I’ve been fly fishing for 50 years (a true dinosaur). I know next to nothing about Euro Nymphing and I have not tried to learn at all. However, this post inspired me enough to ask some questions. So thanks for that.
1). I realize the rod itself is a key component to the rig. How close could I get to euro nymphing (or tightlining whatever the proper term is) if I just get an unused reel and put the mono on it in the right configuration. Then if I wanted to Euro Nymph I could I swap my current reel for the Euro rigged reel (that I would carry in my vest) when I wanted to nymph. Nymphing is my least favorite method.
2). What advantage does Euro Nymphing provide you over typical fly line? Just sink time being much faster?
3) I feel like when I fish for steelhead (or any lake run fish) I believe that is the closest I get to Euro Nymphing. I get a ton of snags fishing that way. How many snags do you average per day? When I fish for lake runs it is not uncommon for me to “re rig” the weight and hooks 10-15 times per day. The sinkers get snagged often.
Nocktavius made a great note about matching your leader thickness up with the weight of the flies (general rule of thumb when fishing tightline rigs). So Prospector, to tie this in with your questions:
1) You can easily use a reel with as little as just the backing on it, then add a lengthy amount of mono that is the preferred diameter/weight for your butt section (let's say for this example, you would attach 50-60 ft. of mono directly to the backing). From this butt section of the leader, you can then taper using mono for whatever rig you desire. So, if you are using a 20 lb butt section, you could taper it by attaching 15 lb maxima, then to 12 lb sighter or something similar. If you wanted to instead use this reel for a lighter tightline rig, you would make your butt section maybe start with 8 or 10 lb and taper down to 6 lb for example.
--> The 20 lb. butt section leader will cast more like a fly line due to the taper and thickness
--> The 10 lb. butt section leader will not cast as similar to a fly line if using heavier nymphs, but it will cast somewhat similar to a fly line if using nymphs that align with the lighter rig (such as nymphs with 2 mm beads for example). Using heavier nymphs on this lighter rig will essentially be similar to spin fishing where the weight of the flies is pulling the line out as you cast rather than the line pulling the nymphs.
2) The advantages, as have been discussed a decent amount on here and in other resources like Troutbitten, are the accuracy you can get when targeting specific drifts you want, sensitivity, and most importantly the versatility. You can easily switch from a tandem nymph rig, then to a dry dropper, then to a streamer at any time (again, with flies that are appropriately weighted for the leader setup being used).
3) Snags depend on what level of the water you want to fish. The commonly referred to "strike zone" down towards the bottom requires you to get deeper, whether by using heavier flies, unweighted flies with split shot, etc. For me, I find that most of my snags do not come from the bottom, rather, they come from an aggressive approach to fishing lies that most fishermen will not attack or be able to get as close to using non-tightline methods. Example: One fisherman is using a conventional fly line and indicator setup, and I am using a tightline rig without an indicator. We are both attempting to fish a seam that passes right by overhanding brush with submerged rocks below. I am able to adjust my depth and angle of approach with the tightline rig to somewhat "guide" my flies through the area to avoid snagging hazards, and I can get much closer due to the thin profile of the rig. The fisherman with the conventional setup and indicator may have trouble as they will likely need to adjust depth by moving the indicator up or down the leader, and they must control the slack of their fly line on the water at the same time. Not the best example to use, but hopefully gets the point across.
You will get similarly snagged as other tactics with the tightline system if you need to get deep to where the fish are, such as winter lies, but that is just the name of the game.
