FLYMPH FORUM

How many here fish a dropper leader? I recently ordered a video on wet fly fishing with multiple flies. I thought I'd fish that way a little this year if the regulations allowed it when I hit some streams. Most of the water out here is lakes.

Watching the video I noticed it was only one fish hooked and not two or more. I thought fish might be competitive and dart in and grab one of the other flies.

I'd fished multiple flies in the past and my thoughts was it's a pain in the butt and sometimes in the hand if the spare hook ends up there. I went to release a bigger fish that was on the bottom fly. When I touched him he dove and the upper hook ended up deep in my finger as the fish broke a 6 lb leader. I was lucky as this happened back when I started de-barbing my flies and the one in my finger was a #4 4xl dragonfly nymph.

Two fish seem to fight each other and it feels like pulling in a wet burlap bag.

I often fish two flies. I have only caught two fish at the same time twice, I think. It is a little harder to fish two in stillwater if you need to cast, especially if there is any wind. It's not very difficult on moving water. There are lots of setups for fishing multiple flies. I keep mine easy. I tie a perfection loop in the end of my leader with a long (6") tag still attached. I will usually attach the heavier fly to the tag end and then a piece of tippet and the point fly to the perfection loop. I don't have too many issues with tangles.

Moses Lake? You're just a hop, skip and jump from a couple of us.

double hooks ups are not unknown but I have yet to experience it. My double dropper is usually done with a wet in the middle 12-24" from the bottom fly, my bottom fly usually the heavy and my wet un-wighted riding on a tag off the tippet. This allows it to move freely tied with a uni know above a keeper knot. My favorite fly is usually a simple black hackled fly, size depending on the seine. I have done exceptionally well with a team of flies under a dry. My state allows three flies. My casting is more of a lob after the swing if I'm fishing it up an across. however when I am czech nymphing it is just a lift, lob and lead tying of casting. I think you have to be a damn great caster to not tangle with a three team.
My greatest success is fishing a nice dropper wet along the bottom and keeping my smaller 'emerger' pattern sub surface. This has produced more fish than I can count.

I almost always fish multiple flies, and I think I've landed doubles three times in my life. There's a non-obvious advantage to fishing multiple flies, beyond being able to offer the fish a choice: you can use the point fly as an anchor and raise and lower the top droppers above the surface of the water. It's a great way to imitate an ovipositing fly. That technique has saved me from a skunk on more than one occasion, and it's quite exciting to watch a fish grab a fly 6" above the water. I know of no way of doing that without using at least a second fly.

I must admit to never using a dropper system any more. Seems to lead to all kinds of tangles and hassles for me. Twists from casting (that could just be my mediocre casting prowess), current twists, twists and tangles when playing a fish on either fly and tangles in the net webbing if you use one. I have yet (touch wood) to be impaled by the number 2 fly whilst lifting a trout from the net bag, but have spent valuable fishing time trying to extract dropper flies from the net bag after landing a trout.
If using two flies I nearly always tie the point fly off the bend of the hook on the front fly.

On stillwater dual or treble fly casts, you will find a lot of information in British publications or websites, they love fishing multiple flies in Lakes and Ponds.

I watched the dvd yesterday and it seemed the cast of three flies got the fish to come up. I suspect sloppy casting will be a big problem with multiple flies. I am guilty of that especially when I get tired. I like the look of the old style wet flies and plan to fish them once our spring melt slows down and stream levels drop to normal.

Out here I fish two chironomids with a dropper tied to the hook bend of the first fly. Haven't got any doubles as I need to switch to tying the dropper to the eye of the first fly. I think tying to the bend makes it hard for a fish to get that fly in their mouth.

I have never tried fishing more than one fly at a time. I am such a poor caster that I have enough troubles and tangles with one fly. I can only imagine the horrors I would create if I tried to cast two (or more) flies at once.

I would love to hear more of others techniques in the multiple fly rigs. There are dozens that I've seen. I've seen Bill (t2f) nearly always use a two fly cast when fishing wets, and witnessed Bob ply his multiple fly cast with grace. I usually try it, for different reasons and with mixed results but I like to focus on the action and location of my fly to the best of my limited concentration and sometimes find fishing multiple flies at different depths can be like trying to have a conversation with my wife and daughter at the same time. Neither are simple and require my full attention.

Mataura mayfly wrote:I must admit to never using a dropper system any more. Seems to lead to all kinds of tangles and hassles for me. Twists from casting (that could just be my mediocre casting prowess), current twists, twists and tangles when playing a fish on either fly and tangles in the net webbing if you use one.

X2 for me as well, Jeff. I recognize the potential value, but it ain't worth the hassle for me.

Eric

I rarely (nearly never) backcast when I am using multiple flies. I roll cast or use modified spey casts. I found it really helps to keep the tangles under control.