Arguably one of the most comprehensive and informative single videos on Euro Nymphing. And Daniels is the top dog when it comes to presentation and instruction, not to mention his mentor Humphreys is a total legend in the fly fishing arena.
What an amazing video, power packed. I fish the San Juan river in New Mexico. It’s in my backyard and I fish it probably at least 125 times a year. I agree with everything in this video except using a clinch knot. I discovered the Davey knot a little over two years ago and I haven’t even considered using a clinch since. I amputated my left thumb below the thumbnail so about a third of it four years ago and I struggled with the clinch For years especially after that. It ties much faster, is much stronger while being much smaller,and I have to cut less waste and it will not come undone like the clinch. It can be used to tie on Tippett rings, flies, hooks, and even for tying tags off the main line so long as you slide them down into a knot such as a blood knot or surgeons knot. If tied right this knot is the bomb. You can prove it to yourself by taking a piece of line and tying a Davy to a hook on one end and a clinch to the same exact hook on the other end with a clinch. Pull the two hooks apart until one knot breaks and it will be the clinch breaking every time. Freshly Tyon another clinch on fresh line and try it again and the clinch will break again. The Davey will stand strong so long as it was tied correctly. The tag should finish at a perfect 90° angle to the main line if you have secured it properly. I learned nymph fishing from an old Master on the San Juan that I believe Tom knows named Bart. I also in the last year have gotten heavily into tenkara fishing even on the San Juan for bigger fish. Believe it or not I landed a 34 inch 13 pound brown on a tenkara rod wade fishing. By the way I would’ve never landed that fish with a clinch knot I believe. Keep doing what you were doing. You guys are master fisherman and master teachers and you have amazing giving attitudes that we need to have more of in flyfishing. God bless you and I hope to see you on the San Juan someday
I use the Davey knot as well as the Double Davey. It is a great knot! Very fast to tie, strong and leaves little bulk at eye of the fly. May I ask what Tenkara rod you were using to land that fish? I also Tenkara fish and have used the DragonTail Hellbender for large fish, but 13 pounds is pretty crazy :)
Great video. I love Tom's humility here. He's not afraid to defer to George who is a master of this particular technique, even though Tom himself is a master of so many others. Tom asks great questions, and George's instruction is precise and insightful. One of the best episodes I've seen you guys make!
This is hands down the best and most vividly detailed video on euro-nymphing! The entirety encapsulates every large and even minuscule detail I’ve ever wondered about this method, and more! I truly wish I could have the opportunity to thank both George and Tom for providing us with such a methodical and tactical break down on this lethal method. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, George, Tom and The New Fly Fisher!!! Tight Lines
I have been an All-mono euro-guy for several years now, my go-to rig is 100' of 10# mono onto backing, 4' sighter, and build whatever nymph rig you like.. forget casting just bloop it out there directly upstream, keep your rodtip down, as you lead your flies downstream, line will tighten..then at the end of drift drop your road tip and fish the rise..I get half my strikes this way. in real deep or fast water dropshot works, but most cases a #6 beadhead stone etc..gets you right down, 3x flouro is what I use for tippy. I feel everything SO well with this setup, I don't know if my hookset is more than a short lift of my forearm, a big hookset will pull you out of the strike zone..I lift on every bump, then if its a fish, you'll feel it immediately..you'll know they're hooked before they do!😆You're gently sweeping the floor..that's like a visual for the technique of euro. I'm going to spend several days in Missoula, Mt and tetons Id area MidOctober, I will be trying out an all mono streamer setup as well..Anybody have questions about my setup or some good unpressured areas over there, let me know.
This truly is a masterclass with such good anglers. George is an incredible teacher! Such good info, that covers ALL facets of euro nymphing. People pay good money to get this detailed of info. We are luck to have gotten it for free. Thanks!
What an amazing video..........thank you. George's instruction is superb and Tom's questions were exactly what I would have been asking. Perhaps one of the best presented fly fishing videos I have seen.
This is a terrific video. George is a great instructor who presents the information in an easy to understand manner. I've watched this now a few times and each time I learn a little more than before.
Tried the new ORVIS Clear Water 3wt 10' and is fantastic for the job at Euro Nymphing. Broke my tip and Orvis replaced my rod. Excelent customer service!!
After reading George's two books and watching Modern Nymphing, I've switch to 'contact' nymphing 90% of the time I'm out. I've gone from catching small and infrequent fish to regularly catching +20" fish on flies that look nothing like whats in the water. Even on famed tailwaters with 'picky' fish, this technique is devastating. If you're looking to improve your catch rate, this is the way to go. And George is always available to answer questions via email, which is amazing.
same! Last week a guy dry fly fishing came down from his spot to where I was euro nymphing and he was just shaking his head in disbelief because I was vacuuming the trout.
Wow, perfectly done! The quality of the on water video, questions, graphics, and detailed insight by George - along with Tom’s questions make this one of the best instructional and specialty topic videos available today; really top notch content.
For me, this is the best tutorial for contact nymphing. I learned a lot, though I've been utilizing this technique for years. I'm never to old to learn!
This was a really good video for me. Probably like some of the other viewers, I've already developed a line-leader-sighter set up I like for "contact nymphing", so that first section was a little too basic for where I'm at. But at about 26min, 30 sec, he starts getting into rod tip and line control. That was VERY informative for me, especially watching George demonstrate what he's talking about. I was able to understand what he was doing and what he was teaching Tom in a way I couldn't quite get from the videos I bought from TTFF (the really popular ones, if you know what they are.) They're really good too. I recommend them, but this was good in another way. George is a great communicator.
