Good video. I use this rig almost all the time and it works very well. Please snip your offcuts of tipped into a pocket or something rather than on the bank/ground. I’m sure you know Fluoro never degrades and copolymer takes a long time.
Love this series. One suggestion for improvement would be to show Patrick catching a fish or two on the rig at the end of the episode. Very helpful information nonetheless!
My favorite rig of all time. You’re nymphing while dry flying and like you mentioned the dry fly serves as an indicator. My goal is to catch 2 fish at the same time 🔥
I Wanting to start fly fishing for trout. I have plenty experience with poppers for bass/bream but not trout. I have a ton to learn and the videos you are putting out help tremendously! Thank you!
Patrick I am still enjoying your instructional videos. I have not seen all of them but two things; I have watched a few of the Wildfly Hosts, you are the #1 in my opinion. I hope you still work there. You tie your dry dropper rig as I do. Have you ever fished two dries? I use this searching during a multi species insect hatch and I can cover two seams close together. Anyway I know it has been awhile since you did this series but you got my vote.
I am concerned with all of the tag ends you cut but do not retrieve? Please tell me you retrieve these after the camera is off??? I use this rig on small SE Minnesota streams and prefer a scud as the wet.
X caddis is a good pattern, but would not be anywhere near my first choice for a tandem rig. I think the stimulator is the best overall choice for the dry fly in a tandem rig. I don't see the X caddis being that good of a floater in broken water.
Dry droppers are deadly on the Logan River (Logan, UT). Caddis with a black copper John underneath. Thanks for the great videos! Keep it up, and let me know if you ever make it out to the Provo or Weber in Utah.
great info on these videos. knew some of the tips, didn't know others but hearing you talk about the stuff I already knew helps assure me I'm doing SOMETHING right.
i think cutting the 9 foot 5x leader back into the 4x section helps in turning over the rig easier and shortens the leader a little bit which also helps with casting accuracy and turnover..i myself prefer a 7 and a half foot 4x leader myself or 3x in higher water and larger rivers..i believe the most important thing alot of guys overlook is that on a dry dropper rig your not fishing the dry fly..your fishing the nymph.you nymph fishing...the only thing the dry does as its a strike indicator is put a few more fish in your net if you do get a fish to hit the strike indictor but mostly all your fish are gonna be caught on the nymph or you wouldnt have a nymph on there..no need to tie an additional pice of tippet on there adding a weak spot to the leader..i cant ever remember having a fish eat the dry fly and breaking off ...if anyone who dry dropper hasnt experimented with tying your dry fly on a very short tag like 3inches long instead of tying to the bend is missing out..i definatley notice a few more takes on the dry when its tied ona tag as tied to the bend of the hook and no issues what so ever with tangles..that is always caused by casting flaws you cannot try throwing lazar beam tight loops on a dry dropper rig unless your nymph is completely unweighted...
Great presentation. The usefulness of the dry would really depend on the water depth. Would it be good to set the dropper at an excess of the expected water depth??
Just found you by accident. I have now seen 3 episodes, you do a great job of explaining. Thank you for the time and trouble you go through for these video's. It would be great to see these in action if you wouldn't mind. One question, when fishing with a double nymph system with a strike indicator, you recommend placing the indicator 1.5x the depth of the stream, between indicator and last fly. Here you go 16 to 24 inches with dry dropper. This comes across to me as you will only do this length, period. Is this because you will use this particular setup only in shallower sections of a river? Thanks for your time.
so i been fly fishing for about a year and its been few trips here and there so im still not the best. my friend introduced me to some native streams comming off of mount mitchell in nc. great fishing with elk hair caddis for native and wilds further down stream. with that said these feeder streams are at time 4 feet across then random runs and then random pools which is what we aimed for to find the fish. but the problem we had was that the deeper holes which somehow could be 8 foot plus, we would get fish to rise but sometimes they would turn back around. so im trying to figure out using a nymph in general. when im in those tight streams which are highly overgrown, im using a 2wt 6.5 foot rod and using a 7.5 tappered and sometimes 6 foot ( 6 foot seemed better). should i try this dry dropper with maybe a 14 caddis and maybe like a pheasant tail or something like that below for those super deep pools?
