What have forum members found, recommend, warn against etc. when trying Czech/Euro Nymphing as a part of their tenkara angling?
I’m interested in tactics, rod selection, rigging etc…anything and everything you know.
I still need to experiment more with multi-fly setups. One of my fishing buddies uses them on a regular basis.
For me the biggest hangup is the pun…and loosing more than one fly.
A close second is the rigging. Mostly my intent is to deliver a midge…and I have not found a rigging that I can easily setup in the field. The biggest challenge is my eyesight…and just all round experience with really tiny flies.
The overall deterrent has been the complexity of the presentation and the stress it causes compared to a single fly presentation.
Most of my fixed line fishing happens in the winter…so I am really interested in the topic and will be curious on what other peeps post.
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Tips on most Tenkara rods are too light for Czech nymphing techniques. I use stout Keiyru fixed line rods for this method. I almost always us a single fly too.
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I don’t do anything that could rightly be called czech nymphing, but there are a number of photos online of various rigs for czech nymphing with tenkara.
I do nymph a fair amount, mainly a dry/dropper set up, or sometimes just dead drifting a nymph on its own.
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Here’s what has worked for me:
Use a rod with a stiff tip. Use a Seaguar knot to attach a second fly.
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Thanks so much Tom for all your thoughts and shares. Very useful.
Interesting thread.
I am very interested in the Czech nymph style. I bought a book earlier in the year published in the Czech Republic. It gives a very good insight into the method as the input is all by well known Czech Fly fishermen. It was first published in 2007. It is called,
Czech Nymph
and other related fly fishing methods
Third edition
By
Karel Krivanec and Friends
You can still buy copies here in the UK.
If you are a fly tyer this book gives you plenty of patterns.
I am not sure if it is available in the USA
David
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Paul and John at Discover Tenkara have probably written more than others about nymph fishing with tenkara rods. With Chris/Tenkarabum, Tom Davis, and a few other people adding additional thoughts on the method. Or producing tenkara rods that favor this method of fishing.
New Fly Fisher YTC posted this video a few weeks back, fishing with western fly rods. But I think a lot of the tips or techniques presented are easily adapted for tenkara or the stream reading information will be useful information to know.
Euro Nymphing | How To with George Daniel
•Premiered Apr 18, 2020
In this very detailed and educational video, host Tom Rosenbauer is instructed by George Daniel on the essentials of Euro Nymphing. This deadly and effective technique for nymph fishing for trout is a method all fly fishers should learn to enhance their catch ratio.
George Daniel’s blog:
https://www.livinonthefly.com/blog
DT’s blog post on this topic from a year ago:
https://www.discovertenkara.com/blog/tenkara-nymphing/
Tenkara Nymphing: Tenkara in Focus S3 Ep1
•Apr 16, 2019
Small Water Tenkara Nymphing Tenkara Tracks/Paul V.
•Oct 14, 2018
Thanks everyone. Midwinter here - all rivers/creeks are banned from trout fishing - will be restarting again in September, and will try to get out with a Euronymphing mate who provides tips and suggestions that I modify to fixed line. He loves the Frenchie nymph, but I like a bit of diversity and so carry a number of different wet flies with me when fixed line nymphing.
Dr. Tom Davis’ recent Contact Nymphing videos inspired a friend and I to do some winter nymphing. I tied up some Red Darts and built a tapered fluorocarbon line. For my 390 cm rod I used 2 feet of orange #3.5, 4 feet of chartreuse #3.0 then 3 feet of 10lb (.010 - 1X) Seguar fluoro, and 3 feet of Maxima 6lb (.0748 ~3X) fluoro ending with a tippet ring. I tied in 4 Keiryu yarn markers above the tippet ring, then I tied in a little over 3 feet of 5x tippet.
After 3 days of little precipitation the water had dropped to a wadable-fishable level of 250 CFS on a small wilderness river at an elevation of 417 feet in a 73 square mile drainage with headwaters at 5000’. In a steady rain, with an air temp of 35°F and water temp of 39°F (man that was cold!), my friend and I fished for 2 1/2 hours. Using Red Darts and Sqirmy Worms my friend landed over 1/2 dozen Rainbow trout from 8" to 12". I landed 3 trout (I’m slow and take the time to log each catch); with the first one 15" and 2 more at 12" each.
I was very impressed with how easy it was to follow the clear fluoro line with Keiryu yarn markers. They were much more visible than the high-viz Tenkara lines, and adjustable for depth.
Anyone else using clear lines with Keiryu markers for Tenkara unweighted flies and-or nymphing?