I have been following TroutBitten regards to sighter nymphing. George filled in the blanks regarding how the indicator acts with a take. Thank you to George and others for helping me improve.
I am from PA and have seen George speak a couple times. I switched to Euro nymphing and have caught more fish than I ever have before. Follow George's tips and you will too. Not to mention I am using the Orvis Clearwater 10 ft. 3 weight and love it...so easy to flip my wrist and cast with ease. Great video!
I will be trying for the first time this year. Thank you for the informative video. I was prepared to have to unlearn or ignore much of what I've learned traditional nymphing with a float so hopefully it won't be too painful. I definitely know how effective this is and there are some places I fish where using a float style of nymphing is nearly impossible due to the currents being so varied and the fish being so far out from where you can stand but there's always fish out there. A method like this gives me an actual chance to properly dead drift a place like that and without having to throw an enormous and noisy mend just to have a few seconds of decent drift. It's a spot just far enough out to make mending a nightmare and the current faster in close so you get almost no time for dead drift. But it's not so far out that a euro style doesn't have enough distance. This is literally perfect for that spot I'm thinking of and can't wait. Thanks again.
Excellent vid on Euro nymphing. One of the best I’ve seen. Clear and concise. Breaks down all the aspects in an easy to understand way. I love euro nymphing. It can be deadly.
Absolute best video from Orvis so far! Only difference I've seen in other videos is the part about keeping the line tight. Some recommend keeping a slight belly in the line during the drift. When the trout takes the fly it straightens the belly out thus acting like a strike indicator.
I've talked to GD about this a bit and here's what he told me (at the time): using slightly heavier flies and keeping the line tight, you feel the strike more so versus see it. 90% of the time I still see my indicator stop or move, but mostly with heavier anchor flies, I can feel the trout actually take the nymph, which adds more enjoyment to the whole technique.
From now on I'm using George's description "contact nymphing" for this fishing style. I've found the Davy knot is excellent for tying on flies, and to eyelets (tippet rings) of all types, and also as a dropper knot that will cinch around a surgeons knot. It's strong and easy to tie. Personally I use a Perfection loop to secure my 6" droppers above the surgeons knot. I tie up a bunch of P-looped droppers in advance and carry them in my vest at the ready. Great vid on an excellent technique. I fish the drop shot method George highlights at 44:15. The shot on the point prevents a lot of bottom hook ups and snags, and allows me to use lighter flies, and to vary their location in the water column.
I found that to be true. I immediately found out that if you tie the flies and use the technique(s) George teaches, after about a few days, you can catch trout within 10 min of fishing tenkara. The frenchie is THE BEST. TY Mr.Daniels! Wow!
I’ve purchased two other videos on euro nymphing, this video filled in the blanks. Thanks George for the instructions and Tom for all the good questions.
In my opinion the video was well done! Any questions that may have come up were answered in terms of set up and how to get depth in the water column. Great job thanks!
It's the best video on the subject I can find. Sure it's made to sell fishing gear, but it's still well put together, and there are good solid lessons there. A cheat sheet we can take home would be great too!
Loved the video. Great location and I also enjoyed Tom's willingness to learn on camera. I think its particularly relevant to have shot this on the Farmington because we deal with high water like that frequently. (Including now) One thing I'd love George's opinion on is the addition of sag from the tag ends in the sighter. Ive tried it with and without, on comp line, spey line, and even 12# maxima. It seemed to me that too many tag ends in the sight introduced some sag so I stopped using them. Anyways, thanks again for a great video on my home water.
In California its known as "Norcal Nymphing," taught by Ted Towendolly in 1920-30's, and Ted Fay paying it forward in the 40's, and continued by the late Bill Carnazzo in the 60's to 90's. So, per our Historian (Granite Bay Flycasters) this was being done before Czech Nymphing became popular in Europe. I stand by his word.
I have no doubt you are correct. There really isn't that much new under the sun. I'm pretty much a self-taught fisherman. Sure, fairly early in my fishing career I'd been out with more experienced fisherman and picked stuff up from them. And in fairly recent years I've learned some stuff on TH-cam videos. But 90% of the stuff I know I learned on my own, mostly because for the first bunch of years I didn't have anyone to teach me. And when I first heard about this new thing called "Czech Nymphing" I got really excited. And when I read and saw videos about it, my immediate reaction was "So what? Cripes, I've been doing this for years. I just didn't know it had a name."
For those of us who have fished nymphs for 50 years, never called it Euro nymphing , but we were doing this for years. When I learned to nymph fish in the middle 70s , I was told to use the longest ride in the lightest weight I could find. To extend the drift, and keep as much of the fly line off the water as possible. When back in the late 90s I saw guys using indicators, I wanted no part of it. It was bobber fishing! It's funny to see all these years later , what a bunch of us knew back in the 70s is popular today. Back in the middle 90s I bought a sage SP, a 9-foot in 3 weight. And basically used it for weighted nymphs on the bottom. That's because getting a 10 or 11 foot Euro Rod wasn't really available. About time this came around.
