Euro Nymphing: Purchasing Your First Euro Specific Nymphing Rod
Nearly all major brands of fly fishing rods include European specific nymphing (ESN) rod, or sometimes referred to as tactical nymphing rods, in their catalogs. Add to this that a few brands, such as Syndicate, exclusively center their product line on ESN fishing rods, and the choices are many and varied.
Euro rods can cost upwards of $1,000 or more, such as the Orvis Helios F, Thomas and Thomas Contact, Hardy Ultralite LL, and Sage ESN HD fly rods. Others can cost several hundred dollars including the Echo Shadow, Cortland Nymph Rod and Redington Strike. My ESN rods of preference are the mid-priced Orvis Recon tactical nymph series. Whether you opt for a less-expensive ESN fishing rod or a Cadillac model that will require taking out a second mortgage, one thing is for certain; these fly rods will share a few common characteristics to make them better-suited for European nymphing approaches.
However, putting Euro nymphing into practice on the water does not necessarily require an ESN specific fishing rod. As a matter of fact, I encourage anglers to simply get a start in this venture using the conventional trout fly fishing rod that they already possess. It is certainly a shame for an angler new to Euro nymphing to invest hard-earned money on an ESN-specific outfit only to learn that they do not prefer this approach to fly fishing.
I began my European nymphing journey using my old yet trusted Orvis TLS in 9’ for 5wt by simply placing a mono leader onto the reel and getting out on the water with it. This setup was certainly not the best tool for the job at hand. Nevertheless, I did catch my first trout using this approach with that setup, and within a few months of fishing this way, I was hooked and purchased my first, and still favorite, ESN fishing rod, a first generation Orvis Recon in 10 foot for 3 weight.
All of this being understood, once an angler is prepared to invest in a fly rod specifically designed for Euro nymphing, there are four crucial qualities to consider when making a purchase choice.
Length of a Euro Rod
Euro nymphing is largely a close game with most fish being hooked within twenty feet of the angler’s position. Longer rods in the 10’ and over range are crucial tools for providing the angler with just a bit more reach to keep the business end of their rig, tippet and flies, within the feeding lanes of trout. Keeping the tippet and flies in a single seam of flowing water is a crucial skill to catching fish using this method.
Having a longer rod places the angler at a huge advantage achieving this. However, there is a limit so don’t go running out there thinking of purchasing a fly rod that can scratch the surface of the moon! The more distance placed between the flies and the angler drastically cuts down on detecting takes.
Consider basic physics. When a trout eats an angler’s nymph, that energy must travel through the tippet to the sighter, up the leader and down the rod to the angler’s hand on the cork. An extraordinarily long rod will make detecting this subtle take all that more challenging as the energy has longer to travel and weaken resulting in missed opportunities. So, rod length is really a balance of enough reach to present flies effectively to fish coupled with detecting subtle takes that are first seen in the sighter and second felt through the rod.
I am six feet tall with a longer torso and wingspan. As a result, I prefer fishing 10-foot ESN rods in 2-weight and 3-weight that provide me with enough reach, casting and line control and strike detection to catch fish. Shorter anglers might find greater success using ESN rods in the 10.5-foot to 11-foot range.
Unfortunately we cannot take fly rods for a test drive on the water like we can bicycles and cars, so as a first time ESN rod buyer knowing the proper length can be tricky. I suggest asking a fishing buddy that owns a Euro rod to take their rig for a spin while on the water together before making a final purchase. This might provide the exact intel necessary to choose the right length for your new fishing rod that fits your height and abilities.
Finally, an unusually long rod will place unnecessary stress on an angler’s shoulder. Achieving an extra 6-12 inches of reach is not worth risking chronic injury such as tendonitis or rotator cuff inflammation caused by overuse. And, of course, proper posture and fishing mechanics is the most important factor for remaining comfortable and healthy on the water.
Sensitive Tip, Strong Butt
Now before readers start jumping to all kinds of inappropriate conclusions after reading the subtitle above, let’s clarify that we are still discussing fishing rods!
A conventional 8-9-foot fly rod is too short and too stiff, largely lacking the sensitivity necessary for Euro nymphing approaches. ESN fly rods are designed and built with ultra sensitive tips for three reasons.
The first reason for tip sensitivity is for detecting subtle takes when trout eat the flies. Again, this sensitivity allows for that tiny amount of energy to travel the distance back to the angler’s eyes and hands. Every tick on the bottom can be felt easily when using a well constructed ESN rod. This is very important when presenting our flies a few inches off of the bottom and in the feeding lanes of trout.
Second, longer, more sensitive rods also provide a skilled angler the ability to fish lighter flies deeper while still maintaining direct contact with the nymphs to see then feel subtle takes. The ultra sensitive tips on ESN rods also provide the angler exceptional control, guiding nymphs into seams and pockets and around structure when presenting the flies. Of course these are casting and presentation skills that take years and years of practice to master. But when performing any challenging task the job at hand is always easier when using the proper tools.
The final reason tip sensitivity is so important to Euro nymphers is to protect light tippets when playing fish. Typically European nymphing is done in small to medium-sized waterways fishing for average-sized trout in the 6-15-inch range.
However, there are times when Euro nymphers stick a bruiser and they are likely fishing 5X, 6X or even 7X tippet. As that 18-incher head shakes, dives under an undercut root ball, or goes on a downstream drag-burning blitz, a lot of stress is placed on that light tippet material. A sensitive tip section follows the fish and bends with every surge, head shake and run better protecting the lightest of tippet materials.
