New to the forum and to fly fishing. Been a bass fisherman all my life and sold my boat and my son has got me hooked on fly fishing for trout. Anyhow I thought I was doing pretty good until I went with a friend of mine and we were nymphing and he was tight lining with an euro nymph rod and he wore me out. Now I'm in the process of picking an euro nymph rod. I'm looking at a Syndicate 10' 3wt and was wondering y'all's thoughts. I'll mainly be fishing Small to med. streams. My main characteristics I'm looking for are sensitivity and light weight. I know it's not an ESN but not ready to dive in that deep yet. Thanks.
Euro Nymph Rod
- Thread starter WackEM64
- Start date
The Syndicate rods are great. I have the one you mentioned, and it definitely fits the bill. I think the model is called a P2. I used one of my saltwater reels on it (a Tibor Everglades) and it balances out great. Looks a little weird - I just left the saltwater 30# backing on it and swapped the line to a wf3f, so the reel looks empty... but it works great. And if I get a trout that is a runner... that Tibor will lock it down...
Anyway, when you decide you want a ‘nice’ nymph rod, I would really recommend the Thomas and Thomas Contact. I moved to one of those to get the extra length, and it’s a very well made rod. I think Syndicate makes an 11 footer now too (all that was available was 10 foot when I got mine).
Anyway, when you decide you want a ‘nice’ nymph rod, I would really recommend the Thomas and Thomas Contact. I moved to one of those to get the extra length, and it’s a very well made rod. I think Syndicate makes an 11 footer now too (all that was available was 10 foot when I got mine).
mcnerney
Administrator
+1 on the Syndicate 10 ft 3 wt, its a very nice rod!
jspfishing
Well-known member
The syndicate is great. I never used it, but my friend likes it. When I euro nymph, I was spoiled for a bit when my buddy let me borrow one of his Greys euro nymph rod. Great rod and super sensitive. I just ordered a TFO Drift rod. I never tried it, but TFO is pretty legit about making good quality stuff. Plus, I can convert it to a light spey/switch rod. A lot of people I know like it.
Tibor Everglades with a couple hundred yards of 30# and a WF3F line balances perfect on the 10 foot rod with no fighting butt. That’s the setup I use. You can look up the weight of that reel if you want to get a good idea of how much weight you’ll need.
If you go with the 11 footer, it will take more weight. 10 foot with a fighting butt will take a little less.
jfh245
Well-known member
I fish the 10' 2wt Syndicate in Southeastern Pa. streams.......it is a great rod and love the sensitivity........if there is another rod on the market to pursue, it might be the 10' 6" Orvis.......George Daniel was involved with the testing, ..and when I just put it in hand I was totally impressed. The difference in price put me off, but it is an excellent stick. My concern was a lack of hook keeper. Obviously done to reduce weight, but I will wait until that changes as well as the $895 price Hopefully it might change. I also own the 10' 3wt Syndicate and can recommend it also......just like the 2wt more for small streams here. Good luck.
That was another question I had I'm kinda in between on the 2wt and the 3wt. since I'm fishing small to med streams. My friend has a 2wt Moonshine that he bought on sale but since I'm paying full price I want to get the right one for the situation I'll be fishing. I thought about maybe even throwing some streamers with it. Sorry for all the questions it's just I'm new and the nearest fly shop is about 45 min away and all he sales is Orvis. Thanks for the post
clsmith131
Well-known member
I'm no expert at nymphing, or trout fishing in general, so take this with a grain of salt but...
A euro rod is a specialized rod, so I wouldn't buy one based on your plan to throw streamers. But if you are set on throwing streamers with the same rod, you'd do better with at least a 4wt. I use a 10' 4wt radian for nymphing and small streamer work, and it seems to be good for this. It won't throw large streamers and it could stand to be a little longer for nymphing, but it is versatile. I like the full wells grip and the fighting butt on this rod. Some prefer the half wells when nymphing so that they can rest their index finger on the blank at the edge of the cork.
A fighting butt will make a long rod easier to balance. The longer rods need more weight, and it makes a surprising difference not only while drifting nymph rigs, but also when you are on the trails. Best to keep the tip up to avoid an expensive mishap. I use a tibor freestone, which is the scaled down brother of the aforementioned everglades. It weighs about 7 1/2 oz. You will likely want to choose a reel that weighs 7 oz or more.
If you are planning to use different techniques with whichever rod you choose, I would go with a weight forward line like the Rio Gold, a nymphing line would be limiting.