Thanks for the detailed feedback. You're right, this has been around for a long time with other names, Joe Humphreys used to promote it as well. What is key is that it is definitely something every angler should learn as it is another tool in their arsenal. Cheers
It’s absolute bullshit, so now a new generation come on board and give it a fancy trendy name. What utter crap and what does euro refer to “Europe”? It’s call nymphing full stop you wankers
What a video! The pics of the rig set up; knots used, and fly types for both the point and drop flies were key for my understanding. Pls keep this utilizing this teaching methodology as to me it is key in understanding the lessons. My best...
Great video! One of the most comprehensive videos out, from one of the true masters. GD and his book got me hooked on this technique. A very effective technique in the Eastern Sierra's.
Us Farmington River guys know that you need to use more realistic flies to consistently hook up. Caddis flies are deadly and don't get used as much as you would expect. My largest brown was from the boneyard (24") on a bead head Caddis. Always have Caddis in the river and the trout gorge on them. Great video guys.
Excellent video! Insightful questions by Tom and entertaining thorough organized explanations by George who is very generous with his knowledge. Also appreciated the animations.Thanks guys.
George I just subscribed. I am new to fly fishing. I want to thank you cause I have the same grip when I practice casting and everyone tries to correct me. You are my teacher from here on out. Am a former Taxidermist whom learned from greats whom went above and beyond, like yourself. Thnx again, looking forward to the future. You are the BEST fly fisherman I ever seen. :)
From 10:20 to about ten-fifty, 30 seconds long, he gave the most obvious reason professional/competition trouters utilize the method. Time. Quickly able to cover a length of water with as little time "wasted" as possible. Hooks in the strike zones, not in the air or in the wrong zone of water.
Awesome video! I always pick-up something new when I watch those videos. I really like the idea of using a color indicator on the line which gives me an accurate indication of where my fly is.
So much to take in but now is time to give this style a lot more attention. I'll be watching this one multiple times over the next weeks as I give each instructional pointer a try. Will likely watch it streamside too, just to fix the on-river errors in technique. Tom's best advice was to be prepared to realize you are learning this from scratch as it is so different. You guys have raised your game on instruction of techniques, flies, lines, leader and tippet. Man, am I going to have spend more time on the water to master all of this! Hopefully we will be free to do so in due time this season! A question- which knot do you prefer, Tom: surgeons vs blood? I've had too many blood knot failures and am no longer confident in it and have gone to triple surgeons only. The tippet ring info was really insightful, and may save a lot of time, money and effort retying tippet. Thanks guys for an awesome episode.! One last point- the educator in me noticed one editor's oversight. In one of the line set up animations, at 14:00, the word "length" was misspelled. No worries though!
I use both knots, Rod, almost interchangeably. But with the blood I always use 5 turns and you have to be careful to tighten it properly. You may want to try the Orvis Tippe knot as well--it's probably the strongest one for trout-size tippet
@@rosenbauert I wonder if the Orvis Tippet Knot the same as the one I use. I found it on-line in a knot "shoot-out". They were calling it the "J-knot". It's supposed to be stronger than say, the triple surgeon's. I don't have enough info to know. I just went with that. I try to use the same knot all the time in the same situations so I get fairly adept with each one. I use the "Double-Davy" at the hook eye. For re-tying the dropper, I attach the new piece with an improved clinch. The Blood Knot I save for when I'm at my tying bench building a leader. It's too hard for me to tie when on the river. I don't care what anyone says. The Blood Knot is a fairly difficult knot.
That was definitely very educational and after watching this episode a few more times and taking notes I will give it a try. Thank you for this great video.
Been euro nymphing for e few years now and got good at it, but there is always room for improvements and new techniques. Watching the master, George Daniel, and his style, puts me back to being a rookie. Wonder if he feels the same way when he fishes with Joe Humphreys!!!
The technique is not only good for trout fishing fresh water. I’m using same concept in the salt at the beach lip. Kind of Outrigger or tight line. Definitely great information clip to only be watched once!! Thank you for sharing!!.
Thank you #Orvis #TomRosenbauer #GeorgeDaniel Love part beginning @30:40 , the whole video for sure, but this teaching part of George and Tom, Classic!
Regardless of what you call it, contact or tightline nymphing is incredibly effective and precise. You can fish a lot of water that is often ignored by other fly anglers, spin casters and bait anglers. I've pulled a lot of good sized fish out of tiny pockets, brush covered banks and difficult currents that I wouldn't have in the past with other methods.
Thank you so much! That was a master class in how to teach, master class in how we should learn, master class in video production potential, master class in all aspects of this technique!!!! Now off I go to convert my drop shot spinning rod into a larger fly fly rod for the 30 lbs plus brute steelheads and salmon in the great lakes rivers😂
I think the name " Contact Nymphing" that George is using is the way to name it. Maybe its origins came from Europe, but nowdays the technioque has evolved a lot. I recentli read specific book about this typed of methods, and it was called also contact nymphing. I recommend it
Buy George’s books on nymphing and particularly Strip Set on streamer fishing. I find myself retreading these books over and over for the content as well as the patterns. No fluff; just good solid fishing info!
A very well done video. This is just like Tenkara fishing. The only difference is Euro nymphing has a reel and tenkara Is fixed line. The techniques with Tenkara fishing helps me to better Understand euro nymphing and euro Nymphing helps me to understand Tenkara fishing.. All in all it makes Me become a better fly fisherman..
Great introductory video. Perfect level of detail. Thanks so much George and Tom. I have a question about the knot used to tie the tag fly tippet onto the main tippet that’s tied to the point fly. You said to use a surgeon’s knot there. Does that require me to cut the main tippet, or is it possible to tie the tag fly tippet into the main tippet without cutting it ? Thanks again for an excellent tutorial, you guys !
