French Nymphing

When you're out on the river or reservoir, whether it's for trout in the summer or Grayling in the winter, nearly everyone you see is using a French leader - a lethally efficient approach that has been favoured by many top competition fishermen for a number of years.
French leader fly fishing was initially created and perfected by French and Belgian anglers, who dominated competitive fly fishing for a long time. Once other teams learned about the method, they began to experiment with similar setups.

So it's been at least 10 years since fishermen from all over Europe adopted the French leader method, and it's now the "go-to" nymphing style, displacing Czech Nymphing in our opinion.

French nymphing, also known as French-style nymphing or European nymphing, is a specialized fly fishing technique that focuses on fishing subsurface with nymph patterns in a controlled manner. It is a highly effective method for targeting fish, particularly trout, in rivers and streams.

French nymphing is characterized by the use of long, lightweight fly rods (typically 10 to 11 feet in length) and a long, thin leader without a traditional fly line. The leader is designed to provide precise control and sensitivity when presenting the nymphs in the water.

The technique involves casting the nymphs upstream or at an angle upstream and allowing them to drift naturally in the current while maintaining direct contact with the flies. The lack of a fly line allows for a direct connection between the angler and the nymphs, enabling enhanced sensitivity to strikes.

To control the drift and keep the nymphs in the desired depth range, the angler uses various methods such as mending the line, manipulating the rod tip, and adjusting the position of the leader in the current. This ensures that the nymphs imitate the natural movement of aquatic insects and appear enticing to the fish.

French nymphing often utilizes heavily weighted nymphs or flies with tungsten bead heads to ensure they sink quickly to the desired depth. The technique emphasizes a high level of line control, keen observation of the water, and precise manipulation of the drift to detect subtle strikes and trigger more hook-ups.

French nymphing has gained popularity among fly anglers around the world due to its effectiveness, versatility, and ability to target fish in a wide range of river conditions. It requires practice, finesse, and an understanding of aquatic insect behavior to maximize success.

WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF FRENCH NYMPHING / What is French Nymphing?

French Nymphing is a way of fishing that was originally developed to capture frightened fish in extremely shallow, slow-moving rivers, but has now been modified to fish rapid water up to a metre or two deep - the approach that most of us are familiar with today. The French leader, on the other hand, is very adaptable and may be used to fish any sorts of flowing water.

The French leader is made up of a single monofilament that is exceptionally long and tapered. The taper is a steep but gradual taper that is meant to be fished with long and soft fly rods. A small indicator piece, usually a length of coloured nylon or braid around 6-10 inches long, is attached to the end of the tapered leader. You may get your tippet and flies from the indicator. The length of your tippet should be proportional to the depth of the water you're fishing in, for example, 3 feet deep = 3 foot tippet.

The most essential thing to remember when using a French leader is to flick or lob the flies rather than casting them - unless you're fishing exceptionally vast distances, you'll seldom require a fly line.
The benefit of utilising a French leader is that you may deliver your flies at range with no drag. The bulk of French leader setups are meant to be fished between 2 and 9 metres away from the angler, making them ideal for targeting stressed fish.


FRENCH NYMPHING EQUIPMENT

It's critical to select the right rod for the river you're fishing. The rod length is usually decided by the river's size, while the rod weight is determined by the size of the fish and flies to be used. The 3# Greys GR70 Streamflex is a tried and true French leader rod, and its length and suppleness make throwing light flies on the long leader simpler than ever.

How to make up a French Leader? For French nymphing, a long-tapered leader is ideal, with the RIO Euro Nymph Leader (3.4m long) being a personal favourite since it comes with a built-in indicator piece, which is considered the heart and soul of the French leader. Any movement away from the indicator's normal position indicates that the fly has been intercepted by a fish and taken, or that it has snagged - any movement should be addressed with a slight flick or strike of the rod to possibly set the hook. A yellow or orange indication stands out well against the greenery, but in other cases, white, blue, or even black may be more visible — bi-color signs are also extremely useful.

When French nymphing, ultra-thin tippets are often employed; extremely fine leads help your flies to sink swiftly through fast water and are less likely to startle fish, especially on heavily fished areas. Depending on the water height and clarity, I prefer to use Fulling Mill World Class Fluorocarbon with a 2-5lb breaking strain. Monofilament tippets, such as Stroft or Fulling Mill Xtra Co-polymer, are useful when the fishing is challenging and you need your flies to be presented flawlessly.

THE FRENCH LEADER TECHNIQUE OF FISHING

The lack of a fly line is the most significant distinction between utilising the French leader and any other ‘traditional' river technique... When you first start fishing with this approach, it might be difficult to get the long tapered leader to travel, but perseverance is important, and you will rapidly master the flicking/casting technique. The trick is to begin with a short cast and progressively lengthen it.

Lift your arm and the rod high in the air once the flies have been thrown, so that the tapered leader and indicator are above the water's surface, keeping everything tight and not pulling the flies back towards you. While the flies fish and sink through the water column for as long as possible, lead and trace the indicator with your rod together with the stream. Lift the flies carefully out of the water at the end of the cast, cast, and continue the operation all the way around the pool. Remember to attack whenever the indicator moves!
Cast of French Nymphs

WHAT ARE THE BEST NYMPHS TO USE?
To get the most out of the French leader, you'll need tungsten-beaded flies. Jig hooks are preferred because the weight is offset above the eye of the hook, allowing the fly to fish ‘point up,' away from the bottom and decreasing the risk of hooking up - jigs also allow the flies to fish for longer periods of time before needing to be recast. Czech Nymphs and straight hooked designs, on the other hand, perform exceptionally well.

