Euro nymphing was introduced in the 1980’s by the Polish and soon taken over by the Czechs (I’m Czech!!). Because it is very effective it is used in fly fishing competitions. It is a short line nymphing technique used with heavy flies, no indicator and usually an extra long rod (10 – 12 feet). The idea is to get your flies immediately to the bottom of the river and use “feel” to feel the strike. Some euro nymphing uses a “sighter” to indicate a strike such as a red mark or different colored portion of leader that can indicate a strike. While some (I think the French) use a “curly Q” piece of line on their leader to indicate a strike. In the fly fishing competitions an indicator is not allowed.
Greg Krochta, the lead of the Denver Fellowship, has really gotten into the Euro nymphing and does very well with it. He can get into tight places around boulders and logs and pull out some big fish – I’ve seen him!
The flies are very heavy and with a wide gap and very sharp hooks. It’s sort of like high sticking without an indicator. The long rods have a slightly fast taper but a soft tip to help with the feel.
Maybe Greg will read this and offer more insight.
