Droppers

[Guest rabid]

Hi All,

Does anyone have any tips for using droppers?

 

Every time I try to fish with more than 1 fly I finish up 1 hell of a tangle!

 

Which brand of nylon would you recomend?

 

Does it actually matter if the dropper starts to twist around the leader providing it's still free to fall away from the leader.

 

Has anyone tried to tie in the droppers helicopter style?

 

Sorry for all the questions but it really bugs me that after 4yrs of fly fishing I'm still struggling to master fishing with multiple flies!

[Guest Colin Brett]

Originally posted by rabid:

Hi All,

Does anyone have any tips for using droppers?

 

Every time I try to fish with more than 1 fly I finish up 1 hell of a tangle!

 

Which brand of nylon would you recomend?

 

Does it actually matter if the dropper starts to twist around the leader providing it's still free to fall away from the leader.

 

Has anyone tried to tie in the droppers helicopter style?

 

Sorry for all the questions but it really bugs me that after 4yrs of fly fishing I'm still struggling to master fishing with multiple flies!

Try the silver rings method only problem is having to tie 3 knots for each dropper. Failing that try a drop of super glue on the knot and hold the dropper at 90 degrees.

 

We all get tangles though.

 

Good Luck,

 

Colin

[Guest fisherman]

rabid I have not fished with droppers as such but, I have fished with a wet or egg fly tied direct to the bend of a dry fly. Serves as an indicator for the wet and also in case they are taking off the surface. Give it a go.

Dave

 

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ANMC Founder Member

[Guest Vagabond]

Rabid As Colin says, we all get tangles sometimes, but if the problem is persistent there are one or two things to try.

 

Firstly, try shortening the length of line you are trying to cast. After all, teams of flies were developed for use in traditional loch fishing, where a comparitively short line is cast downwind from a drifting boat.

 

Secondly, if you are still getting tangles even on a short line, you might need to check out your casting style or better still, get an experienced fly-fisher to do so. If you really want to go to town, a competent casting instructor could put you right, but at a price. Some would say it is a good investment

 

The trouble MAY be that you need to put a bit more zip into the back cast, so that the leader straightens before starting the forward cast.

 

Hope that helps - the most annoying thing about tangles is not the hassle, but the valuable fishing time that is lost, as Murphy's law says a rise coincides with the tangle. You have a lot to answer for Elton

 

 

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Vagabond

[Guest rabid]

Vagabond,

I tried the casting lesson and it was money well spent but I only had a fly on the point.

 

I think the problem might be the length of leader that i use, I'll try a shorter leader.

 

Fisherman,

I have used a similar technique when fishing buzzers, it really does show the takes up very well.

 

Colin,

Nice tip that with super glue, I'll give it a try next weekend!

 

Thanks for the tips,

 

Alan.......

[Guest Salar]

I had exactly the same problem, tried all the tricks but it turned out it was my casting style. I was not casting smoothly enough, I was putting too much effort in - easy to do if you think you need a long cast. I bit of tuition, a gentle, almost lazy cast making sure the wind was not making the line cross - and no tangles! I still get tangles when fishing into the wind or in a cross wind though. I need to practice more (or so I tell the missus)...

[Guest Mike Connor]

Originally posted by rabid:

Hi All,

Does anyone have any tips for using droppers?

 

Usually the main problem is not actually the droppers, but the casting.

 

Once upon a time, very soft slow action rods were considered essential for casting multiple fly rigs.

 

Such a rod forces one to slow the cast down, and also results in wider loops, which are far less likely to tangle the line when casting.

 

They also have a number of other advantages. The flies stay wet, as water is not "flicked off" at high speed, ( as in a spin dryer), the flies sink better, with less disturbance. They also tangle less, as wet flies are heavier.

 

"Tailing loops" are a very real problem here as well. This is also a casting fault. Which results in "wind knots". These have nothing to do with the wind, but are caused by this specific casting fault.

 

This may be considerably exacerbated by modern fast action rods.

 

If you wish to fish multiple fly rigs, then you should not go above a "medium" action rod, a soft one is much better, and you should also not try to fish at great distance with such rigs.

 

Many modern carbon fibre rods are far too fast for fishing such rigs, and will cause problems.

 

You can "slow down" a fast rod by overlining it, ( use a fly-line one or two weights heavier), but this may damage the rod if too much line is cast, and is also not good presentation-wise, as heavier line causes more disturbance.

 

Techniques like double hauling, are simply unsuitable for use with multiple fly rigs.

 

If you wish to iron out such casting faults, then a lesson from a pro is more or less essential. It is extremely difficult to find and eradicate such faults alone. It can be done, but requires a lot of knowledge and practice.

 

You must know exactly what you are trying to achieve, and how. You may manage this by studying the available literature, but a good pro will find the faults immediately, and be able to tell you how to avoid them.

 

You will still need a suitable rod though.

 

TL

MC