Euro-Style Fly Fishing Line Options

Yes, there are lots of opinions on that question.  So, let me add mine.  I have successfully tightlined fished using reels spooled with the recommended euro line as well as reels spooled with traditional floating fly line.  Since, you will be fishing with a very long leader, your fly line should never leave the reel while you make your drifts, and you will not be using the fly line to cast.  Therefore, I have found it doesn’t matter and I would buy the cheaper choice.

BUT…consider this.  What if you are tightline nymphing and you see fish rising.  Now you want to fish dry flies or soft hackles.  That would be nearly impossible with your tightline rig.  But, if you put traditional fly line on your tightline reel, now all you have to do is replace your tightline leader with a tapered leader.  Voilà.  You are in business. I have done this with my TFO Stealth rod and found it casted those flies remarkably well.

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by Jim Craig.

Al don’t forget I have the mono rig that Matt made for me. That can be connected directly to the fly line and your fly line never comes off the real. When I used the euro rod a couple of weeks ago it work well. I think all it would take is a little practice and patience. I believe you could even use it for dry flies.

Al, can I ask which rod you purchased?

Dave

Al,

Obviously there are many options with all of this “Euro-Nymphing” and the leader types are constantly changing.  The latest from the “pros” is to go thin – a very thin leader (called the micro-leader). A 10 – 12 feet leader of just 4x then a tippet ring to 6x – 7x tippet anywhere from 5 – 10 feet long depending on how deep you are fishing. (I find most guys tie too little tippet on thinking they are “on the bottom”). Then there are what Devin Olsen calls heavy leader and medium leader – check out his article on his website – Tactical Fly Fisher.

But I didn’t really answer your question. To start out with Euro-nymphing I agree with Jim Craig. Try floating line first to see it you “like” the Euro-style. Plus you can change easier if you want to switch flies and how you fish. The Euro fly line is basically a level line, i.e. the same diameter throughout – no taper. This can be difficult to throw dry flies or streamers if you change your techniques during your day of fishing. Using a taper fly line (weight forward) you can pull off your euro-leader and add a normal leader to your weight forward line and you are back in business.

Hey Al,

You may find it easier to get used to euro and casting by not starting out with a micro leader but a more tapered euro leader then gradually transitioning to micro leader.  I think Kenny or Jim mentioned Devin Olsen.  Also check out Lance Egan.  They are both on Team USA for competition fly fishing and have many topics on YouTube including Euro leader formulas.