The Best Rods, Reels & Line for Nymph Fishing

Before we dive into the specifics of what makes the best fly rod, reel, and line for nymph fishing, a quick note of encouragement:

You can fish nymphs successfully with practically any fly rod. Just because we get into the technical aspects of nymph fishing gear, doesn’t mean you need to rush out and buy a specialized rod to perform the nymphing techniques covered in this series.

So if you already own a fly rod regardless of its pedigree dust it off and use it to get started nymphing. You can always upgrade later.

But let’s say you do want to see how far the nymphing rabbit hole goes and you do want the best gear for the job. Well, in that case, we better get started talking line weights, actions, flex profiles, and ideal lengths for nymph fishing fly rods.

Now if you’d like a fly rod recommendation, I’d have to say get the TFO DRIFT <-check it out at AMAZON this is a complete nymphing package. The fly rod is a 3 weight that can SWITCH between a delicate 9 foot dry fly machine to a 11′ 3″ Nymphing rod for tumbling nymphs through holes and runs. ADDITIONALLY it has the capability of becoming a 12′ 3″ trout spey. Just add a 250 grain skagit head with a sink tip and you can swing smaller streamers through those productive riffles.

Line Weight for Nymph Fishing

Generally speaking, a rod’s line weight rating affects four main factors when fly fishing:

Casting distance
Size of fly you can cast
Size of fish you can fight and land
Overall rod sensitivity

As a rule of thumb, the heavier the line, the larger the fly you can use, the further you can cast, the larger the fish you can land, and the less sensitive the rod is overall.

But when it comes to nymph fishing, it’s the last factor overall rod sensitivity that’s most important.

Why?

Because?

The nymphs you’ll be fishing are very small (yes, there’s often weight added to the line, but in future articles you’ll learn techniques to cast even the bulkiest rigs regardless of line size)…
Nymphing is close-range fishing and you don’t need to cast very far.
The majority of trout you’ll catch while nymphing will be under 20-inches on average a size any respectable modern graphite rod can handle.

You do, however, need the most sensitivity out of your rod as possible to detect the notoriously subtle bites of nymph-eating trout. And for maximum sensitivity, that means choosing a line weight on the lighter side of typical “trout” sizes three, four, and five weights.

Wait. Doesn’t rod sensitivity have more to do with a rod’s action and flex profile?

Yes, that’s true, but if you were to compare two rods of the same model, material, and taper, but in different line sizes say, a three-weight and a four-weight the three-weight will be a lighter rod overall. And lighter typically means more sensitive.

Here’s a further breakdown of the best rod line weights to consider for nymph fishing to help you make the best choice:

This is were I really recommend checking out the TFO DRIFT (link to Amazon to check the price) this 3 weight that is a standard 9 foot can extend to over 11 feet to “Reach” farther out. The unique guide eyes converting the length with the line still strung through the eyes.

Three-weights: For your most technical nymph fishing efforts. With a three-weight, you’ll feel every little thump and tick of your fly contacting the bottom plus the daintiest takes of cautious trout. Three-weights are ideal for many of the Euro-nymphing techniques we’ll discuss later but might be underpowered if you plan on casting heavy indicator rigs beyond 30 or 40 feet.

Four-weights: A great all-around nymph fishing line size and the choice of many competition anglers. With a four-weight, you can throw heavier rigs than you can with a three-weight without giving up much sensitivity. Four-weights also make great cross-over rods for fishing dry flies and small streamers if that’s your thing.

Five-weights: For serious nymphing, you don’t want to go much heavier than a five-weight unless you plan on fishing big, fast-flowing rivers and fighting hefty fish. However, if you’re shopping for a first rod that you can use to fish every style of nymphing along with more traditional dry fly and wet fly techniques, a five-weight is a great all-around rod choice.

Now the question is, how long?

Rod Length for Nymph Fly Fishing

If you currently own a fly rod, odds are it’s nine feet long. Fly rod manufacturers produce more 9-foot rods than anything else, and for good reason they cast great, have enough length to mend line easily, and are long enough levers to apply all the pressure you need to get fish to the net quickly.

