Olsen's Blowtorch
RRTU FOTM 01.26 Olsen's Blowtorch tying video
Fly of the Month 01.26 - The Blowtorch
The “fly of the month” series for 2026 will include a number Euro nymphs to recognize the competitiveness of fly fishing, As with any sport, fly fishing often has innovations. One of the most popular and highly productive—is a technique called European style nymphing or Euro Nymphing. Currently, magazines are filled with articles about Euro-nymphing and companies are building special rods for it.
Euro nymphing is a specialized fly fishing technique that originated in Eastern Europe yet very similar to the old Southern Appalachian method called “dapping” or the Japanese method called “Tenkara” or the modern method called “high-sticking.” Anglers in Czechoslovakia, Poland, and France perfected Euro-nymphing and competitive fly fishers adopted their tactics to win tournament after tournament around the globe. It involves using heavily weighted nymphs and long, thin leaders to fish the water column and near bottom to imitate the behavior of nymphs. This method eliminates the need for traditional indicators by emphasizing direct contact with the fly or flies and allowing anglers to detect subtle strikes to improve hookup rates.
The productivity of Euro nymphing has lead to its use in fly fishing competition world-wide. Euro nymphing is characterized by its simplicity and efficiency, making it accessible to anglers of all skill levels. As other fisherman discovered just how productive Euro-nymphing is, this technique showed up online and invaded North America.
Why should you try Euro nymphing out the next time you hit the water?
Simply because Euro-nymphing is a great way to get to know a river and allowing an angler to fish every inch of it. Working toward being a Euro nymphing expert, the small differences on a river’s bottom become more evident and, best of all, you will likely hook more fish.
For Euro nymphing, anglers prefer rods in the 9-11-foot range built to toss 2-4 weight lines. Euro rods will not lay down 60 feet of line like a superfast, 9’ dry fly rod. But instead, with Euro nymphing, the “cast” is more of a upstream lob, and these rods are perfect for it. These rods are all characterized by thick butt sections and fine, ultra-responsive mid and tip sections. Also, these rods are unparalleled for feeling the bottom and providing the sensitivity needed for drift control and feeling the a subtle strike. Rod companies now build rods like these as the next generation in particular are following fly fishing competition as a pathway for success.
Euro-anglers use the heft of their nymph (usually weighted) to propel the fly to the target. To make this easy to do, they use long leaders made up in different ways.
Czech-style setups:
Fly line then 6’–12’ of clear, #15 mono, a 16” section of multi-color sighter as an
indicator, and 4’–8’ of level fluorocarbon tippet in 1x to 4x to the fly.
French-style setups:
Fly line then 9’ of 0x tapered leader, a section of curly-q sighter acting as
indicator, and 4’–6’ of 4x to 5x fluorocarbon tippet to fly.
Both these setups use a long section of bicolored monofilament as an indicator. Unlike standard indicator nymphing, this mono is not used to show strikes. Instead, Euro-anglers use it to gauge the fly’s depth. This way, they can be sure their nymph is in continuous contact with the bottom of the river. Rig the Euro rod up one of these two ways, and practice Euro nymphing techniques. Notice right away how the hard ticks of rocks encountered through a drift differ from the soft pull of a trout mouthing the fly.
When Euro nymphing, there are few key things you want to achieve:
Visualize the river bottom in a grid-like pattern from bank to bank
Have a plan for attacking the fishiest parts of the river, one after another
A tight connection at all times between your line, leader, and fly
A dead drift that still eliminates slack in the entire length of the system
Total control over the speed and depth the fly drifts
NOTE: Check local regulations. Not all states allow Euro nymphing setups on fly-fishing-only waters.
“When you realize you can make a drift with a Euro rig, all those areas of the river that seemed unfishable with a regular indicator/nymph setup are now open to you. Most rivers have fast, boulder pocket water that is heaven for fish but hell for a fisherman. With water rushing by so fast, regular indicators are swept away before the fly reaches the bottom. This doesn’t happen with Euro nymphing. That’s just one way it opens the door to discovering what lurks beneath. And one good reason why it’s a skill every fly anglers should know.” - Orvis
The Blowtorch
The Blowtorch fly was developed by Devin Olsen in 2014 during a training session at the World Fly Fishing Championship in the Czech Republic. This tag-style nymph features a black-peacock body with a hot orange tag and hot spot, designed to attract trout with high effectiveness. The Blowtorch has gained popularity for its versatility and performance in various fishing conditions, making it a favored choice especially among the new generation of anglers.
