We Tried Euro Nymphing for the Last 7 Days...Here's What We Learned!

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In Colorado, winter typically brings slower river flows and gin-clear water, requiring a delicate approach to avoid spooking fish. That’s why we recently started euro nymphing, a style originating from European competitive fly fishing. Euro nymphing uses a longer rod, weighted flies, small tippet and line, and a multicolored “sighter” as an indicator. These components work together to deliver a precise, subtle presentation and quickly get down to where the fish are hanging out, all key factors to successful winter fly fishing. 

It can sometimes be a little overwhelming to know where to start with a new technique, which is why we wanted to share some of our learnings and maybe even convince you to try it, especially in the cold winter months.

If you’ve ever fished a nymph rig, there’s a good chance you’ve used some heavy euro flies at some point. As with a traditional nymphing set up, the objective of euro nymphing is to quickly get your flies down in the water column to where the fish are, and to make the flies move with the current in a natural way.  

The difference is in the equipment used and the angler’s tight line connection to the flies on a euro rig. As mentioned, euro rods are longer than the standard 9’ rod. They typically range from 10-12ft long, and have a much more sensitive, flexible rod tip that allows you to properly load and cast the very thin fly line and leader used. 

The other major difference is the angler’s connection to the flies. With traditional nymphing (and with dry fly fishing), anglers use up or down river mends of the line floating on top of the water to guide the flies naturally downstream without drag. A floating strike indicator is placed above the flies, so when a fish eats, the indicator gets pulled underwater, signaling to the angler to set the hook. 

With euro nymphing, on the other hand, the line is (in most cases) kept off the surface of the water and the angler keeps a tight connection with the flies so they can actually feel the fish strike. Euro nymphers also tie a piece of multicolored monofilament (it can also be nylon or fluorocarbon), called a sighter, into their leader, which acts as a strike indicator. The angler gently follows the flies down river with their rod tip, and watches the sighter for any pauses, jumps, or twitches, indicating a strike. The sighter also helps the angler assess how deep their flies are, and how fast they’re moving through the water. 

Euro nymphing is a year-round endeavor, but here are a few reasons it’s particularly effective in the winter.
    •    Subtle presentation: Stealthiness always plays some role in fishing, but it becomes crucial in winter conditions. This is where, in my opinion, euro nymphing really shines. Due to the absence of a clunky indicator slapping the surface, the thin leader and line held out of the water by the angler, and the longer rod used to cast the rig, the euro nymph setup allows anglers to present flies with little disruption. The heavy flies will drop through the water quickly, and since fish will typically stay close to the bottom in the winter, this all allows anglers to keep their flies in the strike zone longer, improving their chances of a hookup. 
    •    Increased sensitivity: Due to the long, sensitive rod tip, thin line, and tightline approach, the angler can really feel even the most subtle of takes. Not only does keeping the line off the water minimize your chance of spooking fish, but the angler has a more in-tune experience with what’s going on with their flies. While the sighter is a helpful visual indicator of strikes, the angler can often feel the take and be able to react quickly. This is the super addicting part of euro nymphing! 
    •    Easy depth adjustment: If you’ve ever been out fishing in cold conditions, you know how quickly your hands can freeze. Tying basic knots becomes extremely challenging with the loss of dexterity. Fortunately, with euro nymphing, if you find that you’re getting a lot of false strikes (hitting the bottom a lot), you can typically pull in some line, or raise your arm an inch or two to solve the problem instead of having to shorten your leader and retie knots.  
    •    Effective in many kinds of water: Euro nymphing works well in a myriad of situations. Whether you’re targeting fish in skinny water, deep pools, pocket water, slow riffles, or fast currents, the angler can control the depth, speed, and angle their flies are moving in the water in just about any scenario.