Bryan, on the strength of your Steelhead Vol 1 comments, I purchased the Diamondback Ideal Nymph 6 wt for fishing the rivers running into Lake Taupo here in NZ. It is a superb rod which handles the strong rainbows and browns we get here with the sensitivity necessary to detect any take, and the strength to maintain the pressure required to land them. I endorse your very positive comments about the 6 wt and the DB rods. Your videos, and the information you are providing in them are excellent and a valuable resource to refer to. So, thank you!
I'm glad I was able to help! I searched for a loooong time to find a rod like that so when I finally got it and used it, I was blown away by what it could do. It is a complete game changer for me! Glad you are seeing it too!
Hardy has released recently a caged reel cassette that comes with 3 spools. I just picked one up while down on penns creek at the feather hook fly shop and lodge. Now with 3 spools u can use one for euro steelhead another for euro trout and another to snap on to use in a sudden dry fly hatch. Cant beat it. And it's a hardy. Thanks for your steelhead series.
Thanks Joe! This one was a major challenge because of computer and software issues. I hate to do it, but I have to spend the money and buy an Mac Book Pro for editing.
I have fished the NY tributaries since 1990 and have used the same flies your highlight with one exception, my exception is the Green Butt Skunk. For some reason this fly works really well. I know it is a traditional pattern for salmon, but have caught steelhead when nothing else seems to work! Thanks, great video.
Bryan great content as usual, you are one of the reasons I tight line fly fish. I Steelhead fish on the Rogue River in Southern Oregon and use a very similar set up as you do except much lighter. I use a 3wt Diamond back with Rio Euro Fly Line attached to 20' of 8lb Amnesia with a micro swivel to 5X tippet. Usually 5X to dropper and 6X to point fly and have not lost a fish to broken line yet, since Sept 21, 2023, over 30 Steelhead. I use the Rio Fluorflex Strong also and love that tippet. Thin to win :)
WOW! That's awesome! The Diamondback rods and good tippet are what make that possible. I just got the 10'10" 2wt for my trout euro and I'm going to be dropping down much lighter on that setup. I may explore some lighter options on the 6wt. The first fish I caught on the DB 6wt was a hard fighting 21" brown on 5X. Handled it no problem. I know I could get lighter on the 6wt for steelies if I need to.
Good luck this year! Bit of a weird year. I heard there were some steelhead digging around in the gravel on the Salmon River with the unusually warm temps.
Love your content, super interested in how that diamondback rod fishes. I swing mostly, but having a dedicated nymphing setup to play with would be fun!
Very good and useful information. I too , love and always use Rio Flouroflex Strong tippet material. You really went into detail on what flies to use given certain river conditions and the time of year. Such a great video to watch before you head up to the L.Ontario tribs as a refresher. And it sounds like your next one is going to be awesome also. Looking forward to that one too! Nice work Bryan!
Bryan, Great series of videos.....learned a lot! Well thought out great content. If you don't mind me asking the trade secret LOL.....what is the pink material in the "Green Eggs-N-Ham" fly? Can't make it out. Thanks!
I'll probably do a fly tying video for it soon but it is super easy. Petite Estaz in Chartreuse and New Age chenille (medium) in Kilowatt Red. I also do a chartreuse tungsten bead on some of them.
Thank you for this in-depth video! I’m just getting into euro nymphing and unfortunately have an 8wt 10’ fast action rod. Could I still run a euro nymph mono rig on this? If so, what type of mono would you recommend? I want to try the mono rig for euro nymphing so I can also tie on a skagit head and chuck some streamers when my arm inevitably gets tired lol. Thanks again I’ll be saving this video to look back on!
I used to use switch rods for nymphing steelhead so it can be done. The 10' length will be ok but your setup is likely a little heavy like my switch rods were. It just tires you out more and gives you a sore back and shoulders at the end of the day lol. With the fast action of the rod, you'll probably have to go with heavier tippet as they won't protect your tippet much. Good luck!
