Euro Nymphing for Grayling

If you’re a river angler the term Euro Nymphing has become extremely popular over the last 5 years or so. It’s a style of ‘nymphing’ which has been developed over the past 15/20 years by competition anglers in countries such as Czech Republic, Spain, and France. These countries dominated the competition fly fishing scene for years. 

Various competition rules can dictate how anglers can fish. For example, an angler can’t attach anything to the leader to make the fly float or sink; no split shots. As fish spend most of their time feeding subsurface, these anglers needed to develop nymphing methods to coincide with both competitive rules AND to catch the most fish. That’s where euro nymphing was born.

Euro Nymphing is a versatile and extremely effective style of fishing to say the least. It can be adapted to fish all types of running water, from slow to fast and everything in between. This time of year, euro nymphing for grayling is highly effective. These tactics will help you catch more fish when you go out.

Typical Euro Nymph Setup

A typical euro nymph setup features a long and sensitive rod, a small reel that balances the outfit, an extremely thin fly line that doesn’t sag in the rod guides, and a fine euro nymph rig that allows for good accuracy, control and presentation. Unlike traditional fly casting, this is a very intimate technique. Additionally, the setup is propelled by the weight of the flies, rather than the weight/taper of a fly line.

Rods

Choosing the correct rod to suit your fishing is a must. A long, sensitive rod that works well for one guy, may not necessarily be the best rod for another. Think about where you will be using the rod. A big, open river such as the river Dee will lend itself to using longer rods. In contrast, a small, heavily tree-lined stream will require something a lot shorter. However, a typical rod selection for a medium-to-large river would be a 10ft or 10ft 6inch with a 2 to 4 weight line. The likes of Thomas & Thomas, Scott and Hardy all produce rods specifically designed for lightweight euro nymphing. 

Reels

Take it from me, your reel can be the biggest hindrance when it comes to your Euro Nymphing setup. A full cage reel is 100% recommended. The fine leaders and fly lines needed for this method can easily get caught up outside your spool and in the mechanism of a fly reel. This causes untold issues to your setup, only to be foun when a large fish is hooked. My favorite reel for the job is the Ross Colorado. It features a full cage design, click pawl, and a seriously sexy design.

Fly Lines

Regarding lines, the conventional fly line will work. However, Euro Nymph specific lines make your setup and the fishing process much easier to deal with. Euro Nymph fly lines are much thinner, have little to no taper, and perform nothing like a conventional fly line. Instead, their purpose is to allow easier handling when nymphing (rather than holding monofilament) and assist in getting a solid dead drift by stopping line sag/drag off the rod tip and within the guides.

Euro Nymph Rig

There are many ways to rig up for Euro Nymphing but the typical rig would consist of between 10-40ft of level monofilament between 0.20mm-0.40mm, a sighter material such as the Fulling Mill Masterclass Mono Indicator of 6-18” in length, a tippet ring or loop, and your tippet. This, as a standard set up, will get you fishing and catching. Many top anglers are now using mono as low as 0.14mm for their mainline which increases sensitivity and control on even the smallest of fly sizes. Although not for the faint of heart, it takes a lot of getting used to.

Fishing the Technique

Euro style nymphing is a very versatile method that allows you to present your flies in various ways. Fish tend to feed differently throughout different parts of the day. Varying your setup and fly choice can have a huge impact on numbers of fish in the net.

Generally grayling or trout don’t tend to feed hard in the morning. This is not to say they won’t, but 9/10 times it’s one of the trickiest parts of the day. Getting your flies as close to the bottom, and quickly, is a definite advantage earlier on in the day. To achieve maximum depth in minimal time tungsten jig nymphs are a must. The FM Tactical Range has a huge selection of Euro Nymph patterns from some of the best anglers in the world. Fly patterns with a 3.2mm, 3.8mm and 4.5mm are a must. Fish won’t tend to move very far for food and your offerings must be within an acceptable range for them to even move off station. This is quite often within a few inches.

Especially in the UK, winter fishing for grayling really kicks off between the hours of 11am-2pm. Also known as Dinner Time! Generally this is the warmest part of the day where insect life is more active.This is also relevant for early season river trout fishing.