ESN rods are not designed like an average lightweight fly rod despite being labeled as 2-weight, 3-weight and 4-weight. As previously discussed, these weight labels largely match the sensitive and soft tips. However, the reality is that a 2-weight or 3-weight ESN fishing rod is more indicative to a 5-weight or 6-weight standard fly rod in the butt section. Each manufacturer of ESN rods designs this transition differently, but rest assured that a well-designed and constructed Euro nymphing rod will have a stiff and strong butt section for battling larger fish in heavy water. There are times when anglers are fortunate and hook into a toad of a trout. The stiff butt section constructed into ESN rods provides the power needed for an angler to strategically place side pressure to turn that bruiser and fight him or her into the net.
Euro Rod Weight
In the world of fly fishing, weight refers to the line size that a rod is designed to be paired with and not how much the stick actually weighs. Even so, well constructed fly rods, especially ESN rods that are 10-plus feet long, need to be physically light in hand, too, in order to reduce angler fatigue, prevent injury and increase fishing stamina.
High end ESN rods will not only be longer than standard fly rods but also light and balanced. The physical weight of the rod, often referenced as swing weight, will be designed and constructed from the highest quality materials, largely carbon fibers and resins. Orvis is so secretive about their Helios rod series materials that they will not even name exactly what it is. However, they do claim that it is the lightest, most accurate, and strongest rod blank on the market today and this technology, of course, comes with a hefty price tag.
Rod recovery is a crucial component built into the weight and action of well-designed ESN fly rods. Recovery, as Josh Miller explains, is how quickly a rod returns to the resting, straight position after being cast. Miller illustrates in his book Euro Nymphing: Tips, Tactics and Techniques, “A fly rod that vibrates excessively during casting can make it less accurate, especially when using light leaders. The rod should come back to its natural position quickly after casting.”
It is clear and easily conceptualized why quick rod recovery is so important when put into practice on the water. A fly rod that continues to vibrate, bounce and shimmy transfers this same energy into the leader and ultimately into the sighter. A sighter that is dancing, dipping and diving near the onset of a drift will make it challenging or even impossible to detect onset takes. Strike detection relies on a sighter that remains stable with smooth travel through the course of the drift. Rod recovery and angler skill function hand in hand to create controlled, drag free drifts.
ESN fly rods, at least based on what I have seen and are practical, are offered in only three weights, 2, 3 and 4. In my opinion, the 4-weight ESN rod is too heavy. It has a place for fishing very heavy nymphs in big water and can likely handle indicator setups better. The 4-weight ESN rod will cast dry flies more effectively and even be used for fishing lighter streamers. However, for my preference, the 4-weight ESN rod is impractical for nearly all nymphing applications that I encounter on my home waters in Pennsylvania. Consequently, I own and fish two ESN fly rods, both Orvis Recons, in 2-weight and 3-weight.
Benefits of a 2-Weight Euro Rod — Proficiency and Deftness
When fishing shallow, skinny water and small streams, which incidentally is a whole lot of trout water in Pennsylvania, and most other states in the Mid-Atlantic Region, the 2-weight ESN rod is what I opt for. The 2-weight is incredibly light and sensitive providing exceptional control when guiding and presenting flies in shallow riffles and pocket water. The 2-weight also excels when fishing light tippets and small flies. The ultra sensitivity built into these rods will act like a shock absorber giving and flexing when playing a fish and protecting light tippets.
To me, there is nothing more enjoyable than picking apart a shallow riffle using 7X tippet and a single nymph on my 2-weight Euronymphing fly rod. When targeting smaller fish in skinny or small-stream water, the 2-weight is the ideal tool.
Notwithstanding, the 2-weight does possess a few cons and is not the right tool in all situations. Foremost, the 2-weight is going to lack the fish-fighting backbone when targeting larger than average trout in deeper, heavier water. Fishing 4x and 5x tippets with larger flies in deep water will likely feel clunky andunnatural. Finally, a slow action 2-weight is going to have far less reaction time, delaying hook sets in deeper water
Benefits of a 3-Weight Euro Rod — Versatility
If an angler is going to own just one ESN fly rod then it needs to be a 3-weight. Josh Miller coins the 3-weight “The All Rounder.” Throughout the early and mid spring season, I most often fish my 3wt ESN rod.
The 3-weight is more adept at handling tan-dem nymph rigs, heavier flies like egg patterns and wooly buggers and running split shot. A light indicator rig can be fished successfully on a 3-weight as well as a heavier drop shot rig.
The 3-weight ESN rod might just be the best tool for fishing a dry/dropper rig in tight quarters on small streams than any other fly rod type out there. A close fishing buddy of mine, Billy Hildabrand, almost exclusively swings and strips Woolly Buggers on his 3-weight Cortland Nymph Euro rod, and he catches a lot of trout doing this.
Of course, with the ability to fish heavier flies deeper, the 3-weight ESN rod has more backbone to land larger-than-average trout in faster water. There really are no glaring red flags about the 3-weight Euro nymph rod. It is the jack of all trades ESN rod and the one that every nymph fisherman should purchase and fish first.
A Few Words on Line Guide Placements and Fighting Butts
Before I became a dedicated Euro nymph angler, I never considered the placement of the line guides on the fly rods that I fished. However, when I started Euro nymphing, I immediately did as a result of line sag. The loops of monofilament leader material that forms in between the guides on a Euro specific nymphing fly rod is called line sag. And these loose loops of leader material separates the angler from contacting his or her flies. Line sag and fly separation is really, really bad when trying to detect strikes or stick hook sets.
When choosing a Euro rod, make sure that the stripping guide is mounted on the butt section of the rod closer to the reel seat. This placement of this first guide eliminates line sag throughout the length of the ESN fishing rod.
Most contemporary ESN fly rods are equipped with a small fighting butt. There may be times, albeit quite rare for me, when this extension to the rod grip assists fighting and landing a large fish. More importantly, the fighting butt placed on ESN rods helps balance the rod and reel near the middle-front of the cork.
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