Best Euro Nymphing Rod Picks: Competitors & Weekend Warriors

With ever-expanding choices and never-ending Facebook polls it can be really confusing trying to choose the best Euro Nymphing Rod for your own fishing. This FD Guide boils it down for you, takes the pain out of the process and shows where you can get yours.

Is There Such a Thing as the Single Best Euro Nymphing Rod?

There probably will be your own personal best Euro nymphing rod (or at least your favourite). However, what is “best” for you will be made up of a mix of factors. Pricing will probably come into it for many (but not all) anglers. How hard your habitual hook-set is, what material you prefer for tippet, whether you expect your ESN (Euro Style Nymphing) rod to also perform other duties - all these things and more come into play.

I’ve been fortunate to enjoy a bit of competitive success in river fly fishing using Euro nymphing methods - as well as using them extensively in my personal fishing. What’s probably more significant are the people, tactics, flies and insights I was gifted during the writing of my book “The Fly Fishing Bible of Nymphing”. Getting to delve into the secrets of some of the world’s elite anglers (and rod designers) was an absolute privilege and I want to use those insights to help with the rod picks in this guide.

Seeking Other Opinions

At the same time - even with the benefit of international anglers’ insights - I recognise that the opinion of just one author (me) alone will not be enough. While I’ve fished a good number of different Euro Nymphing Rods, I have certainly not fished them all. Also, my tastes might not be an exact match for yours. Because of that, I want to combine my experiences with those of a much larger number of genuine customers. Multiple opinion and feedback polls (particularly in the Euro Nymphing Facebook group run by Jonas Olsson) give a good indication of what well over 400 voting anglers prefer when it comes to rods.

All the opinions I’ve trawled for this guide could save you hours of similar work.

Finally, a great rod is no use to you if it’s not actually available for you to buy. Often, you can spend/waste many hours researching rods only to then struggle and waste more time to find a supplier with the exact one you want. With my apologies to the much wider range of nationalities who visit here, I have focussed on the two largest audiences who use the Fishing Discoveries site (USA and the UK) and, as far as possible, utilised well-established supplier links used by large numbers of customers every month.

Heads Up: While not all of the links contained in this article are affiliate links - many may earn a modest commission (typically between 1% and 5% of the retail price) from any qualifying sales. This does not alter the retail price you pay for those items on the linked sites (but having the retailers divert a small percentage towards me as a thank you for referring a customer is essential to keeping Fishing Discoveries, and future articles like this, going). In particular, the links to Amazon, Cabelas/BassPro shops should be assumed to be affiliate links and, while you are free to navigate to those sites independently, I genuinely thank you for choosing to support the Fishing Discoveries project by clicking through via my links for products that feel like a good match for your fishing and budget.

Best Euro Nymphing Rod: Premium Price Band

If you’re after the best Euro nymphing rod and are able to invest in the premium offerings on the market, then I hope my mixture of personal experience and researched opinions might save you some time and legwork in matching you up with your ideal rod.

Sage ESN HD

Putting my ego to one side for a moment, a rod that consistently generates an army of avid fans is the Sage ESN HD - which is backed up by Sage (172 votes) just about edging out Orvis (163 votes) as the best Euro nymph rod brand on the biggest Euro Nymphing FB group poll. 

Those two brands are at the top of a very big pile covered by that survey

The ESN HD utilises Sage's KonneticHD technology, which is their proprietary formulation of carbon fibres to resin ratio - resulting in a higher density (hence the HD) of fibres. The aim there is to increase the strength while retaining extremely light weight blanks. Sage's ultimate goal is to maximise the blank recovery so as to accurately transfer energy from your hand into the line - while at the same time creating highly sensitive feedback from the line to your hand.

Thomas & Thomas Contact II

Although much further down the overall "brand ranking" it is quite common see a shoot out between this rod and the Sage ESN in the premium price-bracket - at least when you look at individual angler recommendations. That's why it's important to include this rod right here in this guide.

Key factors that create strong advocates for this rod:

While I don't have personal experience with this rod, I know that high profile anglers such as Devin Olsen have great confidence in it. Similarly, I don't have an affiliate link to point you to - and it seems that availability will be greatest within the USA. I don't know Devin well, but he has always been generous and professional in our email exchanges - so it seems appropriate to list his link at Tactical Fly Fisher as a likely reliable source of this rod (again, no financial incentive involved for me):

https://www.tacticalflyfisher.com/thomas-and-thomas-contact-ii-nymph-rods/

From Devin's contributions to online discussions, it seems that he is open to being contacted through Tactical Fly Fisher to discuss and give guidance on what rod you should buy for your needs.