Next year I will be getting euro rod but so far this year getting into fly fishing I have been having great luck with an indicator using tungsten nypths and not using any shot
This is going to help me at my local Grand River, Ohio spot. Many fish on spinning reels but 0 with fly rod. I love the Grand though I've caught around 20 species between the Harpersfield and lake Erie amazing beauty and diversity.
I just picked up a 10', 3WT Clearwater outfit and loaded the reel with Airflo clear line tipped with the Rio Technical Euro leader. On my heavily fished home waters in the Roaring Fork Valley (CO) things can be challenging between hatches. I think this will be the ticket to getting more action. One thing is certain: All my guide buddies will be calling me a cheat.
great video, extremely informative. i have to step back and laugh about how serious we are about catching trout! it is more fun when you're hooking up more!
Agreed. I don't get it. I guess I'm missing something here because I'm only seeing what I've ever done since I was old enough to fish. Seems no different from drifting a salmon egg on ultra light spinning gear without split shot. Or a worm...or fishing Tenkara. My father never had us using indicators...aka "bobbers". It was all with contact and feel and finesse. Whether drifting a stream for trout or casting a grub, a worm, a jig for bass...our fingers were always in contact very gingerly with the line and also trying to keep the lure in the "sweetspot" as long as possible. I really didn't think it was anything special or clever or innovative. I laugh at these guys taping shit to their fly lines to let them know if they got a strike...and it makes casting more difficult. To each, their own.
Nice video. I skip fly line altogether myself. Well I have a normal line on my reel but simply spool 100+ feet of 17# hi vis mono on my reel and attach tippet to that in the lengths I'm needing at the time. No irritating line leader connection to fish thru and far better sensitivity thru mono rather than fly line. Lighter overall feel. But I'm also not fishing competitions with strange rules😎
This method is really the "original" way most people nymph fished for millennium. There are legitimate reasons indicators came into play...they work. Those who have perfected techniques using the indicator, drag free drift method of nymphing are extremely efficient at what they do. It is close to an evolved science for some. I would like to see a comparison of expert fly fishermen using both methods, on the same water, and compare the success of both. Not putting this method down by any means but just pointing out the skill of the fisherman may be more of a factor than the chosen technique. If this becomes mainstream now, in a few years a video will be produced on the deadly advantages of strike indicators.
These guys are pretty chill about it, but generally it just comes across as snobbery. Even in this video "the indicator is doing all the work for you" - yeah, ok. I've seen guys on the river scoff and say "I don't use an indicator, just this" and show off their colored line. I'm not out there to work, I'm out to relax and catch fish. If I find enjoyment in investing the time to practice contact/euro nymphing, great. If I get so good at it there's no point in using indicators anymore, great. But that doesn't make it a superior technique in its own right.
Thank you for this excellent video. George is a worthy successor to his mentor, Joe Humphreys; both are talented and generous teachers of this fine sport. Now, for a question: what brand of OX sighter material does George prefer?
It exactly is! Long rods, thin level line, and tippet to fly. Casting upstream and close. You just don't have the reel. everything else is the same. I would say though that the Tenkara rods are more sensitive for detecting strikes due to the softer tip. I actually use a sighter attached to my level line when using my Tenkara rod.
Arguably one of the most comprehensive and informative single videos on Euro Nymphing. And Daniels is the top dog when it comes to presentation and instruction, not to mention his mentor Humphreys is a total legend in the fly fishing arena.
This video explains a lot to anyone new to this technique of fly fishing. A must view for newbies.
Doesn't matter how many times I've gone out and done it and how many videos I've watched there is always something to pick up. Thank you!
What an amazing video, power packed. I fish the San Juan river in New Mexico. It’s in my backyard and I fish it probably at least 125 times a year. I agree with everything in this video except using a clinch knot. I discovered the Davey knot a little over two years ago and I haven’t even considered using a clinch since. I amputated my left thumb below the thumbnail so about a third of it four years ago and I struggled with the clinch For years especially after that. It ties much faster, is much stronger while being much smaller,and I have to cut less waste and it will not come undone like the clinch. It can be used to tie on Tippett rings, flies, hooks, and even for tying tags off the main line so long as you slide them down into a knot such as a blood knot or surgeons knot. If tied right this knot is the bomb. You can prove it to yourself by taking a piece of line and tying a Davy to a hook on one end and a clinch to the same exact hook on the other end with a clinch. Pull the two hooks apart until one knot breaks and it will be the clinch breaking every time. Freshly Tyon another clinch on fresh line and try it again and the clinch will break again. The Davey will stand strong so long as it was tied correctly. The tag should finish at a perfect 90° angle to the main line if you have secured it properly. I learned nymph fishing from an old Master on the San Juan that I believe Tom knows named Bart. I also in the last year have gotten heavily into tenkara fishing even on the San Juan for bigger fish. Believe it or not I landed a 34 inch 13 pound brown on a tenkara rod wade fishing. By the way I would’ve never landed that fish with a clinch knot I believe. Keep doing what you were doing. You guys are master fisherman and master teachers and you have amazing giving attitudes that we need to have more of in flyfishing. God bless you and I hope to see you on the San Juan someday
I use the Davey knot as well as the Double Davey. It is a great knot! Very fast to tie, strong and leaves little bulk at eye of the fly. May I ask what Tenkara rod you were using to land that fish? I also Tenkara fish and have used the DragonTail Hellbender for large fish, but 13 pounds is pretty crazy :)
Great video. I love Tom's humility here. He's not afraid to defer to George who is a master of this particular technique, even though Tom himself is a master of so many others. Tom asks great questions, and George's instruction is precise and insightful. One of the best episodes I've seen you guys make!
