Hooker
05-04-99, 10:22 PM
Here is another interesting bit of info from Davida. He is having some difficulty interfacing with NGTO, and wanted me to post it for him.
Great stuff!
Thoughts on droppers-
A disquisition on stimulating fish behaviour by imitating insect behaviour through the multiple use of flies.
NEW ZEALAND DROPPER
The standard approach is to tie a length of mono to the bend of a fly, usually with a standard improved clinch knot, to create a dropper to which another fly is attached, by either an improved clinch or a loop knot. This approach provides a very simple method to fish a dropper with excellent bite detection and reasonable hooking ratio. However at times, the trailing length of mono will interfere with hooking success as fish strike the topmost fly. In these situations, many flyfishers will opt to drop the dropper and just fish the larger fly on the surface. Another is to change the dropper setup to the more classic method of using leading droppers in front of the tail fly, but before we end our discussion of the “NEW ZEALAND DROPPER,” we should consider some situations where it is appropriate to use this rig.
One of my favorites ways to fish in warmwater is to use a large surface bug followed by a weighted nymph or a beaded woolly worm. If the nymph isn’t too large or too heavy, the use of a dropper will improve the action of the popper. The weight of the nymph will *****the face of the bug and cant the tail downwards which increases the surface disturbance when the bug is retrieved and also, provides a slightly more realistic look. The floating fly, on the other hand, improves the action of the nymph by controlling depth and attracts the fish by its size or the sound generated. Usually the surface bug will draw the fish in and the nymph will induce a strike. At other times, the fish will strike the bug, fail to connect but will take the nymph on the next cast. Besides providing additional stimulus for fish to strike, the bug will allow the dropper to suspend and thus, allow a slower more controlled presentation which can be particularly effective for panfish that like to inspect their food for an inordinate time.
Another combination that I use often is a small streamer following a large dry fly. Occasionally in southern lakes, large mayflies will hatch at the gloam. Various species of fish will come to the surface to pick off the bugs and below those will be larger b****and occasionally crappie. The dry fly will pick up panfish, the odd shiner, and smaller bass. The streamer is apt to take b****and crappie. Although this tandem can be fished using a
NEW ZEALAND DROPPER, a better approach is to use the CLASSIC DROPPER.
It should be noted that anglers using the NEW ZEALAND DROPPER most often use a large dry or bug as the tail fly to which a smaller dropper is added. Other variations include the use of a large bucktail or streamer followed by a small nymph or another streamer fly. The two streamer fly presentation can be very effective by inducing competitive behaviour in fish , so don’t be surprised if a large fish takes the smaller fly.
CLASSIC DROPPER
The CLASSIC DROPPER is the rigging style that has been in use for centuries by English fly fishermen and was still in use in the United States till the forties. The droppers., usually two nowadays, are attached to short extensions, that emanate from the blood knots that attach the sections of the leader. In the traditional classical canon, the droppers were separated by at least 24 inches at the leader-a rule that is strictly adhered to in English competition matches, presumably to discourage accidental snagging.
The easiest method to create a CLASSIC DROPPER is to allow the stiffer nylon segment of the leader to extend four to six inches when tying the blood knot that connects leader segments. A wet or dry fly is added to the extension so that it dangles away from the leader. Fly choices for these droppers acquire almost canonical status, in the locales where the practice continues.
CLASSIC DROPPERS, although seldomly used in this country, have great applications to both the trout and warmwater angler. For example, the dangling fly can effectively mimic the erratic flight of the adult caddis.
A large palmer-hackled dry can be tied as the topmost dropper while a large wet or weighted nymph can be used as the tail fly. As the tail fly anchors the rig in the flow, the rod can be manipulated to simulate the flight of the caddis. The palmered fly will actually dip to the surface and then rise above the water simulating a real insect ovipositing as the rod is moved up and down.
Some caddis will egg lay at the same time that adults are hatching which can create confusion in the angler that happens upon this scene. Emerging caddis will dart upwards to hatch and will have trout chasing them as they emerge and fly off. The trout in its haste to catch the emerger will break the water, and in some cases, actually go airborne.
Most anglers will assume that the fish are taking the adults, and occasionally a fish will take a caddis dry to confuse things further. Although this scene is more often seen in trout streams, it can also occur in warmwater rivers.
A local North Florida river, the Santa Fe, has a winter caddis hatch that brings the panfish and shiners calling. A fly fisher using a dry will experience despair most of the time, although in low water conditions, the fish will take the dry consistently. Go figure. However, the angler that fishes a dropper system can mimic the behaviour of the caddis and be able to catch fish consistently. By using a three or two fly cast, the angler can imitate the flying adult as well simulate the lift of the emerging nymph. In addition, the descending tail fly may imitate the diving egg-laying adult, too, at times.
