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fishing a dropper...

3K views 12 replies 10 participants last post by  Steve_sullivan 
#1 · (Edited)
Hi,
Im afraid i have another newbie question...

When people fish droppers do they thread one fly higher up the tippet, tie it and attach one at the end as well, tie more tippet to the eye of the fly at the end of the tippet or attach another piece of tippet line to the leader ?

thanks
lance :Eyecrazy:
 
#3 ·
lance- What I do for fishing the salt is to take a 5 foot piece of tippet(heavy) and near one end tie a 5 turn surgeons loop leaving the short end about 5 inches long for attaching the dropper fly. The long end gets my point fly. This method does not tangle and by using heavy (25# or 30#) tippet I have landed many stripers sometimes even doubles. Occasionally I'll add an extra piece to the above tippet so I can add a second dropper, especially if there is an abundance of different types of food for the stripers to select from. This gets crazy at times though so I generally stay with only one dropper. Just another way to skin the cat. Ron
 
#4 ·
That's how I tie my droppers on also but if I may add,make sure the tag end that you are tying your dropper on is the end attached to the butt section or the leader stepping up to your butt section or fly line .This is not only stronger but ensures the dropper fly will lie in the same direction as the end fly,it is also suggested to try to leave at least 18 in.between flies.The reason being if the fish goes for the dropper first there is less chance of being side hooked by the end fly before it takes the dropper.
 
#5 ·
Don't make it complicated...

You can tie on a "longer" piece of tippet and leave the tag end long and tie the dropper to the tag...or, you can tie in your conventional length of tippet, tie in the fly and then tie a second piece of tippet to the eye of the point fly and choose the length you want the dropper to fish.
 
#7 ·
Anyone ever used a "mini" barrel swivel (6" of tippet tied to the top ring and 12-18 tied to the bottom)? When fishing droppers, I often add weight at the connection point to keep my nymphs down. Using the barrel swivel not only adds a little weight but also eliminates the hassle of tying line-to-line.
 
#8 ·
I like to tie the dropper to the bend of the hook like BigDave. No need to limit yourself to 16" though.

The dropper is a good place to use fluorocarbon leader material. It makes a significant difference in helping your dropper fly to get down. I don't use it for the leader though as it will cause the dry fly to sink prematurely.
 
#10 · (Edited)
striperstripper said:
It appears to be several ways to tie on droppers,but I would think what works for trout would not be suggested for larger saltwater game fish or steelhead or salmon?
Absolutely correct. For instance, I would NEVER recommend my method of tying on the second fly for saltwater fishing, or even for big freshwater fish. It creates a weak point at the first knot since you're putting stress on it in a way it wasn't designed for. But for trout or panfish, it's perfectly fine.

I honestly don't use droppers for big fish. I only use them for fishing for trout.
 
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