Drop Shot Nymphing is an extremely effective way to nymph fish. Learn how to build the leaders, how to cast, flies and the techniques that make drop shotting so effective.
This is easily the best drop shot video I've seen. Thanks a ton! I've fly fished since I was 8 years old and never ran a drop shot until this year. I've tied nymphs, eggs, dries, etc. Drop shotting is SO much easier than anything I've done. I always just used to cast my nymphs into the riddle and figured out where my nymph would end up based on the sink rate. That would determine how far in front of the fish I'd cast. This is WAY easier. It's stupid easy.
Thats why it's not trendy. There is no money in it for commercial fly fishing giants. You don't need anything special to buy. So, it is just not promoted as much as other modern styles of nymphing.
A clear and informative video - thanks; I'm going to watch part 2 now. One thing that puzzled me is when you talked about squashing the shot to help prevent it coming off but a minute earlier you said don't put a knot under it to prevent it coming off as that's what you want it to do if it gets trapped on the bottom.
In that video I tried to show different ways you can do it. What I like most about DS is unlike many forms of Euro nymphing in DS there are no rules. I do smash my lead. I do recommend you watch a more current video I did for TH-cam on weight management in DS. Either search it or go to my channel for that and more on DH. Good comment.
I use drop shot all the time. Set up my rigg a little differently but enjoyed your video and picked up some new ideas. Another easy way to do the tag for your fly is to tie a 3” loop with a triple surgeon the cut one side just above the knot. Now you have a 6” tag to tie your fly on. Like you said I keep my tags at 4” or less for less tangle.
Great video, I’m excited to try this method. One thing I’m puzzled about is what knot do you use to tie your 3dr fly directly to the leader? In the video you just tie an overhand knot, and it’s unlikely that would hold a fish… thanks!
It's called an in-line nymph, meaning the nymph is tied directly to the leader. I rarely do this anymore because once you tie it on you can't take it off. Any knot will do the job and you are right, if there is a weak point on the leader it is this knot.
Regarding using a triple surgeons to create a dropper….i have read that keeping the upper tag to attach the fly creates a weaker dropper (more prone to breaking) than keeping the lower tag to attach the fly. In your opinion, does it make a difference? Thanks.
Thank you very much for your video ! I have found Euro drop shot nymphing to be very effective. Thanks for your tips. One question I have involves adding a new dropper fly to the leader. What is the reason you don't recommend using a clinch knot from the dropper to the leader. I usually use a clinch knot and slide it down to my double surgeon "stopper" knot. I find the clinch knot to be much easier to tie when I'm on the rive. I really appreciate your opinion. I especially like the fact that using a drop shop system allows me to use unweighted flies that I think drift much more realistically than tungsten bead headed flies, especially when fishing smaller flies. Thanks again
Use the clinch Knott. The beautiful thing about DS is there are no rules. I showed you what has worked for me over the years. Add to this and find what works for you. Tweek it, bend it and mold it to your own style.
I really like your suggestion of flattening the lead, I'm anxious to try it. Having a set up where the lead can pull off but not fly or slide off would be great. I've been tying a 6" piece of 7x mono with a knot at the end of the leader to keep the lead on, so the 7x breaks off before the leader breaks, but that's a pain. I was wondering why you extend the line 3" past the lead ? I found your site today and subscriber right away. Keep up the good work !!
Got it, thanks much ! Really anxious to try your lead flattening technique, I imagine it doesn't work as well for the non-toxic weights which seem to be a lot harder. Have you found the non-toxic weights still slide of when you need the to ?
@@rjf1877 remember squish the lead flat. You can still slide the weight off even squished. You should be able to do the same with non tox. Whatever the case the effect is the same. Do what’s best for your style. There are no rules in DS
Thank you for this tutorial. I look forward to giving it a try here soon. Just a question of clarification, the end of the 7 foot leader with the perfection loop, what exactly would I be connecting that to? Would that connect to an additional portion of leader of some sort?