Agreed!
Rosenbauer is a gentleman in the purest sense of the term!
Absolutely agree. And Tom looks like he'd be a blast to fish with!
Thank you Orvis and Tom for doing these videos for all of us!
Glad you like them!
First time I've ever watched a 50 min TH-cam video. Very informative and presented in an easy to understand manner. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
This is hands down the best and most vividly detailed video on euro-nymphing! The entirety encapsulates every large and even minuscule detail I’ve ever wondered about this method, and more! I truly wish I could have the opportunity to thank both George and Tom for providing us with such a methodical and tactical break down on this lethal method. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, George, Tom and The New Fly Fisher!!!
Tight Lines
Thanks for your positive feedback, we're glad you found it helpful.
Love listening to George Daniel...class act all around...
I have been an All-mono euro-guy for several years now, my go-to rig is 100' of 10# mono onto backing, 4' sighter, and build whatever nymph rig you like.. forget casting just bloop it out there directly upstream, keep your rodtip down, as you lead your flies downstream, line will tighten..then at the end of drift drop your road tip and fish the rise..I get half my strikes this way. in real deep or fast water dropshot works, but most cases a #6 beadhead stone etc..gets you right down, 3x flouro is what I use for tippy. I feel everything SO well with this setup, I don't know if my hookset is more than a short lift of my forearm, a big hookset will pull you out of the strike zone..I lift on every bump, then if its a fish, you'll feel it immediately..you'll know they're hooked before they do!😆You're gently sweeping the floor..that's like a visual for the technique of euro. I'm going to spend several days in Missoula, Mt and tetons Id area MidOctober, I will be trying out an all mono streamer setup as well..Anybody have questions about my setup or some good unpressured areas over there, let me know.
This truly is a masterclass with such good anglers. George is an incredible teacher! Such good info, that covers ALL facets of euro nymphing. People pay good money to get this detailed of info. We are luck to have gotten it for free. Thanks!
Couldn't agree more!
What an amazing video..........thank you. George's instruction is superb and Tom's questions were exactly what I would have been asking. Perhaps one of the best presented fly fishing videos I have seen.
Glad it was helpful!
This is a terrific video. George is a great instructor who presents the information in an easy to understand manner. I've watched this now a few times and each time I learn a little more than before.
Tried the new ORVIS Clear Water 3wt 10' and is fantastic for the job at Euro Nymphing. Broke my tip and Orvis replaced my rod. Excelent customer service!!
Great to hear!
After reading George's two books and watching Modern Nymphing, I've switch to 'contact' nymphing 90% of the time I'm out. I've gone from catching small and infrequent fish to regularly catching +20" fish on flies that look nothing like whats in the water. Even on famed tailwaters with 'picky' fish, this technique is devastating. If you're looking to improve your catch rate, this is the way to go. And George is always available to answer questions via email, which is amazing.
same! Last week a guy dry fly fishing came down from his spot to where I was euro nymphing and he was just shaking his head in disbelief because I was vacuuming the trout.
Wow, perfectly done! The quality of the on water video, questions, graphics, and detailed insight by George - along with Tom’s questions make this one of the best instructional and specialty topic videos available today; really top notch content.
Wow, thank you!
For me, this is the best tutorial for contact nymphing. I learned a lot, though I've been utilizing this technique for years. I'm never to old to learn!
This was a really good video for me. Probably like some of the other viewers, I've already developed a line-leader-sighter set up I like for "contact nymphing", so that first section was a little too basic for where I'm at. But at about 26min, 30 sec, he starts getting into rod tip and line control. That was VERY informative for me, especially watching George demonstrate what he's talking about. I was able to understand what he was doing and what he was teaching Tom in a way I couldn't quite get from the videos I bought from TTFF (the really popular ones, if you know what they are.) They're really good too. I recommend them, but this was good in another way. George is a great communicator.
Amazing amount of information. Thank you to all who were involved in the making of this film. Really appreciate it. Cheers!
I have been following TroutBitten regards to sighter nymphing. George filled in the blanks regarding how the indicator acts with a take. Thank you to George and others for helping me improve.
I am from PA and have seen George speak a couple times. I switched to Euro nymphing and have caught more fish than I ever have before. Follow George's tips and you will too. Not to mention I am using the Orvis Clearwater 10 ft. 3 weight and love it...so easy to flip my wrist and cast with ease. Great video!
What line do you prefer?
George Daniels is a great educator I’ve learned so much from his book Dynamic Nymphing and his videos!
I will be trying for the first time this year. Thank you for the informative video. I was prepared to have to unlearn or ignore much of what I've learned traditional nymphing with a float so hopefully it won't be too painful. I definitely know how effective this is and there are some places I fish where using a float style of nymphing is nearly impossible due to the currents being so varied and the fish being so far out from where you can stand but there's always fish out there. A method like this gives me an actual chance to properly dead drift a place like that and without having to throw an enormous and noisy mend just to have a few seconds of decent drift. It's a spot just far enough out to make mending a nightmare and the current faster in close so you get almost no time for dead drift. But it's not so far out that a euro style doesn't have enough distance. This is literally perfect for that spot I'm thinking of and can't wait. Thanks again.