Fish become active searching out food and willing to move feet to intercept a bug. This is where adapting your technique can really pay dividends. Heavy fly patterns are less essential, and jigs with 2.4mm, 2.8mm and 3.2mm are more favored. These lesser weighted patterns essentially glide through the water column rather than plummet to the bottom, giving the appearance of an active/swimming pupae or nymph getting ready to hatch.

Tippet Length

Your tippet length can also play a huge role in your success. Depending on the weight of your flies, your tippet length will determine whether you’re fishing where you need to be.

When fishing heavier flies a short tippet is preferred. This ensures you have full control over the sink speed of your flies, as well as easily being able to control the depth once the flies have fully sunk. My general rule of thumb is to fish a leader length that is near enough the same depth of the water you are fishing. If the run is 3ft deep, my leader length will be around 3-3.5ft long. If you use this as a starting point, you can always increase or decrease the length if needed.

By leading your flies downstream and holding your indicator material just above the water, your tippet/indicator should achieve an angle of around 60-90 degrees from the end of your rod. tThis will ensure your flies are pretty much near the bottom. If the angle is less than this, your flies are more than likely caught up in underwater current or snag. Or, a heavier fly is needed. This also applies if you’re hooking bottom regularly – a lighter fly is needed.

When fishing with a lighter fly selection I generally go with a longer leader. This allows me to fish the drop, as well as being able to fish the flies for longer on each cast before the angle of your indicator to your flies gets too steep and causes drag. The tension from the water’s surface can grab the ‘extra’ tippet and slow the process of drag. This gives you a couple more seconds through each drift.

Fishing a one or two fly rig

Again, this generally depends on the depth of water you are fishing. When fishing a two fly rig, you are looking at the two flies being between 18-26” apart. You should have a similar amount of tippet above your first dropper to your indicator, giving an overall length of around four feet. Fishing two flies is an extremely easy way of achieving depth, as well as fishing multiple layers in the water column. You can run your rig with the heaviest fly on the point or the dropper. However, generally fishing your heaviest fly on the point can aid casting especially at longer range. 

If the river you’re fishing is heavily pressured or extremely low and clear, a single fly approach can be much more effective. Leader length here can vary. I’d recommend a longer tippet of 5 or more feet to ensure you keep your fly as far away from your indicator as possible to lower your risk of spooking any wary fish. 

Distance Casting

When euro nymphing you are generally fishing between 5ft – 30ft away from the end of your rod. With the average cast being somewhere in between. If you’re fishing further than this you are increasing the risk of drag.

When fishing at close range any fly weight is acceptable. The weight; whether it’s from a combination of 2x 4.5mm nymph, or a single 2mm nymph, will propel your leader between 5 – 15ft with ease. This will allow you to pick pockets, seams and run’s fairly easily. 

Fishing to a run on the far side of the river, or a spot in a slow glide that’s over the magical circa 15ft mark can get slightly more difficult. Most euro nymph setups are not built to cast distances further than this. Although you can get around this by adding more weight… Much like a spinning or worming setup, the heavier the weight, the further you can cast.

Flies with tungsten beads of 3.8mm – 4.5mm, or even 5.5mm, can allow you to throw those extra few meters with ease. Thus, you can present your flies to fish that may not have been touched, or even seen a fly for a considerable amount of time. One thing to keep in mind though is that with heavier flies your presentation can often be hindered. This causes more disturbance on entering the water, as well as hitting bottom much more quickly.

Choosing the right weight euro flies

Slow pace water: 1.5mm – 2.4mm

Advantages

• Allows you to delicately cast to spooky fish.
• Float the indicator at range. 
• Longer drifts.

Disadvantages

• Casting range is limited. 
• Lose control/drag at range.

Medium pace water: 2.5mm – 3.2mm

Advantages

• Easily fish water up to 3ft deep.
• Greater control at range. 
• Casting ability is increased. 

Disadvantages

• Presentation can be slightly hindered with weight.

Fast pace water: 3.8mm – 5.5mm

Advantages

• Casting range is increased.
• Fish deep/turbulent water with ease.

Disadvantages

• Presentation seriously hindered.
• More prone to snagging.
• Can easily damage rods.

If you’d like to read more from Kieron, check out some of his other articles on the blog!

Kieron Jenkins

Kieron has been a part of the fly fishing industry from a very young age. He's a celebrated competition angler, and is incredibly talented on both rivers and stillwaters. Kieron is a Signature Tier for Fulling Mill, and we produce many of his top flies.

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