There are often times when I find myself stuck on a stream, debating between a dry and a nymph – particularly when I’m fishing a water for the first time or making my first few casts of a trip.
In fact, this happened my first time fly fishing in Missoula, Montana.
My first time fishing Big Sky Country, I didn’t know when and where to start.
I had heard so many great stories about both the dry and wet fly fishing in Missoula, so I figured the best idea was to check in at the local fly shop, Grizzly Hackle and see what they suggested.
To my surprise, they recommended I do both: fish a high floating fly up top and a nymph below in what they called a “dropper” rig.
Now this was many years ago, and the technique has become more common today, but at the time it was the first I’d heard of it.
I’d heard of spinning reel anglers and baitcasters using a bubble bobber with a fly trailing below, but never a fly angler.
“Is that allowed?” I asked.
“Definitely,” the guide confirmed.
Now you definitely want to double check your local regulations before fly fishing with a dropper, but in most cases it’s a common practice for fly fishers and a more acceptable practice among today’s anglers.
Essentially, fly fishing a dropper means going with a big, bulky, hi-viz dry fly (rather than an hookless indicator) such as a parachute adams, and trail that fly with the “dropper” or a sub-surface nymph such as a pheasant tail or copper.
You can tied the dropper far enough (2-3 feet) from the dropper – depending on river depth – so that it doesn’t tangle and is manageable in terms of casting.
Give yourself more tippet between the flies than you anticipate using on your first few casts to get a feel for the length. It’s a lot easier to shorten a line with two flies than it is to retie both flies and extend the distance between them.
Using the double fly approach not only gives anglers a chance to try a dry versus a wet fly on the same cast and same stretch of water, but it lets the angler be creative in terms of patterns and color of the fly.
If you use a light fly up top, try a dark-colored dropper, or vice versa.
This also gives anglers a chance to fish the surface bite and also bounce a heavier nymph such as a beadhead along the bottom, even going after two species of fish at the same time.
Now don’t expect to be doubling up with a dropper setup, but you can expect to improve your chances as long as you fish slowly and carefully, and don’t cast a heavy fly with every other cast.
The approach can be a lot like trying to cast a heavy nymph or streamer, but once you get the backcast down and learn how to present the two flies delicately, it can be a deadly technique.
In fact, this happened my first time fly fishing in Missoula, Montana.
My first time fishing Big Sky Country, I didn’t know when and where to start.
I had heard so many great stories about both the dry and wet fly fishing in Missoula, so I figured the best idea was to check in at the local fly shop, Grizzly Hackle and see what they suggested.
To my surprise, they recommended I do both: fish a high floating fly up top and a nymph below in what they called a “dropper” rig.
Now this was many years ago, and the technique has become more common today, but at the time it was the first I’d heard of it.
I’d heard of spinning reel anglers and baitcasters using a bubble bobber with a fly trailing below, but never a fly angler.
“Is that allowed?” I asked.
“Definitely,” the guide confirmed.
Now you definitely want to double check your local regulations before fly fishing with a dropper, but in most cases it’s a common practice for fly fishers and a more acceptable practice among today’s anglers.
Essentially, fly fishing a dropper means going with a big, bulky, hi-viz dry fly (rather than an hookless indicator) such as a parachute adams, and trail that fly with the “dropper” or a sub-surface nymph such as a pheasant tail or copper.
You can tied the dropper far enough (2-3 feet) from the dropper – depending on river depth – so that it doesn’t tangle and is manageable in terms of casting.
Give yourself more tippet between the flies than you anticipate using on your first few casts to get a feel for the length. It’s a lot easier to shorten a line with two flies than it is to retie both flies and extend the distance between them.
Using the double fly approach not only gives anglers a chance to try a dry versus a wet fly on the same cast and same stretch of water, but it lets the angler be creative in terms of patterns and color of the fly.
If you use a light fly up top, try a dark-colored dropper, or vice versa.
This also gives anglers a chance to fish the surface bite and also bounce a heavier nymph such as a beadhead along the bottom, even going after two species of fish at the same time.
Now don’t expect to be doubling up with a dropper setup, but you can expect to improve your chances as long as you fish slowly and carefully, and don’t cast a heavy fly with every other cast.
The approach can be a lot like trying to cast a heavy nymph or streamer, but once you get the backcast down and learn how to present the two flies delicately, it can be a deadly technique.
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