Excellent vid on Euro nymphing. One of the best I’ve seen. Clear and concise. Breaks down all the aspects in an easy to understand way. I love euro nymphing. It can be deadly.
Absolute best video from Orvis so far! Only difference I've seen in other videos is the part about keeping the line tight. Some recommend keeping a slight belly in the line during the drift. When the trout takes the fly it straightens the belly out thus acting like a strike indicator.
Glad it helped!
I've talked to GD about this a bit and here's what he told me (at the time): using slightly heavier flies and keeping the line tight, you feel the strike more so versus see it. 90% of the time I still see my indicator stop or move, but mostly with heavier anchor flies, I can feel the trout actually take the nymph, which adds more enjoyment to the whole technique.
From now on I'm using George's description "contact nymphing" for this fishing style.
I've found the Davy knot is excellent for tying on flies, and to eyelets (tippet rings) of all types, and also as a dropper knot that will cinch around a surgeons knot. It's strong and easy to tie.
Personally I use a Perfection loop to secure my 6" droppers above the surgeons knot. I tie up a bunch of P-looped droppers in advance and carry them in my vest at the ready.
Great vid on an excellent technique. I fish the drop shot method George highlights at 44:15. The shot on the point prevents a lot of bottom hook ups and snags, and allows me to use lighter flies, and to vary their location in the water column.
The Davy knot is great.
This was simply an amazing video! Euro nymphing has always been intimidated me but this video breaks it down perfectly!
I found that to be true. I immediately found out that if you tie the flies and use the technique(s) George teaches, after about a few days, you can catch trout within 10 min of fishing tenkara. The frenchie is THE BEST. TY Mr.Daniels! Wow!
I’ve purchased two other videos on euro nymphing, this video filled in the blanks. Thanks George for the instructions and Tom for all the good questions.
So looking forward to getting back on the water with this method. Thanks George and Tom.
such a useful technique that has treated me very well the last couple years. thanks for the refresher!
Watching again and it’s amazing how much more I am remembering. School... thanks very much
Best instruction I have seen on this subject. Thanks George.
Glad it was helpful!
Extremely well done. Worth watching over and over.
excellent!!!!! tom always breaks everything down and easy to understand for everyone...thanku..
In my opinion the video was well done! Any questions that may have come up were answered in terms of set up and how to get depth in the water column. Great job thanks!
Being from New York, i hope to run into Tom on the water at some point. Seems like a good guy to fish with.
It's the best video on the subject I can find. Sure it's made to sell fishing gear, but it's still well put together, and there are good solid lessons there. A cheat sheet we can take home would be great too!
Thank you again for a great episode. I appreciate the views of the gear being used, its a great guide for future purchases.
Loved the video. Great location and I also enjoyed Tom's willingness to learn on camera. I think its particularly relevant to have shot this on the Farmington because we deal with high water like that frequently. (Including now) One thing I'd love George's opinion on is the addition of sag from the tag ends in the sighter. Ive tried it with and without, on comp line, spey line, and even 12# maxima. It seemed to me that too many tag ends in the sight introduced some sag so I stopped using them. Anyways, thanks again for a great video on my home water.
In California its known as "Norcal Nymphing," taught by Ted Towendolly in 1920-30's, and Ted Fay paying it forward in the 40's, and continued by the late Bill Carnazzo in the 60's to 90's. So, per our Historian (Granite Bay Flycasters) this was being done before Czech Nymphing became popular in Europe. I stand by his word.
I have no doubt you are correct. There really isn't that much new under the sun.
I'm pretty much a self-taught fisherman. Sure, fairly early in my fishing career I'd been out with more experienced fisherman and picked stuff up from them. And in fairly recent years I've learned some stuff on TH-cam videos. But 90% of the stuff I know I learned on my own, mostly because for the first bunch of years I didn't have anyone to teach me.
And when I first heard about this new thing called "Czech Nymphing" I got really excited. And when I read and saw videos about it, my immediate reaction was "So what? Cripes, I've been doing this for years. I just didn't know it had a name."
For those of us who have fished nymphs for 50 years, never called it Euro nymphing , but we were doing this for years. When I learned to nymph fish in the middle 70s , I was told to use the longest ride in the lightest weight I could find. To extend the drift, and keep as much of the fly line off the water as possible. When back in the late 90s I saw guys using indicators, I wanted no part of it. It was bobber fishing! It's funny to see all these years later , what a bunch of us knew back in the 70s is popular today. Back in the middle 90s I bought a sage SP, a 9-foot in 3 weight. And basically used it for weighted nymphs on the bottom. That's because getting a 10 or 11 foot Euro Rod wasn't really available. About time this came around.
Thanks for the detailed feedback. You're right, this has been around for a long time with other names, Joe Humphreys used to promote it as well. What is key is that it is definitely something every angler should learn as it is another tool in their arsenal. Cheers
The sp was a beautiful rod. Sounds to me like you older guys learned by feeling, much like I did.
It’s absolute bullshit, so now a new generation come on board and give it a fancy trendy name. What utter crap and what does euro refer to “Europe”? It’s call nymphing full stop you wankers
What a video! The pics of the rig set up; knots used, and fly types for both the point and drop flies were key for my understanding. Pls keep this utilizing this teaching methodology as to me it is key in understanding the lessons. My best...