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Oh sure. PB Rainbow was taken with a Oni Honyru and fishing Keiryu style. 5/32 Tungsten bead at the head of a Caddis imitation, sighters and clear line. On a heavily fished portion of the Little Truckee.
I also use the same technique but with a Pokee (Chinese brand marketed in China) 5.4m zoom rod to fish for panfish in the local pond. Get the occasional massive hit that snaps the tippet. Likely one of the resident Largemouth rather than a Bluegill/Redear/Green Sunfish. And some of these fish aren’t small. I’ve caught them to 6 pounds on non-fly gear.
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During my outing above I didn’t notice any air drag affecting the few overhead casts I was able to make with the yarn markers, but I was casting weighted nymphs. And I did more “flip casts” and “sidearm casts” because there were trees right up to the shore with branches overhanging the stream.
I guess I’m asking since it’s important to keep the hi-vis Tenkara line off the water to decrease drag and keep the colored line from spooking fish, and on my first outing I found it much easier to see the Keiryu markers on clear fluoro than my #3.5 orange and #3 Yamatoyo chartreuse “butt sections” why clear lines and markers aren’t used for Tenkara with rod-length lines and unweighted flies? There would seem to be a bonus if I want to switch to weighted flies and fish a deep section Keiryu-style without changing lines. What am I missing?
Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter I nymph, about 80%of the time, using Oni orange line and about 3’ of 5x tippet. A lot of fish I catch are in deep holes where I have to let some of the level line get under water to get my nymph deep enough. Many of the fish are caught on a slight lift of the nymph. I think clear line is somewhat over rated. 
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What are you missing?
Nothing!
Yarn markers above the tippet ring, for fishing fast water and the pocket water where I love to hang out are perfect. I can instantly see exactly where the end of my line is. They’re easy to see as you’re casting so you’re fishing the instant the fly lands
2 for smaller streams 3 for honryu. I make them with pretty small tag ends so they don’t cause any noticeable drag through the air. Low vis level line, markers, ring, 3 - 5’ tippet (depending on how deep the water is in the particular water), unweighted fly. Fish in my types of water that don’t jump on potential food really fast don’t get to eat, so no need to get all the way to the bottom.
Tip: sequence the colors the same all the time, even when you practice. That way you’re eyes just naturally instantly recognize where the tip of your line is.
Thanks for the response James! I am using a hot pink-chartreuse-white-orange color scheme on the clear K-lines and trimming the ends a little shy of 0.25". Since the contrast of even brilliantly colored T-lines is severely reduced by glare when looking in the direction of the sun and in shadows, my friend and I wonder why these tiny markers aren’t more widely used.
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I am intrigued by the markers. Would I have to buy specialized keiryu markers or are there DIY alternatives that work just as well? Living in Canada, some items are more difficult to obtain.
My friend and I both bought the Owner yarn marker package from TBum to try. The colors are vivid and the yarn has a peculiar characteristic of being a single strand that under magnification looks to have been wound in a tight spiral under tension to “set” the spiral wind, then when the tension is relaxed the yarn expands. It’s similar to egg yarn that after tying it around the line and pulling tight to stretch the yarn, cutting the ends to size releases the tension causing it to puff out slightly that increases its visibility.
I’m frugal (a cheapskate) and buying a package of 3" yarn strips for $8 with shipping just seems very extravagant. But everything in fly fishing is expensive, right? I tied the markers on the lines from one end of the strips and was able to do 5 lines with just 2 strips of each color. If just using 2 or 3 markers as James suggests above a single pack of Owner yarn will last me for years.
I use polypropylene macramé yarn for my DIY NZ strike indicators which might also work by separating the laid multi-strands. But that yarn’s fibers are much stiffer than the Owner yarn and wouldn’t puff out as much. I believe polypro yarn would also be heavier for a given length.
My friend thinks the fishing yarn sold at Walmart (stripped longitudinally to a thinner diameter?) for $5 a pack might work but the colors don’t look as vivid. However you can tie a bunch of egg flies as a bonus, and they often work very well!
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I used Antron yarn from a craft store.
James. Can you post a pic of what you used? Also, have people found a color more effective than others for general visibility. (I guess this might be personal preference though).
I add some extra tippet and hit with the neon wax in differing colors for markers. I got sick of using other indicators that have to be attached and then change the casting / drifting qualities. For me the wax works great. In really bad wind sometimes I’ll go to an indicator just to anchor it, I’ve found these little football style indicators work well and cast nicely: https://www.fishpimpco.com/product/fish-pimp-original/