Overall, 9-foot rods work Okay for the majority of nymphing techniques we’ll cover, but for the nymph-centric angler, there are some compelling reasons to go with a longer rod anywhere from 10 to 11 feet.

It’s easier to mend line to achieve a drag free drift.
When performing tight-line nymphing techniques, a long rod gives you additional reach to cover more water without introducing slack to the system.
A long, whippy rod serves as a better shock-absorber to protect the light tippets used in advanced nymphing techniques.

Most of the specialty nymph fly rods you’ll find on the market are generally 10 or 11 feet long. These rods are designed to meet the needs of the technical nymph angler who employs the many tight-line and Euro-nymphing techniques that have become hugely popular for their extreme fish-catching effectiveness.

So if you want to get deep into nymph fishing, consider a long rod. Otherwise, stick with your 9-footer and you’ll be just fine.

Want to learn how to use the NYMPH FLY FISHING machine described in this article? Read this article on HIGH STICK NYMPH FLY FISHING

Fly Rod Action and Flex Profile

While the line weight of a rod plays a role in its sensitivity when compared to other rods, action and flex profile play a much larger role when it comes to how the rod casts and fishes.

The water tends to get a bit murky when discussing rod actions, so let’s keep things simple by walking through an ideal flex profile of a nymphing rod:

Super light and sensitive tip section: You want to feel every impulse and wave of energy moving from your fly, up the line, and into the rod. An extremely sensitive tip is critical to achieving this. The rods we’re talking about have what’s known as a “moderate” tip, which means it’s slower to snap back to center when bent than the rest of the rod. This softer tip also gives you added tippet protection when setting the hook and playing fish.

Fast midsection: In rod action lingo, “fast” roughly translates to “stiff,” which gives you more power when casting and mending line. Line control is everything when nymphing, so the extra oomph throughout the midsection gives you the backbone necessary to roll-cast, mend, and manipulate your line on the water. Don’t worry about it being too stiff; using a lighter line weight balances out the system as a whole.

Stiff butt-section: All the sensitivity you’ll need when nymphing comes from a soft, sensitive tip, which leaves room for added power in the butt section. While most casts are short when nymphing, having a slightly stiffer butt section will allow you to make longer casts when needed or cast heavily weighted rigs with multiple split shot on your leader.

These days, there are many rod options available that check the boxes of what makes a great nymph fishing rod as we’ve described. If you would like to read about more fly rod recommendations check out this article – Recommended Fly Reels.

Go With a Lightweight Reel

Your reel selection when nymph fishing isn’t nearly as important as your rod selection. You need a reel that can hold your fly line reliably that’s about it. No need for a fancy drag system; click-and-pawl is fine.

Since you’ll be holding your fly rod for hours on end, it’s a good idea to go with a lightweight reel, but not so lightweight that it doesn’t balance your rod well. You’ll find fly reels that meet these criteria made by all the top manufacturers go with the best you can afford.

What Fly Line to Use for Nymph Fishing?

Like we touched on, nymph fishing is largely a close range technique and often doesn’t require long casts. As such, the fly line you use isn’t nearly as important when nymph fishing as, say, your leader and tippet setup.

great fly line for fly fishing with nymphs

In fact, some of the tight-line and Euro-nymphing techniques we’ll cover are performed without any fly line on the water at all!

So, for 95-percent of the nymph fishing you’ll do, a weight-forward floating line to match your rod’s line weight rating is perfect. However, there are some specialty nymph fishing lines like the Scientific Anglers AMPLITUDE Trout – (Amazon link to see reviews and prices) Learn more about Fly Lines in my article HERE that reviews and recommends fly lines. For nymph fishing weight-forward floating lines with tapers optimized for casting heavy nymph rigs. For more information on how to choose the best fly line, check out our article here. (Link to fly line article)

Conclusion

Nymph fishing is one of the most approachable and effective ways to catch trout on the fly, so don’t let the technical aspect of gear selection intimidate you. Start out with a basic rod, reel, and line setup and as you take steps toward nymph-fishing mastery, you may find it necessary to upgrade to more specialized gear.