Glad you enjoyed it and you will much more use of animations in the future. Take care
@@newflyfisher Awesome! Thx TNFF!
Great video! One of the most comprehensive videos out, from one of the true masters. GD and his book got me hooked on this technique. A very effective technique in the Eastern Sierra's.
Awesome, thank you!
Us Farmington River guys know that you need to use more realistic flies to consistently hook up. Caddis flies are deadly and don't get used as much as you would expect. My largest brown was from the boneyard (24") on a bead head Caddis. Always have Caddis in the river and the trout gorge on them. Great video guys.
Amazing informative video explaining this technique! Love Euro Nymphing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent video! Insightful questions by Tom and entertaining thorough organized explanations by George who is very generous with his knowledge. Also appreciated the animations.Thanks guys.
George I just subscribed. I am new to fly fishing. I want to thank you cause I have the same grip when I practice casting and everyone tries to correct me. You are my teacher from here on out. Am a former Taxidermist whom learned from greats whom went above and beyond, like yourself. Thnx again, looking forward to the future. You are the BEST fly fisherman I ever seen. :)
From 10:20 to about ten-fifty, 30 seconds long, he gave the most obvious reason professional/competition trouters utilize the method. Time. Quickly able to cover a length of water with as little time "wasted" as possible. Hooks in the strike zones, not in the air or in the wrong zone of water.
Awesome video! I always pick-up something new when I watch those videos. I really like the idea of using a color indicator on the line which gives me an accurate indication of where my fly is.
Glad it was helpful!
So much to take in but now is time to give this style a lot more attention. I'll be watching this one multiple times over the next weeks as I give each instructional pointer a try. Will likely watch it streamside too, just to fix the on-river errors in technique. Tom's best advice was to be prepared to realize you are learning this from scratch as it is so different. You guys have raised your game on instruction of techniques, flies, lines, leader and tippet. Man, am I going to have spend more time on the water to master all of this! Hopefully we will be free to do so in due time this season! A question- which knot do you prefer, Tom: surgeons vs blood? I've had too many blood knot failures and am no longer confident in it and have gone to triple surgeons only. The tippet ring info was really insightful, and may save a lot of time, money and effort retying tippet. Thanks guys for an awesome episode.! One last point- the educator in me noticed one editor's oversight. In one of the line set up animations, at 14:00, the word "length" was misspelled. No worries though!
I use both knots, Rod, almost interchangeably. But with the blood I always use 5 turns and you have to be careful to tighten it properly. You may want to try the Orvis Tippe knot as well--it's probably the strongest one for trout-size tippet
@@rosenbauert I wonder if the Orvis Tippet Knot the same as the one I use. I found it on-line in a knot "shoot-out". They were calling it the "J-knot". It's supposed to be stronger than say, the triple surgeon's. I don't have enough info to know. I just went with that. I try to use the same knot all the time in the same situations so I get fairly adept with each one. I use the "Double-Davy" at the hook eye. For re-tying the dropper, I attach the new piece with an improved clinch. The Blood Knot I save for when I'm at my tying bench building a leader. It's too hard for me to tie when on the river. I don't care what anyone says. The Blood Knot is a fairly difficult knot.
That was definitely very educational and after watching this episode a few more times and taking notes I will give it a try. Thank you for this great video.
Glad it was helpful!
Been euro nymphing for e few years now and got good at it, but there is always room for improvements and new techniques. Watching the master, George Daniel, and his style, puts me back to being a rookie. Wonder if he feels the same way when he fishes with Joe Humphreys!!!
Very helpful. Thanks to all involved. Well done.
I love Tom and the Orvis company. Excellent people.
The technique is not only good for trout fishing fresh water. I’m using same concept in the salt at the beach lip. Kind of Outrigger or tight line. Definitely great information clip to only be watched once!!
Thank you for sharing!!.
Great information and fantastic video. Thanks.
Thank your sharing this fascinating and detailed description of this misunderstood technique.
You are very welcome
Great video. Love George Daniel. I have one of his books. I have not had enough opportunity to practice contact nymphing.
Thank you #Orvis #TomRosenbauer #GeorgeDaniel Love part beginning @30:40 , the whole video for sure, but this teaching part of George and Tom, Classic!
Thanks for doing this. I loved all of the instruction.❤
Awesome! Loved it. Very informative and engaging.
Hmmmmmm....pretty cool. This was a very good guide to euro style. Think I'll practice it this year....Thanks!
You should look into who George Daniels is. He's a legend 🙌. Has a few books around.
You fly guys are always trying to make fishing harder than it really is.😋
Regardless of what you call it, contact or tightline nymphing is incredibly effective and precise. You can fish a lot of water that is often ignored by other fly anglers, spin casters and bait anglers. I've pulled a lot of good sized fish out of tiny pockets, brush covered banks and difficult currents that I wouldn't have in the past with other methods.
Outstanding teaching video!
Thank you so much! That was a master class in how to teach, master class in how we should learn, master class in video production potential, master class in all aspects of this technique!!!! Now off I go to convert my drop shot spinning rod into a larger fly fly rod for the 30 lbs plus brute steelheads and salmon in the great lakes rivers😂
Thanks... Great production!
Excellent video. Full of information to get more fish in the net...thanks!...
Great video, gents-thank you. I'm looking forward to getting out on the river tomorrow to try these techniques.
