Czech Nymphs

Jim,

Are you specifically focusing on Czech nymphs or can we expand that to a more expanded subject of Euro nymphing?

• This reply was modified 6 years ago by Tim McCoy.

We need Greg from the Denver Fellowship to chime in on this topic. Greg are you out there? We need your Czech/Euro Nymphing expertise!

This brings up another question. Is their a difference between Czech and Euro Nymphing?

Barry Dunegan euro nymphs as well. I believe euro nymphing is a catchall term. You have French, Polish as well as Czech styles. Any nymph can be used for euro nymphing the difference seems to be that you use stronger hooks and bigger weights to get your nymphs down faster and be able to hall the fish out without bending or your hooks. Some of the types of nymphs would be like the Frenchy or some caddis the use of jig style hooks seems to be in order.

Bill, thanks. That makes sense. I appreciate the clarification. Your right Barry does Czech/Euro Nymph. I think we were with him, when he was trying his new nymphing rod. Barry do you tye any Euro Nymph flies?

I listed about a dozen style nymph flies last night as an answer to Jim’s question. I posted it twice and I don’t see it. Did the administrator turn my post into cannon fodder?

There are a number of different Nymphing techniques: there is Czech, Polish, French, Spanish, UK, US and more. They all differ a little in tactics, techniques, and the type of flies used. All of these techniques have fallen under Euro nymphing. Nothing new here, drop shot nymphing has been around a long time. Kenny made a post on this subject by Kelly Galloup, I think it is under the “The Two Fly Rig.” Also Ken made a post on Euro Nymphing under the General heading here on the forum a few months ago.

I suggest getting, “Dynamic Nymphing” by George Daniel, a great read. Also the video “Modern Nymphing” by Devin Olson and Lance Egan. Then a web sites, Euro Nymphing, and Tactical Fly Fishers.

Well, I just listed the nymph fly patterns again, they are not here. Is there some kind of disallow thingy going on.?

HA, Yes, there is!!! But it’s a web site “thingy”. Check the names of the flies that you are trying to write about. If they contain “words” that could mean something “vulgar” the web site will not let you post them. For example the name for the “herl” we use seems to be one of those words. If you section off the word with dots like, P.E.A.C.O.C.K then it should work. Get it?

Boy there is going to be a lot of dots. So here goes again for the 4th time the name of the nymphs I tie.
Iron Lotus
Tungsten Rainbow Warrior (a favorite)
Silver bullet Baetis
Red Dart
Tungsten Surveyor
F.r.e.n.c.i.e. (a favorite)
Tinsel Perdigon
B.l.o.w.t.o.r.c.h. (a favorite)
Soft Hackle Carrot (a favorite)
S.e.x.y. Walt’s Worm

Let’s see if these will post

If you are interested hook up with Lance Egan and Devin Olsen at “Tactical Fly Fisher”. Good web site with a lot on Euro Nymphing.

Soft Hackle Carrot sounds like it should be on that list of words. Midcurrent has a new video of a stonefly tied euro style. It is very similar to the Little Black Stonefly in our fly tying education site. Midcurrent’s id tied on a jig hook with a tungsten bead. Really easy tye.

I tied up some of the Fr….s on a jig hook and I like the look and I have heard others praise them. I tied them with the guidance of an Orvis tutorial. One Has CDL tail, a natural pheasant body gold bead, and wire ribbing, shrimp pink UV2 Ice dubb, and 70 red thread. I also did some with orange 6/0 UNI, CDL tail, olive pheasant tail body with a caddis green UV2 collar, gold bead, and ribbing.

Bill

My Czech nymphs are tied and ready to go! I am Czech you know!! But for all you “other” europeans like Polish, French, etc.., you have your “style” of euro nymphing too. I just ordered my new Hydrogen 10 ft, 3wt rod from Woolybugger Fly Co., tied my euro nymphing leaders with sighter line, and studied online the techniques to use. I will be testing out this new system on Thursday of this week. I’ll let you know what happens!

I will show you mine if you show me yours! I just took possession of a 10’6″ 3 wt Moonshine Nymph rod, my birthday present from my wife Sheila. Valentines dinner almost exceeded the cost of the rod. That being said, Kenny can you share your leader formula. I have made up two different nymph leaders. 1. The butt is 20 ft of 20# Maxima Chameleon, 2ft. 15# Maxima green followed by a 18 inches sighter with a tippet ring. 2. Is very similar but I use Amnesia clear instead of Maxima Chameleon for the butt then red or green 15# for the next section followed by the sighter material. I have a couple other options but I want to see how these work out first.

We need a fly rod forum so we can discuss the merits of the different rods that people have. I always find it fascinating the way rods designed for the same purpose preform. Be sure to post reviews of your rods. What you like and don’t like.

Bill

Guys, help educate me. Why a 3w Nymph rod. I would think a heavier weight rod is better suited for Euro/Czech Nymphing technique. Is a 3w the standard for a Nymph Rod?

