14. How To Retrieve Line When Euro Nymphing (14 of 20)

- [Tom] Part of line control is to know how fast to retrieve line as the flies drift. George alternates between a hand twist retrieve and normal line stripping. I noticed you like to hand twist the line as it comes back. - [George] I do. In these slower pockets, the hand and twist gives you a lot more control in my opinion, and I like having my hands in front of me. So often, just like a strip set, so if fish does strike, I also have the line, hand and also the rock to set the hook. Sometimes the faster water if you have a faster current, I'll make one or two long strips of the line hand, get in control and then as the drift slows down, then go into a slow, steady hand and twist retrieve. The thing I like about the hand and twist retrieve as well is we're fishing jig flies. So one of the things we can do actually with the rod tip without jigging with the rod tip, I can actually overpower the hand just like this. I can literally jig the flies with my hand. You can see how that cider's bouncing up and down, and all I'm doing is just animating those flies. - Mm-hmm. But they're staying in the same current lane. - Correct. - So they're not looking like they're dragging or anything. - Exactly. One of the downfalls with the rod tip when you jig up is you put slack and then the flies have to drop. But you're exactly right. You can pop in there and then I can basically manipulate the line hand, and I can manipulate those flies, move the flies but still keep them in the water column.