nymph droppers

[craig cox]

I don't fish dry flies exclusively, so let's say "mostly," ok? And it's "mostly" because I like to watch the fly through the forward cast, landing and drift. Fishing dries has really helped improve my casting motion and accuracy. It also whitens your teeth, and builds strong bodies 12 ways.
It's pretty ok when a fish hits it, too.
But sometimes, you just have to go under, so my questions are about hanging a dropper off the dry.
1. knots?
2. where to attach? I use barbless hooks for most of my tying, so can I tie the dropper on to the bend or will I launch the whole rig on the first cast?
3. best bugs to hang: nymphs, emergers, worms?
4. avoiding tangles (I'm envisioning spending half the afternoon untangling leaders)

thanks in advance

[byronfishpaw]

cosmo said:

I don't fish dry flies exclusively, so let's say "mostly," ok? And it's "mostly" because I like to watch the fly through the forward cast, landing and drift. Fishing dries has really helped improve my casting motion and accuracy. It also whitens your teeth, and builds strong bodies 12 ways.
It's pretty ok when a fish hits it, too.
But sometimes, you just have to go under, so my questions are about hanging a dropper off the dry.
1. knots?
2. where to attach? I use barbless hooks for most of my tying, so can I tie the dropper on to the bend or will I launch the whole rig on the first cast?
3. best bugs to hang: nymphs, emergers, worms?
4. avoiding tangles (I'm envisioning spending half the afternoon untangling leaders)

thanks in advance

1. Use a knot called an Orvis knot, but many knots will work.
2. Tie into hook bend - I use barbless hooks as well - no problemo
3. Best bugs? If I knew that I would be running the store.
4. Can't avoid them

[Nick Pionessa]

two keys to not tangling are keep the distance between the two flies as short as possible and don't use a heavy fly for the dropper such as a tungsten bead head. glass beads or brass at the heaviest are best for dropper rigs and since you are only fishing down a foot or so it doesn't need much.

generally the dry would be of the predominant hatch and the subsurface fly would be a coresponding nymph or sunken emerger.

attaching to the bend for a dry rig is OK but the two tippets tied at the eye works better as it usualy prevents the dropper tippet from deflecting takes to the dry. either way you will miss some fish to the dry and when the fish really start to rise to a hatch you may be better off cutting the dropper and concentrating on the dry. try it and see if you like it.

[juliuspmccann]

Being the kind of guy who likes to present a smorgesboard when fishing, fishing multiple flies has been my mainstay for a number of years. Two dries of different sizes or styles, two or three wet flies of various sizes and colors, or two nymphs one smaller than the other works great. Sometimes you are rewarded with a double. Trying to land two fish going different directions at the same time can be great fun! My secret (not really a secret) is to open up your cast. Bring your rod back a little farther, soften up your forward cast to increase the size of your loop. This helps prevent tangles in a big way. But, snag an overhead branch or release a fish and discover a rats nest hanging from your leader, you in deep do-do! Cut it all off and retie it saves time. Make sure you bring all your scrap mono and floro home with you. Left along the stream it becomes a killer to everything wild. Have fun, you're fishin' not workin'!!

[k clancy]

Try roll/spey casting if you're using a 2 fly rig. It keeps tension on both flies until the flies are in the air and, this particularly important, the flies don't change direction while in the air. sort of like when you're casting with a bulky strike indicator
good luck with it

[craig cox]

thanks, everyone. tune in, tie on, dropper out...