Getting Started with Euro Nymphing Leaders

In my last blog, What is Euro Nymphing?, I established that having an appropriate leader is going to be a huge factor in your success with this style of fly fishing. If you’ve done any research online, you’ve probably found a multitude of different leader formulas. If you’re new to the technique or if you’re new to leader tying in general, it can be confusing and intimidating to sift through the information and find something that is going to work for you. There really is no “right” or “wrong” leader formula, but there are a few constants that I think are really important to being successful while Euro nymphing. I’ll discuss a few different leader materials, a few basic formulas, and options for pre-tied leaders as well. Personal preference will dictate what you end up gravitating towards, but this will be enough to get you started and provide a solid base to work from.

Euro Leader Basics

With traditional fly fishing setups, your leader is crucial in turning over your fly and providing a good presentation. With Euro nymphing leaders, achieving the correct presentation is still the goal, but the idea of turning over your flies becomes less important. Here are the most important considerations in building or purchasing your Euro nymphing leaders.

• Length: The first thing that you’re going to need to make sure you keep in mind is that Euro nymphing leaders need to be much longer than traditional leaders. This is crucial to the execution of most Euro nymphing techniques. Euro nymphing is so effective because it eliminates many sources of drag in your drift. By having a long leader that you can hold off the water with little sag, you can begin to fish water that will be difficult to fish with more traditional setups, such as a 9 foot 5 weight. To stay legal in Pennsylvania fly fishing only waters, your leader can’t exceed 18 feet. If you are not bound to that regulation, I would use a leader that terminates between 20 and 25 feet. 

• Diameter and Mass: If you are strictly fishing nymphs and are not crossing over into dries or streamers, a good rule of thumb is that the lightest and thinnest leader you can effectively cast will be best. This allows you to fish lighter nymphs at greater distances while still maintaining a good drift. The down side to this is that the lighter and thinner your leader is, the more difficult it is to cast, and ultimately, the less versatile it becomes. The better your casting skill, the lighter you can go. If you are fishing heavier flies in deeper or faster water, you can get away with using a thicker leader with no problems. 

• Tapers...or not: Whether or not you use a level or tapered leader for Euro nymphing boils down to personal preference, but there are pros and cons to both. A tapered leader, whether knotless or knotted, will cast similarly to a standard leader. The shorter your transitions are, the more dramatic the “roll-over” effect will be that you have with standard leader. A level leader is not going to have that “roll over” effect, but I have an easier time with tuck casts and controlling my flies entry into the water with no taper, or a much less dramatic taper. Experimenting with taper is something that even very accomplished anglers will continue to tinker with. You can make this as complicated or as simple as you’d like. When getting started, I suggest using the taper of a pre-tied leader from Rio, or just use a level leader if you want to tie your own. From there, you can learn how to Euro nymph and have the rest of your fishing career to make adjustments and play with tapers. 

• Sighter Material: Sighter Material is simply bright, multicolored leader material that is used to provide anglers a visual during the drift. This will act as your strike indicator but will also help you to gauge depth and drift speed. In general, it is going to range in any size from 0x-4x. I just match the diameter of my sighter to the terminal end of my leader. Thicker sighter is much easier to see, but be sure that your sighter isn’t thicker than the rest of your leader or you will get a weird effect in your cast. Your sighter could be as long or as short as you want, but 3 ft is a good happy medium. You can also tie blood knots into your sighter and snip the tags end a little long, giving you a more obvious visual. 

• Tippet Rings: Tippet rings are essential as they allow you to change tippet diameters and presentations while simply using clinch knots. They are tied on at the end of the sighter and will be what you tie your terminal tippet on. In addition to convenience, they also provide a good break off point that will prevent you from ruining your leader when snagged. For the most part, you will be using tippet that is thinner and weaker than your sighter, so you almost never lose the tippet ring when breaking off - saving you material and headaches on the water.

• Tippet: Based on conditions, you should use a straight piece of tippet material ranging from 4x-7x. Length could be anywhere from 3 to 6 feet or more based on water depth and a number of other factors. For most of my fishing, 6x is my go to, but I will often go a little lighter or heavier if a situation calls for it. Refrain from using two different sized tippets when tying on a dropper, as you will get a better and more predictable drift with a consistent diameter throughout. I prefer fluorocarbon for its abrasion resistance, but nylon will work as well and is considerably cheaper. 

Leader Building Materials

If you plan on tying your own leaders, there are a few materials and products that work exceptionally well for the demands of Euro nymphing. I’m giving a list of preferred items below, but as always, you can make substitutions based on what you have available and what you prefer. 

• Maxima Chameleon: This is by far my favorite material for the butt section of the leader all the way down to the sighter. This is a brown nylon monofilament that is considerably stiffer than your run of the mill fishing line. This stiffness is very important because it doesn’t maintain a memory as much as other materials, which will prevent kinks and coils in your leader. Because you will be fishing with your leader more so than your fly line, having a straight piece of line to work with will save some headaches. Also, the stiffness of this material helps reduce sag, which is a major culprit of causing a bad drift.

• Amnesia: Amnesia is fluorescent monofilament that is available in a few different colors. It has some of the same properties as Maxima Chameleon, and can be used as a substitute or in conjunction with your Maxima. It is essentially a high vis option for butt sections and in smaller diameters could even replace your sighter.

• Tippet Rings: At the end of the day, any brand of tippet rings will do the trick. Be sure to inspect your tippet rings for sharp edges or anything that could cause abrasions in your connections. If your brand of tippet rings consistently has flaws, try another until you get some good consistency. I’ve used Orvis and Angler’s Image with no issues in the past. Also, go with the smallest tippet ring you can comfortably work with.

• Tippet: Use your preferred brand of fluorocarbon tippet. I love Trout Hunter tippet because it comes in half sizes and 50 m spools. Everybody will have their own opinion here, so use what you have and what you like until you find a reason to switch. 

Simple leader formulas to get started:

I’ve done a good bit of messing around with leaders and have found that level leaders are a great place to start. I still do most of my nymph fishing with long level butt sections. The key here is to use a diameter of butt section that you can handle casting. The thicker the line, the easier it will cast. As you become more proficient, experiment with lighter and thinner leaders. Attach all monofilament sections with blood knots, and use clinch knots for any tippet ring connection. 

If you want more versatility in your presentation in terms of quickly switching to dries more easily, check out the second formula. This taper allows for slightly easier dry fly casting in a setup that still favors nymphing. This is great for that unexpected hatch. 

 As a side note, these are not my original leader designs, but simply what I find effective and simple. These are variations of Lance Egan and Devin Olsen's leader designs that are commonly used. 

Pre-tied Knotless Euro Nymphing Leaders

If you have no interest in tying a leader, or simply want to get started more quickly, there are many pre packaged ready to go leaders that will work. Rio has been making a Euro leader for a long time and other companies are also starting to follow suit. These options are all viable and are what I started with years ago. I have come to really prefer to tie my own level, or slightly tapered leaders but until you develop a sense of what you prefer, these are a great way to get started. 

Thanks for the read. As always, feel free to comment or contact me with your thoughts or questions!

Frank Landis

TCO Boiling Springs

frank@tcoflyfishing.com

IG:frankflyfishes