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany I think I’m going to just end up getting the diamondback 6wt rod, it seems like too sweet of a rod to not have in the arsenal. Only reason I wanted to try it on an 8wt was for potentially catching Great Lakes chinook on it, but I’ll just get a dedicated rod for that. Thank you for the reply and tight lines!
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany you along with a lot of other people on some forums highly recommended it, so I couldn’t resist! It’s coming this Friday. Keep up the good content!
I am using the Rio Euro Nymph fly line (braided core) that I do the micro loop on. I have a video on making the micro loop. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-SK14yTfem1A.html
Recently I picked up Hardy sovereign and I think it is by far the best euro nymph reel for fine leader. Sage ESN is not real full cage and even 20Ib Stren leader, it slips out of the groove.
Oh man. Don’t tell me that. I literally just bought the Sage ESN reel this week and I’m dropping my mono rig down to 8# on my Diamondback 2wt. It better work well for the money I spent.
Up here in the upper peninsula we have a diffrent philosophy for steelhead lighter rod and tippit and don’t force the fish fight it gently so it doesn’t run cause our rivers are so choked and bendy dark waters fly shop has a good video on this philosophy
So far so good. I've put them through their paces for a year now and they still feel like new. I'm not easy on my gear either. But it has only been 1 year so we'll see how the next year goes.
@@WhiteDogTrailCompanythanks for the reply, I’m in need of a new pair and was hoping for a longer lasting pair of waders. The other top contenders seem to be hit or miss.
The Sage ESN is not my favorite rod anymore. I find the backbone is weaker that I would like on big fish. I'm really a Diamondback guy now for nymph rods. The Diamondback 2 weight has way more backbone and can handle bigger fish than the Sage ESN 3wt. For steelhead the Diamondback 6wt just blows me away. I haven't touched a rod that comes close to it! The power of the backbone and the ridiculous tippet protection gives you a huge advantage. I am a HUGE fan of Diamondback now!!!!
Sorry... just seeing your reply. I talked to Joe Goodspeed and he recommended a reel about 7 oz. (naked reel weight). I had a Sage Spectrum C 7/8 that was intended for a stream rod but was the perfect weight and is now on my Diamondback 6wt. It balances it perfectly with backing and a euro fly line. The biggest things in a reel are having a good drag, balancing the rod and maybe being full cage or full frame if you're using mono rig so your line doesn't slip out of the reel. I use a euro line for where I fish so that is not a problem and the 15# main part of my leader is thick enough so it is not a problem either.
Bryan......I've been searching all over the Google machine trying to find the answer. Maybe you know?: Is a DT euro nymphing line such as the Cortland .022 legal in the SR fly zones? The regs say no running lines, but technically this line has a long double taper? Don't want to get pinched! 😂
Such a great question! I did a bunch of research before I went myself. What I saw was that a floating fly line is legal and my euro line is a floating fly line according to the Rio description. I didn't find anything that said a euro fly line or similar would be a problem. I also did not see anything about a required taper. I have had some comments from people stating that they are not technically legal but I have yet to have anyone provide me with any valid documentation that it is not! Even the people who said it was not fully legal and could not provide documentation said that DEC would never complain about my setup. I do make sure I keep the leader to the 15' requirement and my weight, if used, either in the fly or more than 12" from the fly (usually about 18" for me). Do not do the weight 4 feet from the fly (the max regulation) or you are just asking to floss the fish and lose the ability to detect strikes.
Regulations on the water I fish. Any weight on the line must be at lest 12" above the fly and a line break must be in place to keep it from sliding down the line. You could certainly drop shot if the regulations allow where you fish.
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany Have a look at US Made Galvan. I had ESN but machining was not perfect. Perhaps was unit I had. Sold it and now have Galvan G.E.N 3.7. 🤩 I ordered Galvan Torque spool for it in same color. Now I have Euro, 6wt salt reel, 6wt fresh water reel in one.