A similar scenario can be mimicked by the skilled angler working a CLASSIC DROPPER to imitate the large active mayflies, such as the March Brown. A palmered, brown dry fly (size 10-12) dapped in and above a riffle can generate some spectacular strikes from fish that are anticipating and trying to catch the active mayfly duns.
One of the deadliest applications for the CLASSIC DROPPER is a team of wet flies. Many a large brown trout from heavily fished rivers has fallen victim to a team of three or more large wets swung in the current using the traditional wet fly swing. Rigs consisting of up to 13 flies are not unknown. Reports suggest that a team of wets consistently outproduces a solitary wet fly of the same kind.
CLASSIC DROPPERS can be used with streamers or bucktails instead of insect simulators. If larger flies are used, the general consensus has been to use the heaviest fly at the tail to avoid tangles. However, despite the increased possibility of tangles, some anglers have found that using the heaviest fly on the dropper actually may make casting and presentation a bit easier. I leave it to the reader to decide which is best for his/her individual application.
ADDITIONAL DROPPER RIGS
An additional method to rig a dropper fly is to tie the trailing mono section to the eye of the hook of the leading fly. This dropper may provide more positive hookups on fish that insist on striking the topmost fly. Tangling may present a problem with this rig and knotted leaders are necessary to position the fly. It is fairly uncommon to see this dropper system in the United States.
A tangle proof approach is to use the SLIDING FLY system. A fly tied on an upturned eye is threaded on the leader before the final section of tippet is tied to the leader. The fly will slide up and down the line unless hindered by the knots. Obvious disadvantages to this approach are the limitations on fly style that can be used and the need to use a knotted leader.
Another dropper system that slides on the leader is the SLIDING DROPPER approach. In this case, the dropper is knotted to the leader with an improved clinch knot. Other knots can be used to secure the dropper from sliding. The obvious advantage of this approach is that the dropper can be added when needed, however, the friction generated by the knot on the leader may cause premature failure. Another disadvantage is that a knot is needed to anchor the dropper from moving too far down the leader. Despite these drawbacks, this approach is gaining popularity due to the ease and versatility of use.
This treatise, by no means, exhausts the options available to the fly fisher in regards to droppers, but it shouild allow the inquisitive angler to experiment to create a suitable system for his/her needs.
Davida
Great stuff!
Thoughts on droppers-
A disquisition on stimulating fish behaviour by imitating insect behaviour through the multiple use of flies.
NEW ZEALAND DROPPER
The standard approach is to tie a length of mono to the bend of a fly, usually with a standard improved clinch knot, to create a dropper to which another fly is attached, by either an improved clinch or a loop knot. This approach provides a very simple method to fish a dropper with excellent bite detection and reasonable hooking ratio. However at times, the trailing length of mono will interfere with hooking success as fish strike the topmost fly. In these situations, many flyfishers will opt to drop the dropper and just fish the larger fly on the surface. Another is to change the dropper setup to the more classic method of using leading droppers in front of the tail fly, but before we end our discussion of the “NEW ZEALAND DROPPER,” we should consider some situations where it is appropriate to use this rig.
One of my favorites ways to fish in warmwater is to use a large surface bug followed by a weighted nymph or a beaded woolly worm. If the nymph isn’t too large or too heavy, the use of a dropper will improve the action of the popper. The weight of the nymph will *****the face of the bug and cant the tail downwards which increases the surface disturbance when the bug is retrieved and also, provides a slightly more realistic look. The floating fly, on the other hand, improves the action of the nymph by controlling depth and attracts the fish by its size or the sound generated. Usually the surface bug will draw the fish in and the nymph will induce a strike. At other times, the fish will strike the bug, fail to connect but will take the nymph on the next cast. Besides providing additional stimulus for fish to strike, the bug will allow the dropper to suspend and thus, allow a slower more controlled presentation which can be particularly effective for panfish that like to inspect their food for an inordinate time.
Another combination that I use often is a small streamer following a large dry fly. Occasionally in southern lakes, large mayflies will hatch at the gloam. Various species of fish will come to the surface to pick off the bugs and below those will be larger b****and occasionally crappie. The dry fly will pick up panfish, the odd shiner, and smaller bass. The streamer is apt to take b****and crappie. Although this tandem can be fished using a
NEW ZEALAND DROPPER, a better approach is to use the CLASSIC DROPPER.
