I recently picked up a 10 ft 2 wt. to learn a technique that one of my friends uses with great success. It's not really Euro nymphing, just tightline nymphing with a euro rod, split shot, 3 nymphs, no sighter. I can fish very small flies this way and am able to switch to a dry fly or add an indicator if the situation calls for it. I did some fishing in Broken Bow last wknd with the setup and caught more fish than I usually do. It was really cool being able to fish water that I would usually overlook with an indicator rig, I could feel the bite and could get a good drift through super technical pocket water. It was a ton of fun! I think this will be my go to setup for nymphing from now on, super effective and more fun in imho. Anybody else like to take off the training wheels and nymph naked?

My wife’s brother in law uses this method. He was living in Steamboat Springs, and I fished with him there last August.

Very effective method, especially in tailwater fisheries.

JR

Mono rig/tight lining/ euro (whatever you call it) is a great way to fish in my opinion. I love dry dropper on my mono rig on spillway. Don’t forget to try a jigged streamer on it.

Good call on the jigged streamer.^^

Went back the wknd before last and worked on tight lining some more, caught close to 30 on day 1. I'm really liking this set up.

Could I ask you where you place the split-shot in your setup? I use split-shot with a mono-rig sometimes, and unweighted nymphs, but I haven't settled on where to put the split-shot. I've lately fished a "micro" rig with 4x white Adams as my leader, 5x tippet tied directly to that, maybe 2 flies.

If I’m trailing a small unweighted fly behind a weighted fly I sometimes put a small shot a couple inches in front of the unweighted fly. If I’m using unweighted flies, which is very seldom for me, then I use a drop shot rig

Thanks, Bill! kdub#1, what about you? Where's the split-shot go?

Sorry for the delay, I was out of town for thanksgiving.


I am rigging my split shot about 8 inches above my top fly, just like when I indicator nymph, only difference is I use more split shot.
I have been fishing an egg up top lately and 2 small unweighted flies below it. They eat the egg, and as I am learning this technique the visibility of the egg helps me to keep track of my drift. sizes 24 and 26 nymphs have been killer for me. I am leading the drift slightly with my rod tip but am careful not to drag the flies through the water.

Thanks, kdub#1. I've been putting the split shot above the top fly, too. The thing is, lately it's often been my only fly. I've been fishing mostly mayfly nymphs, some chartreuse caddis nymphs, and doing well. I had been using those flies as anchor or trailing nymphs with a very small midge as a dropper. The dropper was rarely getting bit, so I just started fishing pheasant tail and hare's ear -type nymphs alone, and doing just as well. Now it's often just a nymph in size 16 or 18, or sometimes a pat's rubber legs. I do fine, and less work setting up, less to tangle. I've been going fairly light with the split shot. I really don't know if split shot and an unweighted nymph out-fishes a bead-head nymph. I haven't done any controlled testing.

Caught on the 10 ft 2 weight in Beavers Bend, no bobber, 22 inches.