Orvis Helios 3F (10ft 6" AFTM#3)

Now to the brand that came second overall (163 votes) in the Euro Nymphing FB group poll - and the first thing to say to make sure we're all on the same page is to highlight the importance of the exact model number here.

The Orvis Helios 3 range covers a huge range of specifications and fishing situations. A good number of those rods are in the "long fly rod" bracket. However, for nymphing the 10ft 6" AFTM#3 is really the pick.

What's the Difference between a 3F and a 3D Orvis Helios Fly Rod?

Before we can leave model names and numbers alone completely, it's really important to cover the letters that come after the "3"...

To be in contention as the best Euro nymphing rod, the Feel priority of the Helios 3F is an important characteristic. 

All those techy figures sound impressive, but what does it all actually mean from a fishing perspective? Well, it does at least back up the manufacturer's claims of a rod that is likely to be easy to cast accurately. Accuracy is what Orvis majors on as the selling points for the whole Helios 3 range (for "D" and "F" models alike). The recovery means, when casting with the quick power application needed by small nymphs attached to a light leader (and no fly line), the rod will faithfully translate that action into propelling the flies at the target.

Having a relatively fast action is also likely to help with hook-sets (and provide some power in reserve for playing larger fish) - with the overall AFTM #3 rating providing enough cushioning to cope with the more frenetic wriggles of smaller trout and grayling. Rods that are too stiff for nymphing will often "zig" when the hooked fish "zags" and ping the hook free with annoying regularity.

Users also report that the rod is very adaptable and capable of fishing a variety of methods in addition to the specialist fine-leader nymphing we are focussing on here.

Each of the two links for the Helios below are my affiliate links:

Marryat Tactical Pro Nymph Special (10ft 6" AFTM#3)

This is my current personal choice for the best Euro nymphing rod - and is reflected in it appearing in a lot of my book photos (on topics spanning H.C. Cutcliffe's traditional wet fly fishing to my attempt at capturing the richness of modern nymphing).

The first image at the top of this article is of this rod allowing me to throw a single streamer attached to a traditional French Leader (sharing a lot of DNA with Domenick Swentoski's "mono rig"). You'll also see it in action with Spanish (micro) leader tactics, regular "French nymphing" and also some "leader only" dry fly tactics across various pieces of video content.

The guide-spacing is, again, very specifically designed to support leader-only nymphing tactics (including a stripping guide set close to the reel).

More than "just" the sublime feel and performance of this (again, surprisingly adaptable) rod - the confidence from its back-story is also one of those indefinable characteristics of quality. Talk about "going to the source"...

Pascal Cognard came up through a veritable "murderer's row" of competition anglers from the Czech Republic and France - and yet still managed to win the individual gold medal in no fewer than three separate FIPS-Mouche World Championships...before retiring into the sunset early to allow others to have a go.

As well as being extremely influential in the development of specific leader designs for French nymphing, Pascal's original specialist nymphing rods were created by splicing sections of different rods together to create the precise action he required.

Fast forward to his collaboration with fellow World Champion Jérôme Brosutti and a specialist factory capable of producing exactly the rod Pascal wanted - and the Marryat Tactical Pro was born.

Although I don't have a direct affiliate link for this rod, I am able to arrange purchases in both the USA and the UK by personal introduction (where I would receive an affiliate commission, with my thanks).

Best Euro Nymphing Rod: Budget Pricing

For the price tags included in the "budget" bracket, I can see some eyebrows being raised. Due to the highly specialised nature of this particular fly fishing application, when looking for examples that count as the "best" options to meet a particular need, the rods must be better than average (and that performance carries a certain price-tag). 

When you get down to the very low price-points you can certainly find rods of 10ft and longer that are rated somewhere in the AFTM #3 to #5 range. These will definitely allow you to catch fish using the methods under the "Euro Nymphing Umbrella" - however it becomes difficult to recommend any particular one instead of another. In that sense, an article such as this one can't provide much additional benefit over and above a customer sorting rods on price and choosing one which is within budget.

It should be noted that this is a perfectly reasonable approach - when it is accompanied by the appropriate expectations of performance.

With that said, let's look at some options with a positive following in the lower price-bracket featured in this guide...

Echo Shadow II (contender for overall best Euro nymphing rod based on recommendations)

More than just a few times when anglers are asking for recommendations on what the best Euro nymphing rod to buy for their money, the answer comes back as "I love my Echo Shadow II", quite often followed up by users saying they wouldn't swap it for higher priced alternatives. 

Depending on your intended application(s) I would pick the 10ft AFTM #2 for micro-leader, ultralight wet-fly and ultimate sensitivity, leader-only nymphing. For larger trout and bigger rivers the 10ft 6" AFTM #4 is probably the pick. That being said, rod choice is so personal that I'm sure you'll have a good idea on your own ideal line rating and length.