This sounds like it would work great for my local tailwater ! Can’t wait to try it out ! I thought about it the other day but wanted to see if it was something people actually did, great video !!
what is the difference between using double, triple and quadruple surgeons knots? and when to use what? I've seen and heard people using all kinds of this, some say dont use them at all and just use a blood knot, but I'm all about speed! I hate sitting there with my line out of the water dicking around with knots and riggings. I like to swap fast between different flies and styles!
Great !!! But, in case you've got a Barbless hook on your dry fly... Will you not lose your dropper? Or what to do for avoid losing it??? Thanks in advance
I’ve tried this setup and it never works for me in PA. Soon as I take the split shot off it works like a charm though. Same setup minus the split. Hares ear over a beaded pheasant tail. I get hung up every other cast using the split. Maybe the creeks in my area are just too shallow. PA is also almost exclusively loose rock bottom creeks
Mike Krol it’s kind of a preference thing but I like to add 2 to my dry size and use that size nymph so for instance if I’m using a size 16 dry use a 18 nymph... but then again if your using a big hopper patents etc you can still go really small with your nymph. It’s more with the small dries that you have to play around with to make sure your dry can stay up.
Is that the normal depth from dry fly to your nymph in this vid? Should you adjust tippet length to depth of water or depth of fish? I am just getting started into fly fishing and any advice is appreciated! TIA!
you will get more takes on the dry if u leave the tag on your triple surgeons knot and attach dry fly to the tag.. we do a ton of dry dropper fishing with numerous different rigging but the dry we always tie on a short tag..no more than 4inches..nice video
Fun fact, when you purchase a "packaged" leader it already comes with a foot or two of tippet unless specified otherwise. In other words you don't need to add tippet to your leader; however, added tippet can be a good thing because it makes the leader land in curls which prevents drag. This allows a more natural dry fly presentation. Cred: Tom rozenbour (orvis), Mad River Outfitters Q&A.
Definitely depends on the size tippet you are using. Say you are using 7x you will want 12-18 wraps but on 5x you only need 10-12, in my opinion. Everyone has their sweet spot. Another thing to consider is the size of the eye of the fly, if you are trying to attach 7x to a wolley bugger its not going to catch. Hope that helps!
I really like the dry dropper rig but am frustrated with my dry fly sinking too quickly. I use flouroplex tippet for all add-ons to the leader. Does the mono float better? Is that why you use it from the leader to the dry fly? What else can I do to keep my dry fly from sinking?
Yeah man the fluoro will break surface tension and draw your fly under a lot faster than nylon or mono would. I would use powerflex to your dry and then fluoroflex down to the nymph. Loon aquel floats a dry great, and then loon top ride keeps it going through the day. For flies I recommend a chubby chernobyl in size 10 for smaller creeks, and a size 8 for larger water. You literally can’t sink it unless it falls apart. Foam is the way to go in my opinion.
Also when I dry-dropper fish I dont tie to the bend of the knot, I tie it to the eye of the hook, I'm really afraid of losing my bottom fly and fish while fighting, or casting and just losing it. I dont often fish barbless but when I dont suck anymore I would like to.
I used to this barbed were better, but honestly I haven’t lost any fish (beyond normal amounts) after switching to barbless. It just makes things so much easier, easier to unhook, and MUCH less painful if/when you impale yourself on your own hook. Barbless is the way to go 100% of the time imo.
I clinch knot to the tippet. And slide it to my dry fly. Or I have started tying a double surgeons knot 8" up and cut off both tags so I just use it as a stopper knot. Then I tie the clinch above the knot and slide it to the stopper knot. Then your leader to the dry is submerged and doesn't leave a shadow. Learned this from an old timer decades ago. Fish are spooked by shadows more then anything else.
I know that it's just a drop in the ocean, but it kind of passes me off to see him just letting his tag ends just drop to the ground like that. You are making videos for beginners. Teach them right.
Good video. I use this rig almost all the time and it works very well.
