Into the Backing Ep. 9: Is Euro Nymphing Really Fly Fishing?

Today, we're kicking off season two with a relatively light-hearted conversation about Euro Nymphing and its perception in the fly fishing industry. A hot topic around the fly-tying counter, Euro Nymphing is viewed by some as the most effective form of fly fishing, while others argue it’s not fly fishing at all. I thought it would be interesting to invite some of fly fishing's strongest personalities for a friendly discussion on why this controversy exists.
In this episode, I sit down with Kelly Galloup, George Daniel, and Nick Taransky to hear their thoughts on whether Euro Nymphing is truly fly fishing.

Into the backing is an Anchored Outdoors production.

[andrewwebster]

Who the hell would send hate mail to George Daniel for God sake…guys super strait laced and polite all the time. Complete opposite of Kelly hahaha I had to slide that one in!

[rogerbird]

When I saw that this was going to happen, I knew it was going to be a hoot, and April, you didn't disappoint! Lots of great comments here from your panel, and I think as everyone said, the bottom line is catching fish. The lesson learned is that the more techniques you have in your toolbox, the better you will be. Not every situation is the same, and you need to be able to adapt in order to be successful. Also, as the old saying goes, "Variety is the spice of life!" Great job, April, and I look forward to next months presentation.

[houserjm]

Finally getting to watch this! I'm a Pennsylvania angler so of course I love GD and a big streamer fan so of course KG is a favorite too! Great to hear them together in one place! Thank you April!

[workhardplayhard]

Personally I don't mind sitting and waiting for the fish to develop a rising rhythm. The secret is to have a proper fish whistle. 😉

[glencamblin]

Fantastic pod April. Kelly’s always a blast when I go in the shop and I throw out the “ where’s the soulless bin “ Comment.

[bobwyatt]

Nice pod, April. George and Kelly nail it. But if you used split shot and egg "flies' with a spinning rod, would it be fly fishing? The euro nymphing strategies and tackle are a shot jump from what the Brits call "trotting". Tackle is basically the same, just no maggots. Hard to beat a take on top, though😇.

[cs]

Fun podcast! Listening to this, someone who has never euro nymphed might get the impression that you can catch fish at will. Maybe in some spots, but most of the places where I regularly fish are pressured, and your technique has to be decent just to get a few fish.

[matstaley]

I went nymphing today on my local river in a spot only accessible from private property down a steep canyon through thick brush and caught 12 rainbows in 30 minutes. It's about the experience and the solitude of a lonely place. When the fish aren't rising, start nymphing.

[paulwonsavage]

I rarely spend time on social media or listening to podcasts. I do really enjoy yours April! I agree with so much that was said here. I believe my following comments were said by all... I enjoy casting too much, so mono nymphing isn't for me... I don't really care if someone fishes a certain way as long as it's legal (I don't however, believe "as long as one doesn't get caught" thing. A comparison would be harvesting fish in a no harvest area.)... In crowded technical rivers, such as the Delaware in the East, it can be tough to watch someone put down rising fish by monoing a run...I don't think that my ego talking.

[canadiangemstones]

Fly fishermen should read Thoreau, who said: “Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.”

[hikesteepfishhigh]

i fish what is appropriate for the water im fishing. i grew up traditional flyfishing but learned to tight line nymphs with a mono rig many years ago. i saw some older guys in a creek using mono on flyrods to tight line salmon eggs and started tight lining nymphs the same way. it works very well in creeks and rivers but not too well on tiny creeks or lakes.
the last couple of years ive learned alot from George Daniels and have adapted my nymphing equipment micro mono rig, 6x tippet and tungston but i still traditional fly fish a majority of the time as im a 90% sierra nevada backcountry fisherman. mostly lakes and small creeks.
imo its much harder to learn tightline nymphing than traditional fly fishing. especially if like George, old dominion trout bum and a few others stress; your actually learning to cast the micro mono rig and not lob it like the majority do.
unfortunately or maybe fortunately the rainbow warrior and flashy perdigons do not produce in the waters I fish. olive and black ones do but I mainly use tungsten flashback pheasant tails and gold ribbed hares ears or a similar jigged variation like a blowtorch or sexy waltz worm.

[johnklabunde]

one thing you didn't mention is having the total outdoor experience while fishing the different fly fishing styles. a trophy fish can still be a 5 inch fish too. there is also other wildlife to enjoy and notice . The only person you have to impress is yourself at the end of the day, what others say and do should not enter your mind.

[peterfetzer]

It’s called Fly Fishing not Line Casting Fishing. If you’re using an artificial fly to catching fish it’s Fly Fishing.

[tlkmair]

Concerning motive, what about the guys who only throw spinners?
I met a guy throwing spinners on a difficult river. In our conversation he said he couldn't catch anything on Flys. Once he started throwing spinners he started catching fish. If I'm being honest I had an urge to go by an ultralight spinning system.

[academicmailbox]

There's an old British black and white television episode with Oliver Kite, a Welsh fly angler from a distant past now. Where he exchanges flies with a visiting French fly angler in Britain. There's a big ceremony (kind of like when visiting world leaders exchange gifts to signify relations between different countries). And if one doesn't understand this French and British angling thing, was a thing way back. Consider the tackle company of Enright from Castleconnell in Ireland, one of the sons of whom won a fly casting competition in Paris around the time Teddy Roosevelt was creating his national park infrastructure in north America). Oliver Kite around fifty years after, exchanges his fly gifts with the visiting French person. The French side offered the most exquisite box of hand made dry flies you've ever seen. And in exchange, Oliver said to the French angler. This is the best fly here, and gave the French man a hook with some copper wire wrapped around it.

[benhuffstuff]

April, you talk about questioning people’s motives when catching a lot of fish. Isn’t the point of going fishing to catch fish? I do mostly Euro because it is more effective at catching fish. What is the problem with that? I do a lot of different types of fishing including Stillwater, streamers and the occasional dry fly fishing. But I mostly do Euro because it is more effective. I had a fishing hole I liked where I had caught a couple of fish and when I learned how to euro with the help of Olsen/Egan video I ended up catching 4x the amount of fish in the same hole. Anyhow, great topic! Loved hearing Galloup’s comments especially. All of your comments really……who cares as long as you aren’t a jerk? Thanks for the great content!

[helok]

Let’s see, there’s a fly reel, a fly rod, a fly, a fly line, leader, tippet. Sounds like fly fishing to me. Haters are gonna hate.

[NickMorgan]

If I euro nymph I don’t catch any fish. Best of both worlds

[tomgower]

It's not what you catch It's how you catch it, the tug is the drug. I still think dry fly fishing is the ultimate high.

[runjosh]

I haven't tried euro nymphing yet, but I don't see why anyone should discourage others from giving it a shot. I prefer to form my own opinions based on personal experience and stick with it if I enjoy it. Simple as that. From what I've seen in videos, I think I'd lean toward a slower, more traditional approach—letting the mystery of what's underwater unfold naturally. For me, the imagination and anticipation are key parts of the experience, rather than relying solely on sighting and waiting for the bite every 20 seconds.