Euro Nymphing Secrets with Tim Cammisa: Flies, Techniques, and Tips for Success
From: troutandfeather
We caught up with Tim Cammisa, a passionate fly fisher and author, to dive into his journey from tying flies as a kid to becoming a leading voice in Euro nymphing. In this interview, Tim shares how he got started, the inspiration behind his books, and tips for anglers of all levels looking to improve their fly fishing game.
Tim, how did your journey into fly fishing and tying begin, and what inspired you to focus on Euro nymphing?
Tying was my introduction to the sport, my parents signed me up for an after-school class when I was 10 years old. During that class, one of the instructors was my Great Uncle John, and he soon became my fly fishing mentor. The next holiday brought me my first fly rod, a 7 1/2' 5-weight...and the addiction was underway! Fast-forward a bit, and I started guiding on a famous tailwater, which gave me some valuable experience helping others. I soon traded guiding for a YouTube channel, focused on helping lessen the fly fishing and tying learning curve for others. Along the way, I kept hearing whispers about this new style of fly fishing that caught so many fish: Euro nymphing!
Like many other styles, I consider this technique another arrow in my fly fishing quiver. As I love to chase wild trout in my home state of Pennsylvania, Euro nymphing offers advantages over other styles, as I can maintain incredible control of my drift and detect strikes much faster than with a traditional setup. Once I committed, I remember coming home one day after a trip on the water and telling my wife about the day. She looked at me almost confused and asked, "Are you telling me the truth, you're catching triple the number of fish you caught last year?!" It wasn't a fish story, just an example of how Euro nymphing truly impacted my catch rate.
What was the inspiration behind writing Tying Euro Nymphs, and how did you decide which patterns to feature?
My good friend Josh Miller of Trout Yeah guide service was working on a book, Euro Nymping: Tips, Tactics, and Techniques, and I probed him about the flies he was including, which were minimal. Sensing an opportunity, I gave my publisher Jay Nichols a call. Since I had recently released my first book, Fly Tying for Everyone, I felt confident that he would agree that our sport had room for a book focused on the flies of Euro nymphing. It wasn't quite that easy!
Jay agreed that there was space for the book, but felt that it had to be more than just flies. He suggested that I reach out to today's top anglers and tiers, interviewing each and including their insights throughout the pages. Jay ended the call with a vote of confidence, stating, "You're the only one who can write this book." Putting my connections in gear, I began a series of Zoom interviews and emails to anglers from around the world, including competition anglers, many of whom have won medals at our sport's highest level.
It was so humbling as each person said, "Yes" and helped me with this project. The level of expertise is simply incredible, we're talking people like Devin Olsen Howard Croston, Tom Rosenbauer, Josh Miller, Lubos Roza, and Lance Egan; I can go on with so many other talented people. Once completing the interviews, I categorized their thoughts by topic, inserting their quotes in each related section. I had the book's framework with 15 flies (and 15 variations), plus sections on fly fishing and tying, then came the difficult part: Adding in the quotes from today's experts. It was no easy task to insert everything, hence why my book was submitted a few months after its due date!
You’ve included insights from top anglers and fly tiers in your book. How did those interviews shape the content, and what stood out to you the most from their contributions?
The interviews felt like a peek inside of a secret world, seriously! Imagine spending hours with some of today's top fly fishers, and picking their brain in real time? That was the access given to me when I recorded and corresponded with each via Zoom and email. Based on their interviews, many of the original patterns were minimized or even deleted, as these anglers were sharing the flies that were working for them on the water, many times the same day I interviewed them!
I also got lucky early on, as I asked each angler a question: If you were fly fishing for trout or char in moving water with a medium gradient, no matter where in the world, what are five patterns that you would start with? Each responded with five flies, but not always Euro nymphs. Some were streamers, some dry flies (for dry-dropper), and some junk, like eggs, Mops and worms! This information soon became sections I called "Confidence Flies" and are featured throughout the book. Those lists alone are valuable information that I believe are worth the price of admission. However, those lists pushed me to include sections on not just Euro nymphs, but Dry Flies, Streamers, and Slow Sinking Flies.
Finally, the insights shared in these interviews really painted a picture of the thought process these anglers use when chasing trout. It wasn't simply selecting a fly that would work best, it was pairing that fly with a water type, then ensuring that fly rod, leader, and tippet were aligned. For the flies, so many aspects which seem trivial to casual anglers are critical to these fly fishers; there is an entire section of the book dedicated to selecting bead colors! Finally, hooks were an area that focused on during the interviews, and learning why certain models and shapes were chosen over others was valuable information that will help others at their own tying benches.
With 350 full-color tying steps and 15 variation patterns, the book sounds incredibly detailed. How did you approach breaking down the tying process to make it accessible for all skill levels?
A little known fact is that my day job is as a 6th grade elementary school teacher. This year is my 24th teaching, so I have a little bit of experience breaking down concepts into digestible pieces for students to learn. Applying that same thinking to this book, I wanted to ensure that there was a variety of both patterns and tying levels represented, thus I built in sections for beginning, intermediate, and advanced tiers. Every fly starts at the basic level, placing the hook in the vise, then advances. As more difficult techniques are incorporated, additional images and text is provided so the tier can follow along and push themself to the next level.
For someone new to Euro nymphing, what are three flies from the book you’d recommend starting with, and why?
All of them, of course! There are so many great patterns shared that it's tough to just go with three, but I would recommend:
Perdigon: This fast-sinking pattern requires minimal design, but does a great job of representing tons of bugs that fish eat year round.
Jig Bugger: Everyone knows that the Woolly Bugger is an effective fly, but the version I share uses fewer materials and catches more fish...easy choice!
JUNK! In the book, I feature a chapter on slow sinking flies, i.e. patterns like worms, eggs, and Mop flies. There is a ton of information in this section and a few secrets revealed, plus stocked trout love these flies.
What do you hope readers take away from Tying Euro Nymphs, whether they’re experienced anglers or just getting into the technique?
This project had several goals, with a starting one to help introduce the reader to effective flies, while sharing why their design helps them to catch fish. Moving forward, I also took time to explain fishing techniques for each fly, as these tactics can be applied to most flies being fished today. Finally, over 30 of today's top fly fishers and tiers are included throughout, which separates this book from most others. The interviews, emails, phone calls, and text messages with these anglers were packed with so much beneficial information to help others tie better flies and catch more fish, and I made every effort to showcase their ideas and images throughout the book.
Looking beyond the book, what’s next for you, Tim? Are there more projects or areas of fly fishing you’re excited to explore?
Aside from writing books and creating fly fishing and tying content, I lead group trips to destinations like Iceland and Alaska. There are countless extraordinary places to catch fish, and I am always on the lookout for new locations to explore, hoping to add even more exciting destinations to my group trips. For summer 2025, I have a handful of trips lined up, some public with availability and other exploratory. This is something I truly love, sharing these places with fellow anglers.