This pattern by Devin Olsen is widely known as a fish catcher. The Blowtorch has a good mix of buggy features and a bright hotspot that help getting fish to take it. One tweak made on this fly is swapping the collar from soft hackle to a squirrel-CDC blend, but either version will fish really well in a variety of situations. To get a good dubbing blend, take a clump of squirrel dub, a clump of CDC dub, and pulse them a few times in a coffee grinder - do not overdo it! The Blowtorch can be tied in a wider range of sizes, but most commonly from size 12-16.
The Blowtorch fly is a popular nymph pattern known for its effectiveness in catching fish, particularly trout. Here’s are some know variations:
Blowtorch Hare’s Ear
Fulling Mill Blowtorch
Olsen’s Blowtorch Nymph
Olsen’s Blowtorch Tag Nymph
Olsen’s Blowtorch Variant
Squirrel Blowtorch
Fly of the Month 01.26
The Blowtorch
Hook: Barbless jig hook or Fulling Mill Jig Force
Size: 10, 12, 14. 16
Bead: Copper slotted tungsten bead (3 mm or 7/64 inch).
Weight: Lead-free wire (.015) for added weight.
Thread: Fluorescent Fire Orange (8/0 or 70-denier).
Tail/Tag: Glo-Brite Floss in Fire Orange #5 or Antron yarn in fluorescent fire orange.
Ribbing: Green Sulky Holoshimmer Metallic Thread or Mirage Flashabou.
Body: Peacock herl or black peacock Ice Dub.
Collar: Natural Dun CDC feather or hen-neck feather fibers.
Squirrel Blowtorch
Hook: Fulling Mill 5045 Jig or Hanak H 400 BL Jig Hook
Size: 14
Thread: UTC Ultrathread 70 Denier - Fl. Orange
Bead: Hanak Round+ Slotted Tungsten Beads - Gold - 3.5mm
Tail: Glo-Brite Floss - Fl. Fire Orange #5
Rib: Sulky Metallic Tinsel - Opalescent (8040)
Body: Hends Spectra Dubbing - Peacock Green
Collar: Natural Furs Dubbing - Gray Squirrel,
mixed with TroutHunter CDC Dubbing - Black
Directions:
- Tom Adams, Alen Baker
Fly of the Month 01.26 - The Blowtorch
The “fly of the month” series for 2026 will include a number Euro nymphs to recognize the competitiveness of fly fishing, As with any sport, fly fishing often has innovations. One of the most popular and highly productive—is a technique called European style nymphing or Euro Nymphing. Currently, magazines are filled with articles about Euro-nymphing and companies are building special rods for it.
Euro nymphing is a specialized fly fishing technique that originated in Eastern Europe yet very similar to the old Southern Appalachian method called “dapping” or the Japanese method called “Tenkara” or the modern method called “high-sticking.” Anglers in Czechoslovakia, Poland, and France perfected Euro-nymphing and competitive fly fishers adopted their tactics to win tournament after tournament around the globe. It involves using heavily weighted nymphs and long, thin leaders to fish the water column and near bottom to imitate the behavior of nymphs. This method eliminates the need for traditional indicators by emphasizing direct contact with the fly or flies and allowing anglers to detect subtle strikes to improve hookup rates.
The productivity of Euro nymphing has lead to its use in fly fishing competition world-wide. Euro nymphing is characterized by its simplicity and efficiency, making it accessible to anglers of all skill levels. As other fisherman discovered just how productive Euro-nymphing is, this technique showed up online and invaded North America.
Why should you try Euro nymphing out the next time you hit the water?
Simply because Euro-nymphing is a great way to get to know a river and allowing an angler to fish every inch of it. Working toward being a Euro nymphing expert, the small differences on a river’s bottom become more evident and, best of all, you will likely hook more fish.
For Euro nymphing, anglers prefer rods in the 9-11-foot range built to toss 2-4 weight lines. Euro rods will not lay down 60 feet of line like a superfast, 9’ dry fly rod. But instead, with Euro nymphing, the “cast” is more of a upstream lob, and these rods are perfect for it. These rods are all characterized by thick butt sections and fine, ultra-responsive mid and tip sections. Also, these rods are unparalleled for feeling the bottom and providing the sensitivity needed for drift control and feeling the a subtle strike. Rod companies now build rods like these as the next generation in particular are following fly fishing competition as a pathway for success.
Euro-anglers use the heft of their nymph (usually weighted) to propel the fly to the target. To make this easy to do, they use long leaders made up in different ways.