Please snip your offcuts of tipped into a pocket or something rather than on the bank/ground. I’m sure you know Fluoro never degrades and copolymer takes a long time.
Yea a rocks take forever to degrade as well. . .
Jk I hate littering
Love this series. One suggestion for improvement would be to show Patrick catching a fish or two on the rig at the end of the episode. Very helpful information nonetheless!
Just started fishing was super confused what a dry dropper was thanks for enlightening me!
Only guy i will watch for fly fishing on here learned so much thanks
My favorite rig of all time. You’re nymphing while dry flying and like you mentioned the dry fly serves as an indicator. My goal is to catch 2 fish at the same time 🔥
Yalls quick cuts and music bits are awesome such cool footage. Much respect to the quality here
Nice video, I prefer to use a tippet ring at the end of the leader and add tippet to that. much easier
Tippet rings cause 10% of the time to cut my tippet. I threw away all my tippet rings
Great communication style! Perfect for the noobs like me
I
Wanting to start fly fishing for trout. I have plenty experience with poppers for bass/bream but not trout. I have a ton to learn and the videos you are putting out help tremendously! Thank you!
I like using a tippet ring on the end of Leader to save your Leader, and then add tippet. those things are not cheap. Great video 👍
Great video, Patrick. Especially for those of us still learning!
Patrick I am still enjoying your instructional videos. I have not seen all of them but two things;
I have watched a few of the Wildfly Hosts, you are the #1 in my opinion. I hope you still work there.
You tie your dry dropper rig as I do. Have you ever fished two dries? I use this searching during a multi species insect hatch and I can cover two seams close together.
Anyway I know it has been awhile since you did this series but you got my vote.
Kerry Pitt check out the “Due South Outfitters” TH-cam channel for more videos like this
I am concerned with all of the tag ends you cut but do not retrieve? Please tell me you retrieve these after the camera is off??? I use this rig on small SE Minnesota streams and prefer a scud as the wet.
I use the same setup. With a popper, 3 to 4 ft of tipit and a bead head wooley. To catch Bass, brim, and catfish. In the lakes and rivers of NC
X caddis is a good pattern, but would not be anywhere near my first choice for a tandem rig. I think the stimulator is the best overall choice for the dry fly in a tandem rig. I don't see the X caddis being that good of a floater in broken water.
Man leaving tag ends all over the creekside.
Dry droppers are deadly on the Logan River (Logan, UT). Caddis with a black copper John underneath. Thanks for the great videos! Keep it up, and let me know if you ever make it out to the Provo or Weber in Utah.
great info on these videos. knew some of the tips, didn't know others but hearing you talk about the stuff I already knew helps assure me I'm doing SOMETHING right.
Which rod is better to do this technique? 8.6ft 4w or 9.6ft 3w? thanks good chanel
love the videos, very informative for older guys like me learning to fly fish....
i think cutting the 9 foot 5x leader back into the 4x section helps in turning over the rig easier and shortens the leader a little bit which also helps with casting accuracy and turnover..i myself prefer a 7 and a half foot 4x leader myself or 3x in higher water and larger rivers..i believe the most important thing alot of guys overlook is that on a dry dropper rig your not fishing the dry fly..your fishing the nymph.you nymph fishing...the only thing the dry does as its a strike indicator is put a few more fish in your net if you do get a fish to hit the strike indictor but mostly all your fish are gonna be caught on the nymph or you wouldnt have a nymph on there..no need to tie an additional pice of tippet on there adding a weak spot to the leader..i cant ever remember having a fish eat the dry fly and breaking off ...if anyone who dry dropper hasnt experimented with tying your dry fly on a very short tag like 3inches long instead of tying to the bend is missing out..i definatley notice a few more takes on the dry when its tied ona tag as tied to the bend of the hook and no issues what so ever with tangles..that is always caused by casting flaws you cannot try throwing lazar beam tight loops on a dry dropper rig unless your nymph is completely unweighted...
Please give us more vids. Very helpful for a beginner. Applies to me cause I'm in spruce pine fishing the toe. Tight lines.
