fishing a dropper

[flysean]

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i just started fishing two flies this past year but it was two nymphs not a dry and a dropper. so saying that i am wondering what size dry fly should be used if i am using say a 14 or 16 prince nymph or i can't see using a 18 adams or something like that cause the weight will bring down the dry. and two how do you keep the dry floating when say the fly is in faster water. you guys give great advice to this newbie and i thank you for it .

 

[dean_mt]

The fly you choose to use on top of a dropper rig is dependent on a few factors. When deciding on the pattern to use to suspend your dropper nymph consider the weight of the dropper and kind of water you are fishing then choose a pattern to match that. A small #16 prince dropper fished on relatively calm water may only need a well hackled #12 dry fly like a Wulff, humpy, or even standard Adams. I like to use a stimulator for the top fly, it floats high, is visible and is effective in small to large sizes.

When fishing a dry/dropper rig you are always fishing one of the flies as you primary and the other as a secondary fly to add to your odds. You will either be presenting the dry where you think a fish will rise and take it or cast where you can get the nymph to drift where you want it. Rarely will you be able to present both flies in a prime spot simultaneously. With that in mind, you will have to decide what is most important at the moment.

If you are primarily fishing the nymph but want a dry for the indicator and random chance at a rise, match the size and buoyancy of the top fly to the nymph. If you are fishing more with the dry but also want the extra chance of a hook-up on the nymph then choose the size of nymph that won't pull your dry under.

As far as using a double dry rig in order to locate a small fly, just use something that is visible but makes sense on the water! If you are primarily fishing a #18 dry because that is what the fish want, then you don't want to tie it 8 inches behind a big foam hopper or chernobyl ant which will scare away trout feeding on a hatch of small insects. Use a something that you can see but is as unobtrusive as possible, maybe that is a #14 parachute with a nice white post you can see, maybe you can get away with a visible #16 caddis. The point is to use as little as possible as your indicator fly in this situation.

Good luck!

 

[Red Owl]

I'd go with a #12 dry and one that floats well like those mentioned. You can tie the dropper line of the nymph to the hook bend on the dry. That allows you to take off a nymph and change dropper length or nymph pattern fairly easy.

 

[williamhj]

As Dean mentioned, a stimulator is a great dry to use. Effective and all that hair and hackle floats well. If fish are hitting terrestrials then foam flies are great to use for the dry. A foam hopper will float weighted nymphs well. If you want something smaller a foam hopper can be effective.