A description (of the Czech way to fish the French nymph technique)
The French nymph (or, more accurately, fishing with a French leader) is nymph fishing on flowing waterways with a long, soft rod, a special leader made of Kamoufil, and a fine tippet, which are usually separated by a brightly coloured strike indication. This setup eliminates the need for a fish-distracting fly line entirely.


When should you utilise it?

The French nymph method has traditionally been employed in clear, shallow waterways (up to 1 metre), but with a few tweaks, it can be utilised in a considerably broader variety of situations, and may be helpful for fly fishing almost any flowing water.


What sort of fish are you looking for
Brown trout, rainbow trout, and Grayling should all be successful with the approach described, and we might argue, with a little exaggeration, that the French nymph can offer a whole new dimension to coarse fish fishing (chub, dace).


A little backstory
The history of the French nymph method is intertwined with fly fishing competitions. At the turn of the millennium, the French dominated fly fishing contests at the time, other teams began to explore with similar methods.


Equipment

A softer 9-11 foot long AFTM 2-5 rod is utilised while fishing the French nymph. The rod length is mostly determined by the size of the river, and the rod class is determined by the size and finesse of the flies employed. For two reasons, a softer rod with a longer action is preferable. First, it's simpler to cast small flies on the special leader without having to use fly line, and second, and perhaps more importantly, it's possible to land fish even with a super-fine tippet since the softer rod absorbs fish hits better and reduces the danger of them breaking the fine tippet.


How long is a French Leader? The extraordinarily long leader, ranging from 3.5 to 9 metres, distinguishes French nymphing. This line should preferably be tapered and made of "stiffer" material with no memory. The stiffness of the leader is crucial for casting light nymphs more readily (remember, no fly line is required in casting), as well as ensuring better contact with the flies, which must create a straight line with the leader. Anyone interested in learning to fish the French nymph should try a tapered leader made from Kamoufil, which Hends sells under the name Camou French Leader and has the advantage of being virtually knot-free. A leader can alternatively be constructed from varied diameter Kamoufil tippets or made (in this instance non-tapered) from stronger sea-fishing leaders.


Another essential component of the French nymph method is the strike indicator. The indicator's purpose is clear: any movement away from its usual course signals the angler to try to place the hook softly. The indicator is a link between the leader and the tippet that may be purchased or fashioned from coloured line. Depending on the light circumstances, different reflecting colours may be utilised and altered. The most popular colours are reflective orange and yellow, but having a variety of coloured indicators can help you choose the optimal mix of light and contrast between the indicator and the present conditions.


Tippets used in French nymphing are generally characterised by their fineness. Even a 0.10 mm tippet will startle fish, though most anglers choose a diameter of 0.08 to 0.14 mm. The tippet used is frequently influenced not only by what the fish can see, but also by the rod being used (the finer and softer the rod, the finer the tippet that may be used) and the size of the fly being used (again in direct proportion). Both traditional monofilament (such as Maxima) and fluorocarbon (such as Tiemco) are acceptable.


Flies / Nymphs
The flies are the last component of the French nymph set-up. We fish with one fly on the tip and two droppers in the ideal situation, but two or even one fly can be utilised (often determined by local fishing regulations).


Beaded flies, jig flies, traditional Czech nymphs, various weighted flies (such as pheasant tail), and even wet flies are commonly employed for French nymphing. Smaller sizes, ranging from 12 to 16, are commonly utilised, with size 12 being used in high-water situations and 14-16 being used in typical or low-water situations. Small tungsten flies tied on jig hooks have been popular recently, as they sink effectively and are less likely to get snagged on the riverbed owing to the jig hook's design. The last fly should usually be the heaviest, since this aids in casting the entire set and improves contact with all flies. A dry fly can be used on the second dropper as an extra strike indication as well as enticing fish.


Techniques of fishing

There are certain differences in French nymph fishing, and it's sometimes debated whether they belong in the repertory of fly fishing methods. These are natural concerns with any new approach, and we all recall the purists' arguments against the Czech nymph. The inescapable reality is that the French nymph is increasing in popularity as a result of its efficacy.


The fact that we don't use a fly line may make some people nervous about casting the light nymphs. Casting is not difficult because to the stronger leader paired with the soft rod, however perfecting the technique does take some time and practise. We utilise a precise flick of the rod to deliver the fly to the fish, and if we have enough line played out, we can even employ false casting (though it's rarely necessary).


In contrast to Czech nymphing, flies are always cast upstream above where fish are resting, and we cast and lead the flies at a distance. Allow the flies to sink and track their progress with the rod, which is held in front of you with an outstretched hand, in an attempt to maintain continual touch with the flies. We must maintain the rod held up at longer distances so that the line is constantly taut and the indicator travels just above or on the surface. The flies are guided as far as possible through the water column, and at the end of their journey, we allow them naturally float to the surface before casting again and repeating the procedure.


We need to react to each movement or minor pausing of the indicator with a tiny lift of the rod because the coloured indicator helps us automatically sense hits. Strikes are frequently detected by the indicator dropping below the water's surface, much like bobber fishing.


When playing a fish, the softer rod comes in handy since it allows less fish to escape than stiffer rods. However, because we're fishing with a fine tippet, fish should be handled with care and without hurrying. I suggest barbless hooks since you'll lose less fish with the soft rod and releasing the fish off the hook will just take a few seconds.


Conclusion
If you haven't tried the French nymph technique yet, you should do so immediately since it is quite effective on flowing waterways and will undoubtedly enhance your catch statistics. Of course, the approach isn't a panacea and isn't suitable for all situations, such as high water, deep currents, or foggy waters, when alternative fly fishing tactics will be more productive. In any case, I offer all those interested in experimenting with the method the best of success with little flies and a 9-meter leader, while giving your standard fly line a well-deserved rest in your reel.