NOTE: Don't be fooled by the super cheap pricing of the "Competition Kit" relative to the named model-numbered rods! You still need to buy one of the full rods to attach that kit to. That kit (pictured above) features two inserts to modify the overall length of your rod, a screw-in fighting butt PLUS several weights to add to that so as to counterbalance the long lever of the rod in front of the handle. Now, with apologies to my good buddy Mike Johnson (who comes out in a rash when someone mentions rod-balancing in connection with nymphing) I do have to say that I've found a reduction in perceived weight and an increase sensitivity when a rod has been balanced. I know the true, overall weight is greater, but it seems as if where that weight is pulling along the lever in front (or in/behind) your hand has an effect on your forearm muscles.

Adding the Competition kit to round-out your rod-choice is what totals the price up into the mid-range bracket.

So, based on the number of recommendations and the feelings they express, it seems that this rod delights a large number of customers who are avid Euro nymphing fans. That kind of endorsement is difficult to come by since - no matter how good your marketing - if your product turns out to be a let-down, you aren't going to win many fans...

Having this rod available on both US and UK Amazon sites provides benefits in terms of buyer confidence/protection and delivery logistics - however the competition kit and AFTM #2 options may only be shown on the US Amazon store (depending on seller stock availability). 

Use the buttons below to check the up-to-date pricing for your preferred model(s) for your location:

Greys GR80 Streamflex

Back when the first Streamflex Plus was launched in the UK (to upgrade the original Streamflex line-up), I got hold of the 9ft 6" #3 model - which came with a 6" extension insert in the handle so that you could swap between the 10ft or 9ft 6" configurations. I was really impressed with the performance and you could certainly appreciate the input of Howard Croston (who went on to become World Champion) in the Hardy/Greys product development process as their global brand manager.

At the shorter length, the first Streamflex plus was a highly responsive, crisp dry fly and nymphing rod, with the extra length it became a wonderfully-sensitive dedicated Euro nymphing tool. I still fish it today as well as my Marryat Tactical Pro and, even though the Marryat comes out ahead, the Streamflex is far from embarrassed in that comparison - particularly when you factor in the price differential. 

Nowadays, the previous Streamflex product lines have been superseded by the GR80 Streamflex offerings and are one of the most successful rod ranges seen in UK river fly fishing (available in a seriously wide range of length and AFTM ratings). 

My picks in terms of nymphing would be for the 10ft #3 or 11ft #3 in the "standard" Streamflex GR80 range and the 9ft 6" - 10ft variable length in the GR80 Streamflex Plus.

One of the great things about the Greys line-ups is that you are benefiting from a huge amount of R&D associated with the House of Hardy, yet produced at a far more affordable pricepoint compared to the Hardy offerings (who, after all hold a Royal Warrant "By Appointment to HRH The Prince of Wales, manufacturers of fishing tackle".

Presumably due to import costs, the US Amazon pricing for these rods sits a bit above the UK Amazon versions though, strangely, I've only been able to find the Streamflex Plus option on the US Amazon site!

If you want to check those current pricings and delivery times, just use the appropriate button below (and then select your preferred length and AFTM combinations):

Best Euro Nymphing Rod: Closing Thoughts

Any shortlist of this kind is bound to cause controversy. By the simple fact that not all rods on the market are included, particular fans of each will be (understandably) annoyed. However, there would be no value in a "shortlist" which included every single option on the market - and very few (if any) people are realistically aiming to buy an example of ALL available ESN rod models.

Instead, the approach here is to combine my personal experience with the benefit of crowd-sourced (and therefore a much larger sample size of experiences across all kinds of customers). By doing so, it could save you a LOT of time and effort in finding a rod suitable for your own fishing. As much as any technical specifications, I also want to communicate the feel and character that people find in these rods where possible. At the end of the day, it is the only point to all the mind-blowingly ingenious and impressive technology. Any best Euro nymphing rod has to move you and feel good while fishing that style, otherwise it has missed the mark.

By incorporating large numbers of opinions taken from real customers expressed in a public forum, I hope to minimise the chances of making a bad recommendation to you (and your particular needs). It does Fishing Discoveries no good to make recommendations which result in bad experiences. That creates a strong incentive for me to use my own years of experience in combination with wider customer opinions and feelings to make solid and appropriate recommendations with as high a chance of great results as possible. If, by doing a good job at that, any associated commissions can help to support further service articles and the sharing of all types of fishing intelligence via the free content on Fishing Discoveries.

Paul                   

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