Czech-style setups:
Fly line then 6’–12’ of clear, #15 mono, a 16” section of multi-color sighter as an
indicator, and 4’–8’ of level fluorocarbon tippet in 1x to 4x to the fly.
French-style setups:
Fly line then 9’ of 0x tapered leader, a section of curly-q sighter acting as
indicator, and 4’–6’ of 4x to 5x fluorocarbon tippet to fly.
Both these setups use a long section of bicolored monofilament as an indicator. Unlike standard indicator nymphing, this mono is not used to show strikes. Instead, Euro-anglers use it to gauge the fly’s depth. This way, they can be sure their nymph is in continuous contact with the bottom of the river. Rig the Euro rod up one of these two ways, and practice Euro nymphing techniques. Notice right away how the hard ticks of rocks encountered through a drift differ from the soft pull of a trout mouthing the fly.
When Euro nymphing, there are few key things you want to achieve:
Visualize the river bottom in a grid-like pattern from bank to bank
Have a plan for attacking the fishiest parts of the river, one after another
A tight connection at all times between your line, leader, and fly
A dead drift that still eliminates slack in the entire length of the system
Total control over the speed and depth the fly drifts
NOTE: Check local regulations. Not all states allow Euro nymphing setups on fly-fishing-only waters.
“When you realize you can make a drift with a Euro rig, all those areas of the river that seemed unfishable with a regular indicator/nymph setup are now open to you. Most rivers have fast, boulder pocket water that is heaven for fish but hell for a fisherman. With water rushing by so fast, regular indicators are swept away before the fly reaches the bottom. This doesn’t happen with Euro nymphing. That’s just one way it opens the door to discovering what lurks beneath. And one good reason why it’s a skill every fly anglers should know.” - Orvis
The Blowtorch
The Blowtorch fly was developed by Devin Olsen in 2014 during a training session at the World Fly Fishing Championship in the Czech Republic. This tag-style nymph features a black-peacock body with a hot orange tag and hot spot, designed to attract trout with high effectiveness. The Blowtorch has gained popularity for its versatility and performance in various fishing conditions, making it a favored choice especially among the new generation of anglers.
This pattern by Devin Olsen is widely known as a fish catcher. The Blowtorch has a good mix of buggy features and a bright hotspot that help getting fish to take it. One tweak made on this fly is swapping the collar from soft hackle to a squirrel-CDC blend, but either version will fish really well in a variety of situations. To get a good dubbing blend, take a clump of squirrel dub, a clump of CDC dub, and pulse them a few times in a coffee grinder - do not overdo it! The Blowtorch can be tied in a wider range of sizes, but most commonly from size 12-16.
The Blowtorch fly is a popular nymph pattern known for its effectiveness in catching fish, particularly trout. Here’s are some know variations:
Blowtorch Hare’s Ear
Fulling Mill Blowtorch
Olsen’s Blowtorch Nymph
Olsen’s Blowtorch Tag Nymph
Olsen’s Blowtorch Variant
Squirrel Blowtorch
Fly of the Month 01.26
The Blowtorch
Hook: Barbless jig hook or Fulling Mill Jig Force
Size: 10, 12, 14. 16
Bead: Copper slotted tungsten bead (3 mm or 7/64 inch).
Weight: Lead-free wire (.015) for added weight.
Thread: Fluorescent Fire Orange (8/0 or 70-denier).
Tail/Tag: Glo-Brite Floss in Fire Orange #5 or Antron yarn in fluorescent fire orange.
Ribbing: Green Sulky Holoshimmer Metallic Thread or Mirage Flashabou.
Body: Peacock herl or black peacock Ice Dub.
Collar: Natural Dun CDC feather or hen-neck feather fibers.
Squirrel Blowtorch
Hook: Fulling Mill 5045 Jig or Hanak H 400 BL Jig Hook
Size: 14
Thread: UTC Ultrathread 70 Denier - Fl. Orange
Bead: Hanak Round+ Slotted Tungsten Beads - Gold - 3.5mm
Tail: Glo-Brite Floss - Fl. Fire Orange #5
Rib: Sulky Metallic Tinsel - Opalescent (8040)
Body: Hends Spectra Dubbing - Peacock Green
Collar: Natural Furs Dubbing - Gray Squirrel,
mixed with TroutHunter CDC Dubbing - Black
Directions:
- Tom Adams, Alen Baker
Fly of the Month 01.26 - The Blowtorch