It should be noted that anglers using the NEW ZEALAND DROPPER most often use a large dry or bug as the tail fly to which a smaller dropper is added. Other variations include the use of a large bucktail or streamer followed by a small nymph or another streamer fly. The two streamer fly presentation can be very effective by inducing competitive behaviour in fish , so don’t be surprised if a large fish takes the smaller fly.
CLASSIC DROPPER
The CLASSIC DROPPER is the rigging style that has been in use for centuries by English fly fishermen and was still in use in the United States till the forties. The droppers., usually two nowadays, are attached to short extensions, that emanate from the blood knots that attach the sections of the leader. In the traditional classical canon, the droppers were separated by at least 24 inches at the leader-a rule that is strictly adhered to in English competition matches, presumably to discourage accidental snagging.
The easiest method to create a CLASSIC DROPPER is to allow the stiffer nylon segment of the leader to extend four to six inches when tying the blood knot that connects leader segments. A wet or dry fly is added to the extension so that it dangles away from the leader. Fly choices for these droppers acquire almost canonical status, in the locales where the practice continues.
CLASSIC DROPPERS, although seldomly used in this country, have great applications to both the trout and warmwater angler. For example, the dangling fly can effectively mimic the erratic flight of the adult caddis.
A large palmer-hackled dry can be tied as the topmost dropper while a large wet or weighted nymph can be used as the tail fly. As the tail fly anchors the rig in the flow, the rod can be manipulated to simulate the flight of the caddis. The palmered fly will actually dip to the surface and then rise above the water simulating a real insect ovipositing as the rod is moved up and down.
Some caddis will egg lay at the same time that adults are hatching which can create confusion in the angler that happens upon this scene. Emerging caddis will dart upwards to hatch and will have trout chasing them as they emerge and fly off. The trout in its haste to catch the emerger will break the water, and in some cases, actually go airborne.
Most anglers will assume that the fish are taking the adults, and occasionally a fish will take a caddis dry to confuse things further. Although this scene is more often seen in trout streams, it can also occur in warmwater rivers.
A local North Florida river, the Santa Fe, has a winter caddis hatch that brings the panfish and shiners calling. A fly fisher using a dry will experience despair most of the time, although in low water conditions, the fish will take the dry consistently. Go figure. However, the angler that fishes a dropper system can mimic the behaviour of the caddis and be able to catch fish consistently. By using a three or two fly cast, the angler can imitate the flying adult as well simulate the lift of the emerging nymph. In addition, the descending tail fly may imitate the diving egg-laying adult, too, at times.
A similar scenario can be mimicked by the skilled angler working a CLASSIC DROPPER to imitate the large active mayflies, such as the March Brown. A palmered, brown dry fly (size 10-12) dapped in and above a riffle can generate some spectacular strikes from fish that are anticipating and trying to catch the active mayfly duns.
One of the deadliest applications for the CLASSIC DROPPER is a team of wet flies. Many a large brown trout from heavily fished rivers has fallen victim to a team of three or more large wets swung in the current using the traditional wet fly swing. Rigs consisting of up to 13 flies are not unknown. Reports suggest that a team of wets consistently outproduces a solitary wet fly of the same kind.
CLASSIC DROPPERS can be used with streamers or bucktails instead of insect simulators. If larger flies are used, the general consensus has been to use the heaviest fly at the tail to avoid tangles. However, despite the increased possibility of tangles, some anglers have found that using the heaviest fly on the dropper actually may make casting and presentation a bit easier. I leave it to the reader to decide which is best for his/her individual application.
ADDITIONAL DROPPER RIGS
An additional method to rig a dropper fly is to tie the trailing mono section to the eye of the hook of the leading fly. This dropper may provide more positive hookups on fish that insist on striking the topmost fly. Tangling may present a problem with this rig and knotted leaders are necessary to position the fly. It is fairly uncommon to see this dropper system in the United States.
A tangle proof approach is to use the SLIDING FLY system. A fly tied on an upturned eye is threaded on the leader before the final section of tippet is tied to the leader. The fly will slide up and down the line unless hindered by the knots. Obvious disadvantages to this approach are the limitations on fly style that can be used and the need to use a knotted leader.
Another dropper system that slides on the leader is the SLIDING DROPPER approach. In this case, the dropper is knotted to the leader with an improved clinch knot. Other knots can be used to secure the dropper from sliding. The obvious advantage of this approach is that the dropper can be added when needed, however, the friction generated by the knot on the leader may cause premature failure. Another disadvantage is that a knot is needed to anchor the dropper from moving too far down the leader. Despite these drawbacks, this approach is gaining popularity due to the ease and versatility of use.
This treatise, by no means, exhausts the options available to the fly fisher in regards to droppers, but it shouild allow the inquisitive angler to experiment to create a suitable system for his/her needs.
Davida