Must Have Euro Flies
Euro nymphing and Tightlining is becoming very popular in the States these days. For good reason, these fishing techniques catch fish! Like all other forms of nymphing the best place to catch fish is moving water. The seams and pockets created by moving water are primary target.
As two currents meet, small pockets of slower water form beneath the surface. These areas act as a place for fish to hang out and conserve energy, as well as a direct feeding lane where fish await foriage as they wash down the currents of the river. Euro Flies are just the trick in these situations.
Czech
These are some of the original patterns that all others have been developed from through the years. Split Shot is not allowed in competition, so these flies were developed with Tungsten beads in their design. Tungsten is super dense; way denser than brass or lead. Because it's so heavy for its size, this is a great way to eliminate split shot even in a non competitive situation. When fishing with tungsten, vibration transfers right through your line and rod right into your finger tips.
Jig flies
Jig nymphs are euro flies that are tied on jig hooks, so they ride with the hook point in an upright position. Jig hooks are popular in Europe for many reasons, not least of which is you get less snags. You’ll find some great looking flies like the Sexy Betty to or the Hare’s Ear.
Perdigon
Perdigons were first developed by the Spanish competitive fly-fishing team but were really popularized by the French. These simple nymphs epitomize what I look for in good fly design. Perdigon nymphs have a sparse tail, thin body, and a coated hard shell. Due to their design, they sink like rocks and get down in the water column quickly. High sticking pocket water? The Perdigon line up is what you want in your nymph box.
Popular patterns
At RiverBum, you can find many different patterns of Euro flies. Our more popular patterns include the Euro Jig Prince Nymph, which tied on a tungsten bead jig for a hook up nymphing approach that lets you reach the bottom without snagging. It is commonly used with a tightlining rig and Czech nymph patterns.
If you are looking for Euroflies to add to the tightlining patterns, Czech Nymph Depth Charge is one of more popular patterns. You can also use The Violator. This is one of our more popular Perdigon flies and a personal favorite. When it comes to fly color, I am partial to purple, which is the most visible color in the water column…..but that’s a whole other blog for another day.
