"Leading" in Long Line Euro Methods

[Mantis]

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[Dr. BlueDun]

That's some of the mystery involved with euro-nymphing. I had tried to use this approach (poor success with "euro leaders") nonetheless successful on fish take. I do agree with your evaluation of needing to make some changes--but simply put how many times do you have to adapt the length of your leader to fit certain situations. I know that if I am locked into euro style on a particular day and I have tried for 45-60 minutes without success I certainly would be changing tippets for a longer length and a heavier dropper. My eye is on the "sighter" and I do my mending as dictated by the stream speed. "Leading" the fly is a condition I haven't really thought of I guess what I do after all these years is "instinctive?" "Doc"

[pete erickson]

for me, I continue to lead the team of flies when long line Euro-Nymphing, granted there will be some crossing of feeding lanes, but it is still imperative to stay "in contact" with the rig or team...

dont forget, sometimes a nympher MUST lead the flies IN ORDER to achieve a drag free dift...depending on the river currents. Having options is the key...

[Jkilroy]

So Pete,
When you long line nymph, is the leader still tight as it is in short line nymphing or "Polish"? Do you use the coiled sighter on those applications?

[AaronJasper]

Don't think that the curly is the only thing to use for bite detection. You can also use straight mono. As for leading the flies the correct way... Practice, practice, practice and then more practice. Fishing is the only thing that will tell you if you are doing it right, of course you can video yourself as well. All that leading the flies is keeping the slack out of your line so that your indicator is able to register even the slightest take. Just manage the slack properly!

[pete erickson]

JK,

Obviously all of this stuff is subjective and based on the individual nympher's "style" and I must confess, I have sat and watched World Class Europeans for countless hours, nymph on their home rivers, and they each have a unique style that fits their own personality or shall we say philosophy...That said, there are some principles that if followed can lead to unbelievable break throughs in catch rates for most of us...

that was my disclaimer :-\

the answer to your question imho is that it is basically impossible to keep the same line control (or tension) when long lining as compared to Polish short lining---otherwise everyone would be long lining right? however, one can still lead the flies to a certain extent when long lining. some of the beauties of short line Polish nymphing are the control, hook setting, accuracy, efficiency, fish landing ease, and of course the awesome presentation advantages---like the nymphs traveling toward the fish without crossing different feeding lanes---yum yum

as far as using a slinky (coiled indicator) I dont always use one---especially if I feel like I need closer contact with the flies...I do use them a lot however...

[pete erickson]

heading home for the night....

cheers dudes

[Mantis]

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[Mantis]

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[Bret Bishop]

Mantis,
This is an interesting thread and it seems like your last question wasn't addressed. I know it is a month late but I am new to TPO.

Anyway, the answer is yes. In fact, you should constantly adjust your lead speed to accommodate the changing environment you are fishing. Think of your approach as dynamic and each cast as a question. You have only found an answer when you connect to a fish. Ultimately lead speed is dictated by the current, the depth, the flies weight, and the fish behavior. Play with it until you dial it in. If you are confident there are fish present then keep tweaking. Just don't get stuck with hard and fast rules about lead speed. Good luck... and go fish.