Euro Nymph Fly Tying | Tips

[Snakes]

Hi All,

Long-time trout angler that’s finally breaking down and getting into this euro nymph ‘fad’ that’s been spreading.

Question on the flies…

After looking at patterns online, it seems like anything goes with these as long as they stay sparsely dressed with non-buoyant material. No rabbit fur dubbing or anything. Before I tie up a few dozen though, should I watch out for anything in particular? Or is there more science behind the patterns I’m finding online than I realize?

Thanks!

(Note: flies below were quickly wrapped just to get a feel for the technique. I’ll pay more attention to ribbing spacing and such next time. On the right track though?)

 

[FinLuver]

It doesn’t have to be “heavy and tiny” to Euro-nymph it.

 

[Kinigit]

There's not a lot to it from what I've seen. Huge range of colors, sizes, anything goes as long as it's tungsten ;-). The idea is to get into the zone quick. There are some neat little squirrel strip jigs out there. I think rabbit would be fine if matched with the appropriate size and weight. Granted all of this is coming from a novice...

 

[Tom Butler]

Nice thread idea. The last few outings, after a year and a half of playing with it, I've figured out that really I'm just fishing heavy shaggy nymphs on too thick a leader and not getting down as fast as I could be, more like heavy nymphing with the contact setup. Not doing too good with that fly style yet. Some things have started to click though. I also just think the fish over here like something that moves on the fly to make it lifelike. PT nymphs, regular or jig hook, don't seem to do much, but soft hackles of many styles do well. I also have a habit of trying to get too much material on hook, and I really see the sink rate difference.

 

[jaredoconnor]

You don't want all your nymphs be super heavy and dense. For example, low density mop flies create a strong anchor under the water and can be just as important as high density perdigon style flies.

Find a bunch of patterns that you like the look of and start experimenting.

 

[Snakes]

You don't want all your nymphs be super heavy and dense. For example, low density mop flies create a strong anchor under the water and can be just as important as high density perdigon style flies.

Find a bunch of patterns that you like the look of and start experimenting.

Hadn’t even heard of a mop fly in my 25 yrs fly fishing! Checking them out now!!

 

[PhilR]

The fish don’t care if your ribbing is evenly spaced

 

[Snakes]

The fish don’t care if your ribbing is evenly spaced

I always liked to think the ribbing was the problem…I guess fish just hate me.

 

[Snakes]

Hadn’t even heard of a mop fly in my 25 yrs fly fishing! Checking them out now!!

In case anyones wondering the mop fly is literally made from a mop. Currently scouring the closets for tying material…

 

[Zak]

In case anyones wondering the mop fly is literally made from a mop. Currently scouring the closets for tying material…

I learned recently that you can pull the cut end of the mop bit apart and it untwists into a long, half thickness string. Then you can use that to fill in gaps:

 

[PhilR]

I always liked to think the ribbing was the problem…I guess fish just hate me.

Could be both?

 

[TicTokCroc]

Hadn’t even heard of a mop fly in my 25 yrs fly fishing! Checking them out now!!

Oh how things have changed. You might need a shower, you will feel dirty after checking them out.

 

[Tom Butler]

https://www.tcoflyfishing.com/blogs/connect/tying-tips-and-patterns-for-euro-nymphing-part-ii
https://www.tcoflyfishing.com/blogs/connect/top-10-euro-nymph-patterns-fulling-mill
These might give you ideas. I have better luck with dubbed bodies than thin thread bodies, but maybe I just have not found the best flies. I did get some natural pine squirrel recently to try some jigs.

 

[Snakes]

Cant believe I fell this out of touch with fly prices, but flies are crazy expensive now. I’m seeing anywhere from $3.00 to $4.00+ per nymph.

I’ve always told people that tying flies isn’t about saving money. It’s about your creativity, getting a pattern no one else has, stuff like that. But now I think it’s legitimately a way to save money.

(Note: I’ve taken a few years off tying and just getting back into it now that my patterns need refreshing)

 

[TicTokCroc]

Cant believe I fell this out of touch with fly prices, but flies are crazy expensive now. I’m seeing anywhere from $3.00 to $4.00+ per nymph.

I’ve always told people that tying flies isn’t about saving money. It’s about your creativity, getting a pattern no one else has, stuff like that. But now I think it’s legitimately a way to save money.

(Note: I’ve taken a few years off tying and just getting back into it now that my patterns need refreshing)

Same, I took about 15 years off, I just started slowly getting into it again, went through all my boxes of matterials and tossed all the moth/bug eaten stuff. Lots of things have changed. What I noticed the most. YouTube fly tying lessons are cool, all the bro fishing channels not so much. Sprinter vans with stickers, IPAs, Instagram, Patagonia Simms etc the high end gear and fashon has exploded. UV resin was not a thing when I was tying, I find that stuff very useful when tying parachutes now. Foam is in everything, same with rubber legs. Jig hooks and euro nymphs which it seems the evolution is the bead keeps getting bigger and the bodies smaller.. At what point are we just fishing beads? Oh and ladders. I feel like rip van winkle.

 

[Snakes]

Same, I took about 15 years off, I just started slowly getting into it again, went through all my boxes of matterials and tossed all the moth/bug eaten stuff. Lots of things have changed. What I noticed the most. YouTube fly tying lessons are cool, all the bro fishing channels not so much. Sprinter vans with stickers, IPAs, Instagram, Patagonia Simms etc the high end gear and fashon has exploded. UV resin was not a thing when I was tying, I find that stuff very useful when tying parachutes now. Foam is in everything, same with rubber legs. Jig hooks and euro nymphs which it seems the evolution is the bead keeps getting bigger and the bodies smaller.. At what point are we just fishing beads? Oh and ladders. I feel like rip van winkle.

Man…you nailed it. The YouTube tying video quality is off the charts good. And the amount of stuff that gets pushed in online content in general just gets exhausting…I guess there’s no reason for fly fishing to be immune from it though. It just feels gross.

Interesting observation about beads and jigs. Hadn’t thought about it that way but you’re not far off. I’m not a purist by any sense of the word…Some days I just want to catch fish in the easiest way possible, and others I want a specific approach. So I guess I’m good with it. I don’t know. I’ll skate flies for steelhead or dredge the bottom all in the same trip. Just a bit of a weirdo.

 

[jaredoconnor]

Even in the short time that I have been into it, the euro game has evolved a lot. Using bombs with oversized beads used to be the state of the art, because folks were using heavy leaders. That limited how far you could cast (without sag) and you needed the flies to sink fast. Using micro leaders, longer casts and lighter flies is now the latest hotness.

 

[PhilR]

On the other side of heavy beads, is that you can go too far. I struggled at first with euro bc I was using a heavy stonefly as my bottom fly, It made the whole rig want to pendulum closer toward me while I tried to guide it downstream. When I went lighter, the flies stayed out where I wanted them. I like Jared's notion of an anchor fly like a mop.

And @Snakes, what kind of rock have you been living under that you missed the mop fly jihads of 2018-2019?

 

[RedHeron]

It doesn’t have to be “heavy and tiny” to Euro-nymph it.

I agree.
I’ve found it to be more important to have my flies tied in a variety of bead sizes so I can adjust to get the sink/drift that will allow me to get the flies down and keep them there without hanging up constantly. Sometimes the conditions (e.g. wind) require you to size up the bead to get a productive drift…sometimes the conditions (e.g. an emergence) requires your flies to be higher in the water column to be productive and lighter or unweighted versions of your flies will work best.
Similarly, sometimes you want the fly to get down fast and stay there, and sometimes you want the descent to be slow and tantalizing…sometimes you want an unweighted dropper to bob and weave …