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Fishing a Dry and Dropper Rig
by John Krutz
Possibly the most effective way to catch trout during
non-hatch periods is by fishing a dry and dropper rig.
This method is nothing new to fly fishing, but it is a
technique that many are not familiar with. The dry and
dropper rig is one of my personal favorites and I will
describe some of my most effective rigs.
First you need to understand the basics. A dry and
dropper rig is simply fly-fishing with a dry fly and
another fly fished underneath the dry fly. The dry fly
is usually a highly buoyant pattern that can still float
with another fly below it. The dropper is usually a
lightly weighted nymph, wet fly or emerger pattern that
sinks below the surface. So with one rig you are fishing
above and below the waters surface. This allows you to
catch fish that are looking up for flies on the surface
while still having the chance to catch the finicky fish
below the surface.
Tying a dry and dropper rig is not as complicated as you
might think. Let's start with your tippet to leader
connection. Attach a slightly heavier tippet to you
leader then normal. Normally I use around two feet of 4x
or 5x tippet. Remember, you will be casting 2 flies so
your initial tippet needs to be able to support both
flies without twisting. Tie your dry fly to the end of
that piece of tippet with your favorite knot; I prefer a
clinch knot for all of these connections. Next attach
another piece of tippet to the bend of the hook of the
dry fly; again use your favorite knot. The length of
tippet off the bend of the dry fly should not really
exceed 12 inches or you may make a mess while casting.
Finally tie on the dropper to the end of the second
piece of tippet. There's your rig ready to go and catch
some fish.
Now that you've learned how to set up the rig let's look
at some options of what flies to use. For dry flies it
is most common to use very high floating patterns. Flies
like stimulators, grasshoppers, royal coachman's, and
large adams work very well. You can use more hatch
specific flies,
but remember most of the time this rig is used during
non-hatch periods. For droppers I prefer bead-headed
pheasant tails, prince nymphs and hair's ears, but there
are many other combinations. Just remember that the
dropper should not pull the dry fly under water.
Fishing this rig has a somewhat different style then
your standard dry fly. You want to stay away from making
false casts. One may be fine, but this rig is better
suited to flipping your line upstream, especially for
beginners. Making to many false casts can lead to a
tangled line that you will need to replace. This rig is
ideal for all kinds of water, whether you prefer fast or
slow water this rig will produce. Finally, the dry fly
will act as your strike indicator for the dropper, so if
you see the dry fly go under water and your rig is
properly weighted you have a strike on the dropper.
Fishing a dry and dropper rig is incredibly effective.
Instead of fishing either above or below the waters
surface, you are doing both on one cast. Learning to
fish this rig is great for non-hatch periods and can
often produce fish in area's where other methods may not
work. Personally I always start with a 'hopper and a
dropper during non-hatch periods and the results have
kept me using it.
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