaps it's time for a little "FYI" communication here.

I was told by some "Euro'ers" that this system of nymphing in Europe dates back to the mid-to-late 70s. What is not widely known is that there was a group of excellent fly fishers located in the Lehigh Valley who came up with this system at the same time. And, no, there was no connection between the folks in Europe and those in the Lehigh Valley. This is why I cringe a bit every time I hear "Euro nymphing." It could just as well have been called Lehigh Valley nymphing. And, yes, I have first hand knowledge of the beginnings of this system of nymphing since I was aware of it from the beginning. I've been using this system since then.

Until this system of nymphing began to become popular I always referred to the sighter(s) as the indicator(s).

 

[PennKev]

And French fries aren't French. We can can go on and on about that too. Regardless of who did it first, "Euro" nymph techniques became popular due to use by European competitive fisherman so the name sticks. To be more specific, there are Czech, Polish, and French styles/methods.

Regardless of origin or name there is this weird idea that one style is "better" than another. Its simply not that way. Tightline techniques compliment floating indicators and vice versa.
I see so many posts on this forum and others where the OP says something to the affect of " I want to give up floating ibdicators because they are a crutch and that must make me a poor nymph fisherman " The reality is that knowing how to do it several ways is the trick to be an excellent fisherman. Where one technique falls short, another works well. Strike undicators work well at certain times and places, tight line rigs worrk well at others. Switching between the two over the course of the day as situation ductates can reward the angler with many more fish brought to hand.

Finally, a big reason these "Euro" techniques work so well in competition is because they are the methods that are within the rules. You don't see thingamabobbers being used because they're not allowed! Likewise these techniques utilize heavy flies because split shot are against the rules in most comps too. This should be kept in mind by those who are dismissive if nymphing with indicators.

 

[franklin]

Salvelinusfontinali wrote:
Just my two cents, Im a beginner so take this with a grain of salt.

I've never had luck fishing with an indicator, always felt like it screwed up my drift.
So I've been fishing tight line "euro" style for a while now.
For a leader I use something similar to what twofly said.
The main goal is to only have one diameter of tippet/leader under the water. You don't want two different diameters under the water when "euro nymphing", this is due to drag on the lines, if you use a tapered leader, the heavier section of leader will drag more then your tippet section. So you want a (4x,5x,6x ect) tippet section 4-6'. Depending on average water depth. After that you can kinda do whatever you want, everyone prefers a different sighter.

Some guys like to run a all mono system, (25' + utilizing 20# as your fly line). I never had luck with that set up.. coiling is too much of an issue for me.

As far as strike indication, (not using indicators, only sighters), some people say you miss a lot of strikes. This is probably true, but you probably miss a lot with a indicator as well. Im sure I miss a lot of strikes but for me I've been way more successful with a tightline then with indicator, so Ill take the trade off of 'MAYBE' missing more strikes.

As far as flys... You want a heavy anchor fly, typically a tungsten bead in a size 14+ for your bottom fly. You can get away with running two smaller flys but youll just need to add shot.
I like a size 14 tungsten bead on the bottom and a smaller nymph 20" up tied off the tag end of a surgeon knot.

Hope this helps, again Im new to this but these are my experiances.

I've played with colored mono and also Vanish flouro to see the line better without an indicator. Plan to do a lot more experimenting this year.

 

[3wt7X]

I am very partial to high stick/ tight line nymphing. I did not find the learning curve with it too strenuous. Plus sides: better drift management, more contact with flies for a quicker reaction on the take, better approach for shallow riffle situations (where a lot of trout are sitting when nymphs are active).

Drawbacks: Tougher on bigger water situations (Penns/ north branch). I will generally switch to indicators, especially when there is a deep long run with a uniform current.

There was a recent Joe Humphreys video on YouTube, where he was a guest host on a fly fishing show (I forget which one). That is a great starter video for someone that is looking to learn more about the technique. I find it funny, how much these re-inventors of the wheel make off of renaming a technique, and writing books about something that the PA fly fishing legends have been doing for 40 years.

 

[NewSal]

franklin wrote:

Salvelinusfontinali wrote:
Just my two cents, Im a beginner so take this with a grain of salt.

I've never had luck fishing with an indicator, always felt like it screwed up my drift.
So I've been fishing tight line "euro" style for a while now.
For a leader I use something similar to what twofly said.
The main goal is to only have one diameter of tippet/leader under the water. You don't want two different diameters under the water when "euro nymphing", this is due to drag on the lines, if you use a tapered leader, the heavier section of leader will drag more then your tippet section. So you want a (4x,5x,6x ect) tippet section 4-6'. Depending on average water depth. After that you can kinda do whatever you want, everyone prefers a different sighter.

Some guys like to run a all mono system, (25' + utilizing 20# as your fly line). I never had luck with that set up.. coiling is too much of an issue for me.

As far as strike indication, (not using indicators, only sighters), some people say you miss a lot of strikes. This is probably true, but you probably miss a lot with a indicator as well. Im sure I miss a lot of strikes but for me I've been way more successful with a tightline then with indicator, so Ill take the trade off of 'MAYBE' missing more strikes.

As far as flys... You want a heavy anchor fly, typically a tungsten bead in a size 14+ for your bottom fly. You can get away with running two smaller flys but youll just need to add shot.
I like a size 14 tungsten bead on the bottom and a smaller nymph 20" up tied off the tag end of a surgeon knot.

Hope this helps, again Im new to this but these are my experiances.

I've played with colored mono and also Vanish flouro to see the line better without an indicator. Plan to do a lot more experimenting this year.

My personal choice is high vis gold stren, you can really see that stuff great even in sunny conditions. I use about a 15" section of it, no other colors just that one section for my sighter. It works well for me

 

[NewSal]

3wt7X wrote:
I am very partial to high stick/ tight line nymphing. I did not find the learning curve with it too strenuous. Plus sides: better drift management, more contact with flies for a quicker reaction on the take, better approach for shallow riffle situations (where a lot of trout are sitting when nymphs are active).

Drawbacks: Tougher on bigger water situations (Penns/ north branch). I will generally switch to indicators, especially when there is a deep long run with a uniform current.

There was a recent Joe Humphreys video on YouTube, where he was a guest host on a fly fishing show (I forget which one). That is a great starter video for someone that is looking to learn more about the technique. I find it funny, how much these re-inventors of the wheel make off of renaming a technique, and writing books about something that the PA fly fishing legends have been doing for 40 years.

Bigger waters are definitely the biggest drawback, there's almost no getting around a indicator if you need to cast for any distance.

If your within 15' or so of some good riffles, tightlining is gold

 

[jkilroy]

Try checking out trout bitten blog. Very good relative info in reguards to that style of nymphing for the casual fly fisher. It's deadly effective if you can get it.