Euro Nymphing

[NewSal]

BrookieChaser wrote:

Salvelinusfontinali wrote:

BrookieChaser wrote:
^^ For a self admitted new fly fisher, you certainly know a lot.

The common sense that people fished nymphs without indicators wouldn't be considered "knowing a lot", or would it?

And on top of that, I am new, but I fish a lot, I have probably fished more in the past two months then many fish all year. I don't really mean anything by that, but yes Ive learned a great deal so far. What I know is next to nothing compared to what you may know, but common sense is still common sense

Just as I expected. You've proven my point.

Just a hint for you, my observation above was not only related to this thread.

You know everything so I'll leave the posting to you , I know nothing so I won't post anymore, mission accomplished. See-ya.

 

[huntfish]

Wow off the forum for a day thanks for all the responses. I was thinking of giving it a try constructing a leader and seeing how I do. The longest rod I own is 9 foot so hopefully that will work. What are some good techniques in what to look at when setting the hook? Keep a little slack in the line and when it goes a little bit tight set it?

 

[Twofly]

Yes great article, Dave First time i had ever seen colored mono incorporated into leader design and use of micro nymphs.
That article really got me thinking about better strike detection.

 

[SBecker]

Some of the most successful nymph fishermen I know have the technique of fishing directly above you with the PAEuroTightline technique down to a science. It is quite impressive to watch them use small nymphs and pick off fish left and right. It is something I am constantly working on when I am on stream.

What I consider most successful and what others may seem succesful may vary.

 

[afishinado]

OldLefty wrote:
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).

Lehigh Valley!...I invented the system before that in the early 70's in the Woming Valley as a kid. True story. I had no one to teach me the "proper" way to fly-fish, so I fished nymphs and wets the same way I fished a worm or minnie.....lobbing it upstream, maintaining a tight line while bumping the bottom, and setting on feel.

Maybe the Lehigh guys saw me catching fish and said they invented it (cuz no one would believe a kid!)

 

[pcray1231]

Well, not claiming to be a designer of it, but what I was taught when I started shared a lot of similarities with Euro Nymphing. We just called it high sticking.

Team of nymphs. Lob casts. Fished upstream and slightly "led" through the drift. Fishing basically under the rod tip. It works well with no indicator. I often use an indicator because it doesn't hurt anything, so long as you don't use it as a "bobber". i.e. often my indicator is in mid-air during the drift, not on the water. It's just there in case you, on occasion, want to cast out further, it makes it easier.

Somewhere along the line somebody showed me that a tapered leader is a detriment, as you get more drag on the thicker material higher in the water than you on thinner material closer to the fly. The difference in drag on different parts of the leader leads to unnatural drifts, though the direction of the drag depends on currents. It also leads to being less "in touch" with the flies and more missed strikes. Since casting is short and lobby, you don't really need a taper anyway. So the leader just becomes a solid 7 footish length of flat mono in the 1x-3x range, and then you put tippet on the business end.

I guess I don't use "Euro" flies, per se. Just normal PT's and Hare's Ears and the like, though sometimes weighted and sometimes with beads. And the heavy "anchor" fly, I move between point and dropper as I feel like it, so I guess I'm adjusting between Czech and Polish style? lol.

Unlike competition folks, we can add splitshot as necessary, but if you got the choice a weighted fly is superior to split shot anyway for natural drifts and strike detection. Split shot is just more adjustable without having to have a myriad of different weight flies in your box, pre-tied droppers and all that jazz. So it's convenience vs. effectiveness, and not being in competition, I sometimes choose convenience.

I also know the hardcore "Euro" folks tend to use longer leaders. I've moved in that direction a little since it became popularized, but frankly, I can't say I've noticed a huge difference. I also don't keep track down to that level, so if it increased my nymphing catch by 5% I doubt I would have noticed.

 

[SBecker]

One day I will read one of your posts, Pat.

 

[OldLefty]

I didn't mean that folks from the Lehigh Valley came up with tight line nymphing; rather, they began incorporating colored mono section(s) into a leader for better strike detection potential. These folks were always trying different "stuff" to better detect takes. One of the other things they came up with was to coat leader knots with epoxy and paint them with fluorescent paint.

I know that, having no one to show me the ropes, so to speak, I began using a variation of the tight line technique when I first began nymphing in the early 70's. I don't know of anyone having taken credit for coming up with the tight line nymphing technique. If someone did, I just haven't heard it. Lord knows how many of us picked up this technique on our own.

 

[franklin]

OldLefty wrote:
I didn't mean that folks from the Lehigh Valley came up with tight line nymphing; rather, they began incorporating colored mono section(s) into a leader for better strike detection potential. These folks were always trying different "stuff" to better detect takes. One of the other things they came up with was to coat leader knots with epoxy and paint them with fluorescent paint.

I know that, having no one to show me the ropes, so to speak, I began using a variation of the tight line technique when I first began nymphing in the early 70's. I don't know of anyone having taken credit for coming up with the tight line nymphing technique. If someone did, I just haven't heard it. Lord knows how many of us picked up this technique on our own.

Do you remember who specifically from the LV? Can I assume along the LL or elsewhere? Just wondering about that history.

 

[troutbert]

I think people fished nymphs with a short tight line with the rod tip raised as far back as people fished nymphs.

And did a similar technique with wet flies centuries before that.

And people fish worms and other live bait with a fly rod the same way and have for a very long time.

 

[geebee]

SBecker wrote:
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.

all nymphing was invented in England. that was typically upstream sight fishing in clear chalk springs or limestone creeks.

this "euro" nymphing term first came along to describe collectively Polish and Czech nymphing.

which differentiated from traditional nymphing not by line length, braid, sighters, indicators, tippet rings or other such hoopla, but by one simple thing - Czech and Polish nymphs had woven bodies of rattan, or yarn or wool in two contrasting colours.

why did they have woven nymphs ? - because they couldn't get our 'modern' materials in Eastern Europe such as tinsel, floss, ribbing, dubbing etc so they literally used whatever they had.

in the early 80's several eastern European anglers got sporting visa's to fish in France and Wales and did very well with these woven nymphs.

After the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, Czech and Polish teams started in the early 90's to be invited to European Fly fishing competitions, and pretty much cleaned up with them.

This led to the French, Scandiks etc coming up with derivatives of short and medium line nymphing methods to compete with CZ and Polish teams.

so in the late 90's to describe it all, they used the term "euro' nymphing to differentiate it from the Anglo nymphing which dominated in the UK and by extension the former British Empire, including the US and Canada.

the above is according to Oliver Edwards.

cheers

Mark.

 

[geebee]

Salvelinusfontinali wrote:

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

that was another factor that separated the Czechs and the Poles - they were wading chest deep to get as deep as possible on big water.

but they were still fishing a tight line, sometimes literally at their feet - I have video of junior anglers doing just that in European competitions.

you'd think your feet would spook the trout, but in 4.5ft ish of water apparently they don't and the Eastern European theory is that if you are standing in deep water why would you make a long cast elsewhere when the fish are literally at your feet.

its a thought isn't it ?

hence, I don't think what method you use matters. what matters is where you put your fly and keep in touch with it somehow.

 

[franklin]

troutbert wrote:
I think people fished nymphs with a short tight line with the rod tip raised as far back as people fished nymphs.

And did a similar technique with wet flies centuries before that.

And people fish worms and other live bait with a fly rod the same way and have for a very long time.

My grandfather fished that way in the very early 1900s. Didn't always use fly line on the setup either. Sometimes a thin silk line that certainly wouldn't cast with traditional fly casting methods.