ok what did I do wrong ,,lol

So i was out this past saterday and made a effort to try this euro nyphing setup a try. I tried Aarons 2 fly setup from the video. the top fly kept wrapping (spirialing up) up around the rest of the leader. after about 20 mins of unwinding the line before every cast I went back to my old setup that im more confident in. You have to be confident in what your fishing, not that im not confident in the setup i know all you guys are catching fish. Im just not really sure about how you keep everything from getting all wrapped up. There is a learning curve in this i understand that, and I'll just have to make a effort to put more time in I guess.

Jfet,

There are many tricks to keeping dropper tags from tangling, however, 3 of the best are:

1, Use a thicker leader(if presentation permits!)...I learned this stillwater fishing... 2x, 3x, or 4x, tangles WAY less than 5 or 6x (also different brands of leader material twist less)

2, Put the heaviest fly on the point when you are first learning to cast Euro nymphing rigs.

3, Tie the dropper using a triple surgeons(the lower tag) (make it about 4-8 inches in length) and put a half hitch in the dropper tag before you tie the dropper fly on. ---NOTE: if conditions require that you must fish 5-7x, than perhaps skip the half hitch, as it might possibly weaken the knot's breaking strength...


there are other tips and/or factors that help you avoid tangles(like pronating your cast a little) but try these three first

cheers
Pete

The dropper usually un twists in the water after the cast. It just comes outta the water looking FUBAR but your probably OK with what you were doing. Follow Pete's directions and you should have no Problems.

Hey thanks guys that is one of my goals for this season , to get a lock on this euro nymphing thing. knowing me I'm over analyzing the whole thing. The whole thing about the thicker tippet makes alot of sense being that i mostly allways use 5 or 6 x .So i guess ill be going shoping. as far as the brand i use frog hair and that stuff does seem to be very supple ,whats a stiffer brand in your experience (I'm talking about fluorocarbon tippet).

Jay,

that is the million dollar question! The only answer I can give you is that you have to try the different brands of tippet to see what you like. I am a big Stren fan for my river leaders, but I have also noticed that airflow G3 does not tangle nearly as much as other flouros...at least on my stillwater rigs. http://www.airflofishing.com/product...m/75/yes/47220

A lot of the guys on TeamUSA like george daniel use frogs hair...

it is really up to you..

anyone else reading this thread care to share your personal preferences on good tippets?


cheers
Pete

I realize I am in the minority with this answer, but I find tying tags with a blood knot twist less than a surgeons. May just be me though.

I use the Seaguar Abrazx after going through many brands. If cost was not a factor, probably go with Frog Hair. I have not tried AirFlo for several years though and sure the product has changed since last time I used.

Kaz,

I agree, I used blood knots for years, and they seem to twist less than surgeons knots, although the half hitch added to a surgeons helps to kick the line out to the side like a blood knot does

also, I found that over the years, when my nymphs got hung up and I had to break them off...that the blood knots broke much more often than surgeons. (thus only loosing one fly)

However, when using 3x or greater , it is probably just personal preference--- knot strength is probably not a factor imo...

I have found the same thing as Kaz. The Seguar Abraz-X Tangles up less, but the diameter is slightly larger than the RIO that I use most often. I use the RIO because they make it in 6X. If the Abraz-X came in the same diameters as the RIO 5 and 6X, I would use that. The major reason why I still use the RIO is that I believe that you should be intimately familiar with the tippets that you are using for the EU methods. For example, the flies sink much differently when you change diameters. For this simple reason, it is imperative to stay with a tippet brand and sizes so that you know is going to happen when you pitch those nymphs into the stream.

As for the knots, a blood knot does tangle up much less, but I can tie a double surgeons know in a fraction of the time as I can a blood knot.

I also think that the hydrology beneath the surface unravels the dropper when it's drifting downstream. Again, this is just a theory.

Other than use of 5 or 6x , my preference is P-line Halo FC.
Tectan is also a good line.

DW

As per Davys suggestion at the clinic last year I have used the P line 4 lb test and I like it a lot. Aaron told me about the Abrazx and it is tough to beat. I also like Petes suggestion of half hitching the tag to achieve more perpendicularity. I learned another trick from Davy, when the dropper tag gets short from changing flies, trim the remaining tag off leaving the remnants of the surgeons knot and then Davy knot a new tag section above the trimmed surgeons knot. Some times if I snap off the tippet and all that is left is the dropper, I Davy knot a 20 inch tippet section above the surgeons knot and I have a new point. section. I like these quick onstream solutions.