Thank you for this ,now I'll know what I'm doing next time I'm on the water ....enjoy your videos
Really enjoy watching your videos. Getting started in fly fishing in upstate SC.
awesome to hear, keep at it!
Great presentation. The usefulness of the dry would really depend on the water depth. Would it be good to set the dropper at an excess of the expected water depth??
Just found you by accident. I have now seen 3 episodes, you do a great job of explaining. Thank you for the time and trouble you go through for these video's. It would be great to see these in action if you wouldn't mind. One question, when fishing with a double nymph system with a strike indicator, you recommend placing the indicator 1.5x the depth of the stream, between indicator and last fly. Here you go 16 to 24 inches with dry dropper. This comes across to me as you will only do this length, period. Is this because you will use this particular setup only in shallower sections of a river? Thanks for your time.
so i been fly fishing for about a year and its been few trips here and there so im still not the best. my friend introduced me to some native streams comming off of mount mitchell in nc. great fishing with elk hair caddis for native and wilds further down stream. with that said these feeder streams are at time 4 feet across then random runs and then random pools which is what we aimed for to find the fish. but the problem we had was that the deeper holes which somehow could be 8 foot plus, we would get fish to rise but sometimes they would turn back around. so im trying to figure out using a nymph in general. when im in those tight streams which are highly overgrown, im using a 2wt 6.5 foot rod and using a 7.5 tappered and sometimes 6 foot ( 6 foot seemed better). should i try this dry dropper with maybe a 14 caddis and maybe like a pheasant tail or something like that below for those super deep pools?
Just a beginner and learning alot about rigging.
This sounds like it would work great for my local tailwater ! Can’t wait to try it out ! I thought about it the other day but wanted to see if it was something people actually did, great video !!
what is the difference between using double, triple and quadruple surgeons knots? and when to use what? I've seen and heard people using all kinds of this, some say dont use them at all and just use a blood knot, but I'm all about speed! I hate sitting there with my line out of the water dicking around with knots and riggings. I like to swap fast between different flies and styles!
Great presentation and tutorial..........
Great video and easy to understand!
Great info and well presented. 👍
This channel kicks ass. Keep 'em coming!
Great vid.......thanks !
Great !!! But, in case you've got a Barbless hook on your dry fly... Will you not lose your dropper? Or what to do for avoid losing it??? Thanks in advance
tie the dropper off the eye of the dry
Amazing video quality
Thanks for the video my question was is why not use a non slip knot on both the flies??
Do you pick up the tag ends that you trim off?
fantastic video, very educational.
Another Awesome video! 👍
Great video. Very informative. Thank you!
Great Job brother
going to finally give this a shot. :) thank you
You look like you’re in NC, my question is, did a Carolina rig for bass fishing originate from this small stream technique?
I’ve tried this setup and it never works for me in PA. Soon as I take the split shot off it works like a charm though. Same setup minus the split. Hares ear over a beaded pheasant tail. I get hung up every other cast using the split. Maybe the creeks in my area are just too shallow. PA is also almost exclusively loose rock bottom creeks
Another great job Patrick. Can you advise us to an appropriate size dropper nymph to compliment a size 16 X caddis please. Thanks brother.
Mike Krol it’s kind of a preference thing but I like to add 2 to my dry size and use that size nymph so for instance if I’m using a size 16 dry use a 18 nymph... but then again if your using a big hopper patents etc you can still go really small with your nymph. It’s more with the small dries that you have to play around with to make sure your dry can stay up.
thanks! Boutta order some BWO's
what weight rod would you pair with this setup on water similar to this?
Nice one dude. from U.K.
So looking at houses in Asheville and Black Mountain NC . Where are you located?
Is that the normal depth from dry fly to your nymph in this vid? Should you adjust tippet length to depth of water or depth of fish? I am just getting started into fly fishing and any advice is appreciated! TIA!
Start long, you can always shorten as you observe feedback from the fish
you will get more takes on the dry if u leave the tag on your triple surgeons knot and attach dry fly to the tag.. we do a ton of dry dropper fishing with numerous different rigging but the dry we always tie on a short tag..no more than 4inches..nice video
Termite... Thank you for that bit of insite! I am going to try your method this afternoon!