Mike,
Most euro nymphing rods are in the 2-5wt range with 3-4wt pretty much the standard. The rods are usually 10-11 feet long. The reason for a 3wt rod is for the feel while your nymphs are bouncing on the bottom. The rod has to be sensitive to pick that up so the rods are longer, “smaller” wt and more sensitive tips. The leaders are long – sometimes 20 feet or more. You are not suppose to use an indicator (illegal in competition). In euro nymphing you hardly ever use fly line and the fly line is different also with very little head or forward weight. They are pretty much like a double taper line. I guess it’s like Tenkara fishing – I just didn’t say that out loud – did I?

Euro Nymphing rods have a very sensitive tip and a stiff butt section. Sensitive tip is to feel the take, stiff butt to fight the fish. The rods are physically light, 2.75 to 3.5 ounces and throw 2-5 wt lines. They are light because you fish close in (length of rod) and do a lot of high sticking. Why close in, because your leader is short. My butt section of my leader 20# 20 feet, followed with a intermittent section of 15# 2 foot, then a sighter with a tippet ring then 4X tipit,down to 5x tipit. Over all length is under 30 feet. You have to determine tipit length on the water based on depth. My rod is 10″6′ 3 wt. I have put a 4 wt reel on it to help balance it, remember we are hi-sticking. Light and balanced is key to combating fatigue. I have no fly line. I have filled my reel arbor with 20# backing. I filled it with-in a quarter inch of the edge of the arbor. Goal is to keep everything light. Said that before. Why backing, fly line sags between rod guilds causing loss of sensitivity. I sorta agree, maybe we should have a sit down session and exchange thoughts and info. Meanwhile do a little digging by searching on line. Start by asking what is Euro Nymphing. Then ask what is a Mono Rig? Why Does Fly Line Suck? See if you can find Domenick Swentosky web site TROUTBITTEN. You can spend days reading his post.

I can see in our Wednesday night fly tying sessions nymphs, nymphs and more nymphs. I love it.

Thanks Guys for schooling me. Very informative and interesting on rod type, set-up for the Euro/Czech Nymphing technique.

Streamers!!! Oh man, I will have to go to Feather-Craft again.

I see my name brought up on the forum!!! Czech nymphing flies as Bill wrote, resemble larval or nymph stages of invertebrates. I’ve seen and tied patterns with tungsten beads and lead wraps: the idea is to get the fly down in swift water quickly. I’ve had luck hanging a soft hackle as a dropper. A mop fly (sorry, Kenny) tied on a jig hook is a good point fly. Euro nymphing in shallow water (French nymphing) doesn’t require weighted flies

On another subject, where can I get very small black or dark soft hackle suitable for size 20 flies? I have used feathers from the head and neck of ring-neck pheasants but no longer go to Iowa to hunt them. Any bird with similar tiny body flies will do.

I use a starling skin. Small feathers for sizes 18-22 soft hackles. There is another technique used by Carolyn Parker, owner of Riverrun Outfitters in Branson where she can use any feather with any size fly and make a perfect soft hackle every time. She’s showed me how – but I can’t do it.

Starling is the one I have been using to tie size eighteen soft hackles with. I have some Red Grouse feathers that are pretty small too but have to sort thru them to find ones small enough for the eighteen. I am on the look-out for a Quail or even better a Snipe.

Bill

Here is a list of nymphs I tie: Tungsten Surveyor, Pliva Perdigon, Rainbow warrior, BWO Iron Lotus, Frenchie, Red Dart, Soft Hackle Carrot, Silver Bullet Baetis, Sexy Walts Worm, Blow Torch, and Squirmy Worm. You can find videos of these nymphs being tied on line, just do a search.

There are many more. This is a few of Lance Egan’s and Devin Olsen’s nymphs. if you don’t recognize these names they represent the U.S. Fly Fishing Team. They have a video out titled,”Modern Nymphing.” It is 90 minutes long and very detailed about Euro Nymphing no fly tying. They also have a second video coming out soon, I don’t have a time.

Also, If I may, I recommend the book, “Dynamic Nymphing” by George Daniel. It has 60 fly patterns with recipes.

I have been Euro Nymph fishing for most of the summer. Chat me up.

Jim,

Here is a list of tungsten bead head nymph that I tie: Soft Hackle Carrot, Sexy Walt’s Worm, Iron Lotus Tinsel Rainbow Warrior, Silver Bullet Baetis, Red Dart, Tungsten Surveyor, Frenchie, Tinsel Perdigon, Blow Torch. There a few more, but this should hold you. Search for the video’s on line. These are competition style nymph’s tied by Devin Olsen and Lance Egan. They also have produced a video, title “Modern Nymphing.” Great watching.

Also take a look at the book, “Dynamic Nymphing” by George Daniel. He has included about 60 nymph patterns with recipes in the book.

Tim

The nymph flies I listed last night, there are videos on line, they are all tungsten bead heads, here they are: Soft Hackle Carrot, Sexy Walt’s worm, Iron Lotus, Tungsten Rainbow Warrior, Silver bullet Baetis, Frenchie (my favorite), Tinsel Perdigon, Blow Torch (another favorite), Red Dart, and Tungsten Surveyor. I tie these on competition hooks Hanak and Fire Hole mostly, and their line of jig hooks. Jig hooks swim point up, they snag less on the bottom.