I know this has been around for a while but it's only recently that I've relocated to western NC where small stream fly-fishing apparently rules. Using a dry fly with a dropper is going to be key and this looks like the way to go. Thanks so much!
*I bought these and used them at the river where I get snags often they have done a **enjoyable.fishing** recommend great job of not breaking along with some strong line I purchased as well. They are super durable and easy to use.*
Wow! Been wondering if I could add a dropper loop to my main line but always thought I had to tie one from the main line itself. This is great! Thanks, Mark on the Columbia River in Oregon.
Always had trouble tying satisfactory droppers. Last year I had a revelation. I saw that Aussie and Kiwi anglers simply tie the dropper directly to the bend on the hook of the first fly. Couldn't be simpler. never looked back since.
This knot works great for the hinge system on the dropper. After you have fished a run with this on the dead drift, raise the dry just off of the water and let the nymph go through again in another section of the water column. If the dry moves, as it will when a fish inhales the nymph, set the hook. This gives even more flexibility to a deadly rig.
Great, brilliant way for droppers, one piece main leader with added on droppers plus at right angles, will adopt this for all my future dropper angling
Much easier to make a dropper knot on your leader and the a leadered dry fly attached tobit be a hand over hand knot..that way you can easily change your dry flies without cutting any leader
Tried it today. The fish on the Owyhee River in Eastern Oregon this time of year (February) are eating on size 20-24 midges and occasional BWOs. Unfortunately this method doesn't work if you're using small tippet. I was using 5x and 6x for those small nymphs and the "dropper" tangled EVERY TIME, regardless of the casting method. I would imagine that anything smaller than 3x would tangle as well. Great idea, but just doesn't work unless you're using bigger tippet. Unless I'm missing something, feel free to correct me.
Looks great! The best way I have seen to attach a dropper. But, I am curious about the knot you used to tie on the dropper fly. When I use my regular knot, it uses too much of the dropper line, especially if I change flies a couple of times. Your knot did not waste much leader at all. I couldn't quite see how you did it in your video. Does your knot have a name?
i think i prefer to fish a dry fly on my main and tie a nymph off of the hook, rather than the line. line on line will create a little knot to snag on things and possibly shear off your line.
Why have I been tying dropper loops with my main line when I can just add them to it using your method? Your way assures you of getting the additional loop in the right position every time. We'll done
I prefer tandem rig. Tie dry fly on like normal n just take tippet n tie how ever much you need right on the dry flys hook n put a nymph on that...dont tangle nearly as much or easy plus no knot in the middle of your leader to weaken it
I'm having some trouble using this dropper knot. When i hook a fish (or the bottom) the knot sometimes break. Sometimes i loose both flies because the knot breaks at the joint. Other times i only loose the dropper fly when the line breaks off beneath the knot. Any suggestions to why and how I can fix this?
The trouble with this set up is that when you come to pack up, or you just want to use either the dry or the nymph you have to either cut the dry off, or cut the main leader. If the former, you don't have enough to tie on another. Now don't take the abuse about needing to tie "in line", because you don't. A dry floating on the side is just as good an indicator after hundreds of landed trout. But In order to solve the problem first mentioned, I tie my dries onto a short piece of nylon,5- 6 pound, and with a small loop on the other end. I also have a knot in my leader, sometimes 2, at say 18 inches and 3 feet I can fish the nymph at different depths in a flash. The dry is simply looped on the leader above the knot and slid down. Now what happens, is that contrary to the naysayers, when the dry if floating, it actually develops direct contact with the nymph because the dry and the nymph are at different speeds in the water column. The dry makes an excellent tool to unslip the knot and pull the dry off.
Thank you great simple to understand video. I use same note all the time to extend tippet but could picture how to use it to attach dropper. I always have attached dropper to the curve in the hook. If your fishing two nymph rig or streamer nymph would you use same knot?
@Pwrcritter haha, thats what i have been doing, my dad took the piss out of me for it.. you have to cut the whole of the leader to change the fly, its annoying.
Thanks for the great video. I'm definitely going to try this next time I'm out nymph fishing. On a side note, where the heck did you find those scissors? In the garden?! LOL
are u fishing the dry fly as a dry dropper rig? or are u fishing the dry fly under water as a nymph? if its a dry dropper rig u will miss fish as the slack from the tag will not register rite away giving the fish plenty of time to spit out the nymph..tying off the bend is much better for strike detection...if u ever tie a dropper on with the orvis knot u will never use the surgeons again..and u only need to tie the orvis knot with one turn,,regardless of what the instructions say..been fishing this way for many many years..
Hi New to fly fishing(first season)maybe a daft question could you put a buzzer and a wet fly on the dropper or do you have to put a dry on the dropper.
Yes, if the dry fly goes under then your lower fly (nymph) would have been inhaled by a fish, so you just watch the dry fly and if it goes down set the hook and if a fish comes up and takes it set the hook :)
Only problem is with that is now you are weakening your leader or tip it by having extra knots in it. Hope you don't lose a big fish because the extra knot
Obviously you don't fly fish much, ever head of a hand made taper? All it is is different size tippets tied together to form a tapered leader.. Plus almost all fly fisherman use more then one fly at a time....all the pros must be stupid
Ryan Calhoun the only person here who is stupid is you obviously you do not fly fish because when you tie multiple flies on you one fly on then you use the hook of that fly and tie the second fly on then use the hook again and tie the third fly on and so on and so forth. And yes I've seen hand-tied tippets. That's why I don't use them because if you know anything about structural integrity the more knots you have on something the weaker it becomes. Thats whats makes you stupid for opening your mouth when you do not know what you're talking about. Nice try
I'm that guy you love to hate I lost big rainbow trout half an hr ago, dropper snapped....trout is swimming with my fly in his mough right now...... Gotted....