cutline: Euro Nymphing is a highly effective fly fishing method that gives an angler a great deal of fly control, resulting in more strikes.
Bill Cooper
Euro Nymphing may sound a bit strange to many American fly fishermen, because it did not originate in the United States.
It began in Europe and, in fact, has been the main style of fishing in European countries for a long time, and is the preferred method for fly fishing competitions.
“Euro Nymphing is an extremely effective and versatile style of fishing,” said fly fishing expert Damon Spurgeon, from the Missouri Ozarks.
“You can achieve your desired depth for your nymph at a faster rate, and stay incredibly in tune with your fly throughout the drift.”
There are several versions of Euro Nymphing, according to Spurgeon.
here is a French, Czech, and Spanish style of Euro Nymphing, among others. “At the world championships, those countries are always in the lead,” Spurgeon said.
Regardless of the best Euro nymphers, the technique produced fish and it spread to other countries rapidly, including the U.S. “Everyone adapted the techniques to work on their home waters,” Spurgeon explained.
The idea of Euro Nymphing, according to Spurgeon, is to ride your fly on the bottom of a trout stream. “You are literally feeling the bottom, through specialized rods, fly lines, and leaders,” he said.
In the states, 9-to-12-foot, light, 2-to-3-weight rods are common.
Fly lines used in Euro Nymphing are non-tapered, and leaders may be up to 30-feet long. “You are sub-surface fishing, without the use of strike indicators, and in most cases, weights,” Spurgeon indicated. “Weighted flies replace the standard weights.”
While Euro Nymphing, the rod tip is elevated enough, so the sighter, which consists of several feet of bright, multi-colored line, acts as an indicator.
It is highly visible, and remains straight most of the time.
This setup allows for a well-connected and controlled drift.
An angler can effectively “lead his flies” in a highly controlled drift, and present a variety of sighter angles to effectively reach desired depths of a given run.
The process eliminates the need for strike indicators and weights.
“Lighter than normal fly lines are used so that line sag won’t interfere with the speed of your fly drift, or your sighter angle,” Spurgeon said.
Euro lines require virtually no mending, which is a constant effort in conventional fly fishing methods.
The light Euro lines are easily picked up from the surface, which equals more time with your fly in the water.
It also allows for a more natural fly drift, and maximizes drift time as well.
“Once you figure out a drift, Euro Nymphing is simply a method of controlling your fly line,” Spurgeon instructed. “Simply take the pointer finger of your dominant hand and pinch the desired amount of fly line off against the shaft of your fly rod. You don’t want a bunch of line piled up around your feet.”
Euro Nymphing makes bite detection very simple.
The sighter is very sensitive, therefore the slightest strikes are easily detected. “It takes a while to develop the skills to develop a proper hook set,” Spurgeon said.
“Raise your rod straight up to get the best hookset. If you hook a trout in the top of the mouth, you are reacting quickly. If the hook set is in the side of the mouth, you are a little slow. Perfect your hook set, and you will catch more trout.”
The tuck cast, with your elbow held at your side, will aide in casting accuracy and line control. “You will not have tight loops, as you do in regular fly fishing,” Spurgeon said.
“The lack of tapered lines and leaders, coupled with weighted flies, gives you the ability to put your fly on the water first, before the Euro line makes contact with the surface. This technique is important, because you want the fly to get down quickly, without spooking fish. Trout often strike as soon as the fly hits the water.”
Euro Nymphing is a very specialized and effective fly fishing technique, especially during cold weather months, when trout are attuned to feeding subsurface the majority of the time.
Aquatic insects are locked into their nymph stages, and trout key in on them as a major food source.
Adapt and overcome is what Euro Nymphing is all about. Grab a long rod, rig up and join the Euro Nymphing craze that is sweeping the U.S. You’ll catch more trout.
