Dropper Fly?

[mikechell 0]

I'm a "one fly at a time" type angler.

 

I don't use bobbers (oops, strike indicators), so no droppers off bobbers (oops again) with hooks, either.

[Guest]

Glad we can banter on here....

There's a few ways to make a hopper adjustable for depth. Can't find the diagram but basically you tie mono loops both ends of your hopper when you tie them and loop leader thru both "eyes" in a circle so you can loosen slide up or down draw back tight and go again.

Here's a pic of one of my hoppers tied with the mono loops. Gotta look close on each end. Most times I just tie an improved clinch around the hopper hook bite(top fly if both are sinkers) and use fixed length on dropper when no adjustment is necessary.

 

 

Like mikechell I too hate strike indicators mostly cuz I fish lotta streamers and stuff that that lifts on the swing or strip back.

Warm water stuff...A popper and a bream wet fly dropper has always been a double whammy killer!!!

[NohackleHS 0]

Droppers are very commonly used by nymph fishermen at Pyramid Lake. The most common method is the blood knot dropper (method 4 in Flytire's post). A stronger dropper knot is a double uni. At Pyramid the fish are LARGE so most anglers use 2X and 3X tippets. The larger, stiffer tippets help in reducing leader tangles (although I still get my share of them). Some days the fish prefer to hit the dropper fly while on other days they prefer the end fly.

[spiralspey 0]

I pretty much only use a dry/dropper setup when fish are eating just below the surface. I use the dry mainly as a way to locate my subsurface fly and I set the hook if there is a swirl near my dry or it gets tugged under.

 

If you keep your dropper line short you'll have a lot fewer tangles.

[flytire 0]

[Poopdeck 0]

I use this knot to attach my dropper to the hook bend of the leading fly. Easy on, easy off.

[phg 0]

When I first tried it, several years ago, I inevitable lost the dropper after a few casts. After a while, though, I figured out that I had to throw a more open loop when managing 2 flies. Once I got that through my head, I quit loosing my dropper flies.

 

I generally tie my dropper to the bend of the hook with tippet that is 1x lighter than what I use to the main fly. Whether it's dry & dropper or double nymph rig depends on conditions. Usually, my dropper is quite a bit smaller, such as a size 18 or 20 nymph under a size 12 or 14 lead fly.

 

It's amazing, to me, how often the midge will score a hit, while the lead fly gets ignored.

[ihang10 0]

Often times I'll tie on a nymph or wet fly that drowns my dry and I have to go to a bobber ((yes, you're fishing with a bobber)). Usually have the biggest challenge with tungsten beads.

 

If I am fishing uneven bottoms I'll uses a bobber to adjust the depth and bounce the nymph along the bottom easier.

 

Usually tie on the the bend with a Davy knot.

[shoebop 0]

I use a dropper quite often in several of the following configurations.

 

1. A high riding Dry fly like a stimulator with a lightly weighted or non weighted nymph.

2. 2 nymphs...one weighted and larger

3. dry fly with a wet fly dropper

4. 2 wet flies.

 

I have always tied my dropper to the bend of the lead fly. Interestingly, I doesn't seem to impede hookups. (Just my observation).

Since tangling is more of a possibility, as has been noted, I refrain on windy days but I have found the results is definitely worth the effort.

It is my favorite way to "search" new waters or to find out what the fish prefer that day. If I find they are hitting one exclusively, I will use that fly exclusively.

 

BTW I have caught a double on one occasion.

[Crackaig 0]

Think yourself lucky you can get away with one fly. Here, on the lochs, three is the norm. With four being as common as two. The flies work together as a "team". Often the fish will come to one but take one of the others. The bushier fly goes on the top dropper, known as the bob fly. The slimmest on the point. Changing one fly that isn't catching will often result in no takes to the other two.

If you fish a single fly you will have to accept that you are going to catch far fewer fish. A lot less than the two thirds less you might expect.

Tangles are usually the result of using a leader that is not stiff enough to "carry" the fly in the cast. Hold the leader level 1 1/2" from the fly, if the fly droops down more than 45 degrees, you need stiffer mono.

Cheers,

C.

[fshng2 0]

Think yourself lucky you can get away with one fly. Here, on the lochs, three is the norm. With four being as common as two. The flies work together as a "team". Often the fish will come to one but take one of the others. The bushier fly goes on the top dropper, known as the bob fly. The slimmest on the point. Changing one fly that isn't catching will often result in no takes to the other two.

If you fish a single fly you will have to accept that you are going to catch far fewer fish. A lot less than the two thirds less you might expect.

Tangles are usually the result of using a leader that is not stiff enough to "carry" the fly in the cast. Hold the leader level 1 1/2" from the fly, if the fly droops down more than 45 degrees, you need stiffer mono.

Cheers,

C.

Is your set up similar to any of flytiers methods?

[Stoneflylama72 0]

I tried dry dropper rigs and hated them until this year. I started fishing a different river this spring and the fish there like to feed on the surface. One of the reasons I hated the dropper system before was it wasn't worth the tangles since the fish pretty much never hit the dry fly. An indicator was a better option for sure. On the new River however I caught probably 25+ % of fish on the dry fly. Most of the year I fished a visible Caddis emerger Dry and a different emerger in the surface film or barely below with about 3 feet between flies. Flies were #16 or #14 and tippet 5x to first fly and 6x flouro (little stiffer than most mono). I tried tying loops of mono into the dry flies before tying them in vise, I tried tying off the bend of dry fly, I tried tying the dry on a dropper loop about 6" long 2-3' above the last fly, and I tried tying the end fly off the eye of the dry fly. I got the most hookups and least tangles with the end fly tied about 3 ft off the eye of the dry fly. Some days they wanted all emergers in the film or below and some days it was pretty even between the two flies. Either way I could see almost every strike so it was fun.

[heavynets 0]

I tie the dropper to the tippet above the top fly with an improved Davy knot, but most any knot will do. Slide the knot down to just above the the top fly's eye. This allows me to change the top fly without retying the dropper by just sliding the dropper's knot back up the tippet. Most tangles are avoided by using a more open cast.

[Stoneflylama72 0]

I tie the dropper to the tippet above the top fly with an improved Davy knot, but most any knot will do. Slide the knot down to just above the the top fly's eye. This allows me to change the top fly without retying the dropper by just sliding the dropper's knot back up the tippet. Most tangles are avoided by using a more open cast.

 

I'm going to try that method next time out. Would be nice to be able to change top fly without retying two knots and it wouldn't shorten the line between flies.

[fshng2 0]

I use this knot to attach my dropper to the hook bend of the leading fly. Easy on, easy off.

 

PD ever tried Gateways "No-Tie" Adapters?

http://shop.gatewayhooks.com/main.sc