Dropper Rigs For Fly Fishing

[jah]

I fished at Meramec Springs today and saw a guy just lighting them up, so I asked him what he was using when he passed me. He showed me an egg pattern from which he dropped a green copper john. The fish were ripping up the copper john dropper. What I thought was most interesting was that he showed me that he was using a lot of weight, but the weights were below the copper john. He must have tied on some tippet to his dropper and just had weights on the tippet.

I have never seen that before. I usually put a split shot or two above my top fly, and one or two between my top fly and my dropper. But I always get tangled after a few casts (lobs). I didn't see how exactly he had this rigged, but would it be unheard of to drop the weights off the bottom fly instead of putting weights between the two flies? Has anyone tried that?

I'm a rookie, so forgive me if this is a dumb question. I spent literally half of my time with huge tangles today. I'm wondering if his system would reduce tangles, or if you guys have a system to reduce tangles.

I look forward to your thoughts!

Jim

[Brian K. Shaffer]

I guess I'm old school. I would never put split below my flies. Here is how I rig :

9ft 5X leader, add to that 16 inches of 5X, then 20 inches of 6X. Add your split shot above surgeons knot from 5x to 6x. Cut the 6x in half - so you've got 8-10 inches of tippet below your split then your add point fly (or first fly). Add the remaining tippet by tying an improved clinch off the bend of the point fly and add your dropper.

I generally will fish a scud and a san juan.. or a scud and a midge... or a scud and pheasant tail..

If you're fishing a beadhead then you just tie the improved clinch right off the bend and add your dropper.

I cannot see the logic in a proper drift if the lead is at the bottom of the rig.

[Bman]

I fished at Meramec Springs today and saw a guy just lighting them up, so I asked him what he was using when he passed me. He showed me an egg pattern from which he dropped a green copper john. The fish were ripping up the copper john dropper. What I thought was most interesting was that he showed me that he was using a lot of weight, but the weights were below the copper john. He must have tied on some tippet to his dropper and just had weights on the tippet.

I have never seen that before. I usually put a split shot or two above my top fly, and one or two between my top fly and my dropper. But I always get tangled after a few casts (lobs). I didn't see how exactly he had this rigged, but would it be unheard of to drop the weights off the bottom fly instead of putting weights between the two flies? Has anyone tried that?

I'm a rookie, so forgive me if this is a dumb question. I spent literally half of my time with huge tangles today. I'm wondering if his system would reduce tangles, or if you guys have a system to reduce tangles.

I look forward to your thoughts!

Jim

"I usually put a split shot or two above my top fly" That is my way of weighting a dropper rig. If the water is high, looong tippets! and get the heavy shot out!

Speaking of water, how was the water down there? I would think pretty high, flowing harder, and cloudy water. No sight fishing for sure.

[jah]

"I usually put a split shot or two above my top fly" That is my way of weighting a dropper rig. If the water is high, looong tippets! and get the heavy shot out!

Speaking of water, how was the water down there? I would think pretty high, flowing harder, and cloudy water. No sight fishing for sure.

Water was cloudy and high, but not unfishable by any means. People were actually doing quite well around the island in the fast current. I actually caught about 4 or 5 in there and missed 6 or 7 more. Everyone I asked, including me, caught them on copper johns or prince nymphs

[jah]

Bman, when you say long tippet, is that because tippet is lighter than leader and allows the fly to sink quicker? Is that the logic??

[jah]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean 'lighter' since if it was lighter it wouldn't sink as fast as something heavier. What I meant to ask was does tippet material sink quicker than leader material??

[Bman]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean 'lighter' since if it was lighter it wouldn't sink as fast as something heavier. What I meant to ask was does tippet material sink quicker than leader material??

Size to size, using the same grade of tippet 7X, 6X, 2lb, 4lb, etc. Fluorocarbon tippet, sinks faster than mono. Tippet is fly fisherman talk for leader. Only our "leaders" are a tapered section between fly line and tippet section. Do I have ya confused yet?

To get back to your question about tippet length. Long tippets (leaders) are needed for high water. Generally a lot more than most folks actually ever use. A common mistake. It's hard to cast a fly rod with tippet as long or longer than the rod, and a lot of shot to boot.

[Bman]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean 'lighter' since if it was lighter it wouldn't sink as fast as something heavier. What I meant to ask was does tippet material sink quicker than leader material??

Or the short answer, no, tippet mat. does not sink quicker than leader if they are of same size and material. Fluorocarbon or mono.

[Al Agnew]

Your rigging with weight both above the top fly and between the flies is why you're getting so many tangles. The more different points of weight, the more likely to tangle. I simply add an 18 inch length of tippet to the end of my leader with a surgeon's knot, tie the top fly about six inches down the tippet with a palomar knot, leaving the rest of the tippet section as the tag end (don't trim it), and then tie my bottom fly to the end of that tag end. Then I add my weight just above the knot connecting leader and tippet. So I have the weight about 6 inches above the top fly, the second fly about 10 or 12 inches below the top fly. I know lots of guys like to add the tippet between the flies by tying a separate piece to the bend of the fly...supposedly that makes the top fly drift more horizontally. My experience is that it makes no significant difference...I catch just as many fish my way, and I have one less knot to tie--I'd rather be fishing than tying knots.

I use a lot of stuff with the two fly system, always making one fly a different size and color than the other one. Usually my top fly is bigger and/or brighter...the attractor fly, and the bottom fly is smaller and duller. For instance, if I'm using a Prince Nymph, it will always be the top fly because I consider it an attractor nymph. Princes, Hare's Ears, Copper Johns, red Copper Johns, scud patterns, and Pheasant Tails are my most commonly used nymphs.

[ohmz138]

Weight below the flies would probably keep them from tangling less, but your flies will be constanly pulled on a tight line even on a dead drift, so they are not being presented naturally.

The weight is to help get the flies in the right feeding lane, but you want to keep them drifting and moving naturally with the movement of the current once in that lane. Long tippet helps with this too, not to mention spooking the fish less. Long tippet will help them sink faster because their is more slack line than with a short line after a good and correct mend.

As a tip with tangling less droppers, open your loops up a bit and make sure your not making your foreward cast too soon.