A euro rod is a specialized rod, so I wouldn't buy one based on your plan to throw streamers. But if you are set on throwing streamers with the same rod, you'd do better with at least a 4wt. I use a 10' 4wt radian for nymphing and small streamer work, and it seems to be good for this. It won't throw large streamers and it could stand to be a little longer for nymphing, but it is versatile. I like the full wells grip and the fighting butt on this rod. Some prefer the half wells when nymphing so that they can rest their index finger on the blank at the edge of the cork.
A fighting butt will make a long rod easier to balance. The longer rods need more weight, and it makes a surprising difference not only while drifting nymph rigs, but also when you are on the trails. Best to keep the tip up to avoid an expensive mishap. I use a tibor freestone, which is the scaled down brother of the aforementioned everglades. It weighs about 7 1/2 oz. You will likely want to choose a reel that weighs 7 oz or more.
If you are planning to use different techniques with whichever rod you choose, I would go with a weight forward line like the Rio Gold, a nymphing line would be limiting.
el jefe
Well-known member
So you have the fighting butt on your 1004 Radian? Was that a special order? I was thinking of doing exactly that.
My fishing buddy also uses a 1004 Radian like you do, and he loves it. In fact, he prefers it for Euro nymphing over his ESN.
Thanks but it will be a specific euro nymph rod. I was just thinking if I was out on the water and had to switch over I could. My friend uses his 2wt to throw streamers sometimes and does very well with it but the main purpose will be for euro nymphing.
I have the 10’ ft 3wt gen 2 Sage ESN. I have it paired w/ a Galvan Rush light 6 reel with SA Euro Nymph line and carry another reel lined with a DT 4 wt if I want to switch up to dries. I’ve only done the switch once and it worked fine, but this rod clearly shines as a high stick short line nymphing rod. I only bought the ESN because I got a good deal, otherwise it would have been the Syndicate 3wt.
clouserguyky
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I hear the Recon is awesome as well. I personally haven't tried them, but I do love the Syndicates. If I was going to own a competition style rod, that would be the one in a 10' 3 weight.
I personally use 9'6" and 10' 5 weights though. I never have a day on the water where I only throw nymphs. So the ability to toss dries and streamers with utmost control is needed, hence the 5 weight.
I personally use 9'6" and 10' 5 weights though. I never have a day on the water where I only throw nymphs. So the ability to toss dries and streamers with utmost control is needed, hence the 5 weight.
I have a 8 1/2' 4wt Orvis Clearwater and the 10' 3wt Recon was on my list but during my review search I noticed it was about last on the list in sensitivity in the euro nymph rod shootout which kinda caused me to go another direction. Like I said I'm new and have never tried or have a way of trying them. I'm pretty much just going on reviews and what others say. I do thank every one for their help.
Some other questions I have are, is the the fighting butt worth it and should I go with 2wt or 3wt ? I leaning towards the 3wt but can't make up my mind.
Some other questions I have are, is the the fighting butt worth it and should I go with 2wt or 3wt ? I leaning towards the 3wt but can't make up my mind.
In my experience everyone has their own preference when it comes to EN rods.
Personally I like something at least 10' 6", 2wt - 3wt with fast to med-fast action.
Your best bet is probably to give a few different rods a try at your local shop before purchasing.
If it's of any help, there's a decent list of EN rods here: Euro nymphing rod manufacturers | br fly fishing
Personally I like something at least 10' 6", 2wt - 3wt with fast to med-fast action.
Your best bet is probably to give a few different rods a try at your local shop before purchasing.
If it's of any help, there's a decent list of EN rods here: Euro nymphing rod manufacturers | br fly fishing
Thanks for the info. I would like to go to my local fly fishing shop and try some different one but all he sells is Orvis, nothing against Orvis, just like to try some different manufacturers out.
Thanks everyone for the post and the info it helped a lot. I think I've decided on the Syndicate 10' 3wt. with the fighting butt. Even though I wish they made a 10' 6" model most of the streams I fish are generally small so I think I'll be okay with the 10'. I'm still haven't totally made up my mind on the 2wt or 3wt but leaning strongly towards the 3wt. only because I would think it would be a little more versatile if need arises.
I haven't tried the Syndicate, but my understanding is that they have more of a mid-flex profile.
With that in mind, I'd probably opt for the 3wt as well if I wasn't able to try them both before purchasing (for the same reason you mentioned).
I also think going with the fighting butt is a good idea to help balance the rod/reel out, since they appear to only use up-locking reel seats.
I'd be interested to hear what you think of the rod after you get some time with it.
With that in mind, I'd probably opt for the 3wt as well if I wasn't able to try them both before purchasing (for the same reason you mentioned).
I also think going with the fighting butt is a good idea to help balance the rod/reel out, since they appear to only use up-locking reel seats.
I'd be interested to hear what you think of the rod after you get some time with it.