Have fun!
I think the name " Contact Nymphing" that George is using is the way to name it. Maybe its origins came from Europe, but nowdays the technioque has evolved a lot. I recentli read specific book about this typed of methods, and it was called also contact nymphing. I recommend it
Buy George’s books on nymphing and particularly Strip Set on streamer fishing. I find myself retreading these books over and over for the content as well as the patterns. No fluff; just good solid fishing info!
Fabulous Video Tom 👍🎣
Great production! I love the focus on technique.
Awesome! Thank you!
This backs up Georges second book very nicely.
This was priceless thankyou so much gentlemen love this video
I'd take one fish like that rainbow once a year and be a happy man!! Great information!!!
A very well done video. This is just like
Tenkara fishing. The only difference is
Euro nymphing has a reel and tenkara
Is fixed line. The techniques with
Tenkara fishing helps me to better
Understand euro nymphing and euro
Nymphing helps me to understand
Tenkara fishing.. All in all it makes
Me become a better fly fisherman..
Great introductory video. Perfect level of detail. Thanks so much George and Tom.
I have a question about the knot used to tie the tag fly tippet onto the main tippet that’s tied to the point fly. You said to use a surgeon’s knot there. Does that require me to cut the main tippet, or is it possible to tie the tag fly tippet into the main tippet without cutting it ?
Thanks again for an excellent tutorial, you guys !
Excellent episode sharing some great techniques.
Thank you! Cheers!
Next year I will be getting euro rod but so far this year getting into fly fishing I have been having great luck with an indicator using tungsten nypths and not using any shot
When getting deep was essential, I used a 1/16th inch jig worm and it worked pretty good.
This is going to help me at my local Grand River, Ohio spot. Many fish on spinning reels but 0 with fly rod. I love the Grand though I've caught around 20 species between the Harpersfield and lake Erie amazing beauty and diversity.
Glad to help
Great video, lots of good detailed information. Thanks
Glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the education!
I just picked up a 10', 3WT Clearwater outfit and loaded the reel with Airflo clear line tipped with the Rio Technical Euro leader. On my heavily fished home waters in the Roaring Fork Valley (CO) things can be challenging between hatches. I think this will be the ticket to getting more action. One thing is certain: All my guide buddies will be calling me a cheat.
great video, extremely informative. i have to step back and laugh about how serious we are about catching trout! it is more fun when you're hooking up more!
did I enjoy this video? Absolutely!
This is how I learned to fish 40 years ago, although no sighter.
Agreed.
I don't get it. I guess I'm missing something here because I'm only seeing what I've ever done since I was old enough to fish. Seems no different from drifting a salmon egg on ultra light spinning gear without split shot. Or a worm...or fishing Tenkara. My father never had us using indicators...aka "bobbers". It was all with contact and feel and finesse. Whether drifting a stream for trout or casting a grub, a worm, a jig for bass...our fingers were always in contact very gingerly with the line and also trying to keep the lure in the "sweetspot" as long as possible. I really didn't think it was anything special or clever or innovative. I laugh at these guys taping shit to their fly lines to let them know if they got a strike...and it makes casting more difficult. To each, their own.
Nice video. I skip fly line altogether myself. Well I have a normal line on my reel but simply spool 100+ feet of 17# hi vis mono on my reel and attach tippet to that in the lengths I'm needing at the time. No irritating line leader connection to fish thru and far better sensitivity thru mono rather than fly line. Lighter overall feel.
But I'm also not fishing competitions with strange rules😎
This method is really the "original" way most people nymph fished for millennium. There are legitimate reasons indicators came into play...they work. Those who have perfected techniques using the indicator, drag free drift method of nymphing are extremely efficient at what they do. It is close to an evolved science for some.
I would like to see a comparison of expert fly fishermen using both methods, on the same water, and compare the success of both. Not putting this method down by any means but just pointing out the skill of the fisherman may be more of a factor than the chosen technique. If this becomes mainstream now, in a few years a video will be produced on the deadly advantages of strike indicators.
These guys are pretty chill about it, but generally it just comes across as snobbery. Even in this video "the indicator is doing all the work for you" - yeah, ok. I've seen guys on the river scoff and say "I don't use an indicator, just this" and show off their colored line.
I'm not out there to work, I'm out to relax and catch fish. If I find enjoyment in investing the time to practice contact/euro nymphing, great. If I get so good at it there's no point in using indicators anymore, great. But that doesn't make it a superior technique in its own right.
Well done. Great presentation. Thanks!!
Great video!
Thank you for this excellent video. George is a worthy successor to his mentor, Joe Humphreys; both are talented and generous teachers of this fine sport. Now, for a question: what brand of OX sighter material does George prefer?
He uses both Orvis and SA
This was amazing man thank you helped out a lot for sure 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
This version of Euro nymphing is pretty much the same as Tenkara. Fishing upstream working seams. Not casting beyond 25F or so.
It exactly is! Long rods, thin level line, and tippet to fly. Casting upstream and close. You just don't have the reel. everything else is the same. I would say though that the Tenkara rods are more sensitive for detecting strikes due to the softer tip. I actually use a sighter attached to my level line when using my Tenkara rod.
It is excellent and informative
that's a great explanation!
Great video, from Fishing woow ,and nature are amazing too.. Keep going , Best regards from AB. Canada .✌🍁💕🐻🐺🦌🍁👌
can you do this with a 9' 5w?
yes you can