Fantastic...
That was very helpful. Thank ypu.
Nice videos
Fun fact, when you purchase a "packaged" leader it already comes with a foot or two of tippet unless specified otherwise. In other words you don't need to add tippet to your leader; however, added tippet can be a good thing because it makes the leader land in curls which prevents drag. This allows a more natural dry fly presentation.
Cred: Tom rozenbour (orvis), Mad River Outfitters Q&A.
How many turns on the the Improved clinch? I heard same number as tippet just sometimes the line will cut itself on me
Definitely depends on the size tippet you are using. Say you are using 7x you will want 12-18 wraps but on 5x you only need 10-12, in my opinion. Everyone has their sweet spot. Another thing to consider is the size of the eye of the fly, if you are trying to attach 7x to a wolley bugger its not going to catch. Hope that helps!
I usually only do 3-5 wraps tops, I find it to be just enough wraps but not too much to make the knot weak
Do you add any liquid like gink to the dry fly?
Yes, we start with gink and use froggs fanny or any other dry fly dust once it’s been used for a while and gets wet
Awesome. Thanks for the reply and the great videos.
What size nymph under the dry?
I really like the dry dropper rig but am frustrated with my dry fly sinking too quickly. I use flouroplex tippet for all add-ons to the leader. Does the mono float better? Is that why you use it from the leader to the dry fly? What else can I do to keep my dry fly from sinking?
Im no professional but there are those big foam flys that are used at attractors and they are very buoyant
Yeah man the fluoro will break surface tension and draw your fly under a lot faster than nylon or mono would. I would use powerflex to your dry and then fluoroflex down to the nymph. Loon aquel floats a dry great, and then loon top ride keeps it going through the day. For flies I recommend a chubby chernobyl in size 10 for smaller creeks, and a size 8 for larger water. You literally can’t sink it unless it falls apart. Foam is the way to go in my opinion.
Improved clinch is no better than a clinch. I have never had a clinch knot fail.
Couldnt see a thing as to how you created the knot !!
Wish you Due South and WildFly would make another video together
We just made one a few weeks back on Tailwater fishing!
Is that a hardy reel
Also when I dry-dropper fish I dont tie to the bend of the knot, I tie it to the eye of the hook, I'm really afraid of losing my bottom fly and fish while fighting, or casting and just losing it. I dont often fish barbless but when I dont suck anymore I would like to.
When should you use a barbless fly ?.
All the time! Fish are too precious to damage and particularly on catch and release waters.
Also WHEN you hook yourself it is simple to get the hook out.
I used to this barbed were better, but honestly I haven’t lost any fish (beyond normal amounts) after switching to barbless. It just makes things so much easier, easier to unhook, and MUCH less painful if/when you impale yourself on your own hook. Barbless is the way to go 100% of the time imo.
What if your dry must be barbless?
Chris Smingler attach tippet off of the eye of the dry fly so that it won’t slip off the bend of the hook
Or even when your tying your double surgeons. Leave one tag-end long and just attach your dry fly to that tag
I clinch knot to the tippet. And slide it to my dry fly. Or I have started tying a double surgeons knot 8" up and cut off both tags so I just use it as a stopper knot. Then I tie the clinch above the knot and slide it to the stopper knot. Then your leader to the dry is submerged and doesn't leave a shadow. Learned this from an old timer decades ago. Fish are spooked by shadows more then anything else.
Is that Watauga River?
nope
👍🏻
Getting into fly fishing when your 41 years old and basically blind is not easy lol. I cant even see half this stuff lol
I don’t think I’ll ever do anything else
Strike indicator hahaha it’s a bobber lol
u can tie a surgeons knot fast af
I know that it's just a drop in the ocean, but it kind of passes me off to see him just letting his tag ends just drop to the ground like that.
You are making videos for beginners. Teach them right.
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Thanks for creating content but would appreciate you not just dropping your cuttings on the ground
Where… the hell… is your wading belt, sir?
Klink and dink
If you do this you will catch fish
I hope that doesn't happen.