The obvious limitations to euro nymphing occur when deep, slow water is combined with the need for long casts. Other than using a dry-dropper system, does anyone have any special tricks that they use to successfully fish in these conditions? I tend to shorten my leader and throw an upstream curve cast, watching the tip of my fly line for ticks and jumps....
Euro Nymphing in challenging conditions
- Thread starter euronymph
- Start date
knotjoe
Well-known member
Gotta agree with goshhawk87 in general, I consider such scenarios fine territory for bobber fishin'.
Once your at distance, unless you are working with very light braids or monos, the buoyant indie is often the more effective approach. It's simply a darn good (and reliable) suspension point to work from both angler end and terminal end.
Different tool for a different job.
Once your at distance, unless you are working with very light braids or monos, the buoyant indie is often the more effective approach. It's simply a darn good (and reliable) suspension point to work from both angler end and terminal end.
Different tool for a different job.
J
james w 3 3
Guest
Slow deep water is where I like something like a jighead rainbow warrior pulled slowly downstream more like fishing a streamer than trying to do a dead drift.
Then again, I never fish anything subsurface with a dead drift. Watch the Japanese Tenkara masters . . . they're always working the fly rather than just letting it drift.
You miss far fewer fish when you have just a bit of tension between the fly and rod tip.
Of course, deep slow water is not my preferred structure to fish. Out here that's generally where fish are more resting than actively feeding, and I'm moving constantly looking for actively feeding fish because they're the easiest ones to catch.
Then again, I never fish anything subsurface with a dead drift. Watch the Japanese Tenkara masters . . . they're always working the fly rather than just letting it drift.
You miss far fewer fish when you have just a bit of tension between the fly and rod tip.
Of course, deep slow water is not my preferred structure to fish. Out here that's generally where fish are more resting than actively feeding, and I'm moving constantly looking for actively feeding fish because they're the easiest ones to catch.
corn fed fins
Well-known member
I've been playing with these types of rigs this season. My blog contains what I have figured out. There are some complications I had with deep slow holes that I don't have with normal depths when using ESN tactics. Please post what you find out. I would be interested.
patrick62
Well-known member
Try a shorter leader with one dropper. Put your heavy nymph or tunghead mop fly on the dropper. Below that, about three feet away, use one of those funky Tenkara flies -- like a soft hackle with extra hackle that is pointed forward over the hook eye instead of back toward the bend of the hook.
I bet you get more hits on the Tenkara fly, which will be going up and down and all around with the hackles waving around.
I bet you get more hits on the Tenkara fly, which will be going up and down and all around with the hackles waving around.
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I don't know about the rivers others fish, but where I fish often the deep, slow pools are often big back eddies that are commonly over 5 feet deep and up to 15 feet deep. I've never been able to find very many trout near the botom in these spots, although sometimes whitefish stack up in those spots.
The actively feeding trout in these spots are always suspended. They sit in the seams next to the faster water waiting for nymphs or duns to drift by, and move to the side or up to intercept the bugs. I use a thingamabobber to suspend my fly a few feet down, and it's pretty effective when bugs are drifting and emerging.
On one river I fish there's a big, deep pool near where I park. It's probably 15 feet deep, crystal clear, and you can see the trout holding near the bottom. I can never get a fly down to those fish, the current is too slow near the botom, and too fast near the surface. However when the bugs start drifting and hatching you see the trout start to suspend and actively eat nymphs. When I see this I know other pools that fish better will have suspended fish I can target. If bugs are hatching on this pool and the trout are still near the bottom I know it's going to be a tough day.
The actively feeding trout in these spots are always suspended. They sit in the seams next to the faster water waiting for nymphs or duns to drift by, and move to the side or up to intercept the bugs. I use a thingamabobber to suspend my fly a few feet down, and it's pretty effective when bugs are drifting and emerging.
On one river I fish there's a big, deep pool near where I park. It's probably 15 feet deep, crystal clear, and you can see the trout holding near the bottom. I can never get a fly down to those fish, the current is too slow near the botom, and too fast near the surface. However when the bugs start drifting and hatching you see the trout start to suspend and actively eat nymphs. When I see this I know other pools that fish better will have suspended fish I can target. If bugs are hatching on this pool and the trout are still near the bottom I know it's going to be a tough day.
mcnerney
Administrator
Patrick: Thanks for that tip, I never would have thought of trying s Tenkara fly, guess I need to tie up a few and give it a try this summer.Try a shorter leader with one dropper. Put your heavy nymph or tunghead mop fly on the dropper. Below that, about three feet away, use one of those funky Tenkara flies -- like a soft hackle with extra hackle that is pointed forward over the hook eye instead of back toward the bend of the hook.
I bet you get more hits on the Tenkara fly, which will be going up and down and all around with the hackles waving around.
patrick62
Well-known member
^ I've done this for years with a soft hackle wet, so it didn't seem like a big stretch to try it with the Tenkara fly.
As a matter of fact, with a sufficiently stiff Tenkara rod, you can do something pretty close to Euronymphing.
For extra heresy, try Tenkara Euro-mopping, which is three mop flies.
As a matter of fact, with a sufficiently stiff Tenkara rod, you can do something pretty close to Euronymphing.
For extra heresy, try Tenkara Euro-mopping, which is three mop flies.
blogflyfish
Member
In the winter, those slow and deep areas are my favorite spots. That's often where the trout are wintering.
I've had good luck using an all-mono rig and a single and heavy anchor fly tied on a jig hook to minimize snags. You basically dead drift the fly and/or crawl it back to you very slowly while maintaining contact with the fly. I've landed some really big fish in the winter with this method. The all-mono really helps with sensitivity.
It's something I learned from a colleague, who wrote this post about Mop Flies.
I've had good luck using an all-mono rig and a single and heavy anchor fly tied on a jig hook to minimize snags. You basically dead drift the fly and/or crawl it back to you very slowly while maintaining contact with the fly. I've landed some really big fish in the winter with this method. The all-mono really helps with sensitivity.
It's something I learned from a colleague, who wrote this post about Mop Flies.
346xp
Well-known member
Lake setup with a type 3 sinking line also works to slow pull streamers through those situations.