Mike.. i stumbled across your channel only a couple months ago, and just got back from a fly fishing trip. Your method is absolutely deadly to say the least. Ive been using an indicator for a long time. No more. Its just not needed with your method and i thank you. I actually got tired of catching fish lol. I used 8 lb floro for my leader. My question.. since the floro is invisible to the fish, why cant i use the same 8 lb for the dropper tags? Have you tried that? Thank you in advance sir.. your method was an absolute game changer for me
There are no rules in Drop Shot nymphing. I'm in the process of writing another book, Drop Shot Nymphing, where I am continually saying this throughout the book. However, the reason I use 6lb fluoro on all of my 8, 10, and 12 pound leaders is, If the flies get caught on the bottom I want the flies to break off and not the whole leader. It's much easier to tie on a fly than change a leader. 6lb fluoro is a great combination of strength and free flowing movement which we want our nymph to do. I hope this helps.
Yes this works. As long as the lead shot is at the end of your leader you are drop shotting. There are many ways to make a DS leader and all work. That’s what makes it great. American anglers have been DS for a hundred years. Some genius made it to apply to FF. This is not Euro where every aspect of this style good and bad can be debated. DS is American nymphing where there are no rules. What makes it effective is your flies are alway in the trout’s face done with the right weight. I love all the great ideas from anglers. It’s a very positive way to fish. Play around like I did for years and find what works best for you. Thanks for the comment
The neat thing about DS is you can make the leader that works for you. As long as the lead is at the end the leader above will be whatever you want. Tippet rings sounds like a good idea. Try it and get back to me with the results.
I use regular Stren or Berkley 6 lb fluoro for my droppers it’s a fraction of the price for fluoo tippet. I rarely use smaller than 5X and do so for small flies.
Made this leader to your specs ,if I fish just two flies, with the split shot 8"/10" from bottom flies I have to cut off two feet of the leader so end up with about a five foot leader ,which seems a bit short
Yes, that is a bit short and there is little worse in fly fishing than having a leader that is too short. To solve this problem, we use extenders. An extender is an addition to your leader a 3, 4, 5 feet of fluoro to your leader increasing its length. I use 25lb fluor. So cut a length you desire then tie a perfection loop on both ends. One loop goes to your fly line and the other to the leader you just made. Think of it as a buffer between you fly line and leader. I use it all the time. If the river is deep, I might use a longer extender and so on. I find 3 feet works best for me. Another solution is to just lengthen the leader you are making to the length you desire. A good reference for you is on my channel, Northwest School of Fly Fishing I have a video called Drop Shot Euro Nymphing Tying the Universal Nymph Leader. Here I cover the topic of extenders. Thanks for the comment.
Tried this and got all tangled in less than 10mins, I think tippet size may be the culprit. What are the recommended sizes for tippet on the fly droppers.
There is a learning curve to drop shot nymphing which includes perfecting the cast. There are no rules in drop shot nymphing. Only the weight is at the end of your leader. Today I tend to use a 10# Fluro leader and 3X to 4X droppers for my nymphs. Generally, the way you are casting is causing all the foul ups on your leader. There must me a straight line between the fly and you fly rod. I would recommend 2 videos for you to watch. One is on my channel Northwest School of Fly Fishing called Drop Shot Nymphing/Euro Nymphing Tying the Universal Nymphing Leader. Plus, there are quite a few other videos I've done about the subject of Drop Shot Nymphing. As far as another view of the cast a good video out there done by the Kern River Fly shop. I believe it is called Czech Nymphing the Kern River. Here you will see how Guy will instruct you on casting. This is almost the same cast as what I'm showing you on my video only it is done relative to Czech Nymphing.
I mostly fish an indicator dry dropper rug alittle uero nymphing and always wanted to try a drop shot rig.what is your indicator for bites with the dropshot
One of the best things about drop shot is there are no rules. You can use an indicator if you wish. Keep in mind the advantage of drop shot is the weight always keeps your flies in the target area. Keep this in mind when you use an indicator. If you want to use one, then I would recommend you use a smaller one. Good comment!
@@russellogden8071 You will feel the bite as long as you maintain a tight line as best you can. There is little question to whether or not you have a fish on. It's either a trout or your lead is caught on the bottom,
Been fly fishing for 56 years! Also open face spin fish on occasion! Often wondered why few suggest using a light limber spinning rod to drop shot fly fish with a bobber (indicator) to adjust depth! Weight on the end of the line with the flys above it at different heights similar to what you present here!! That’s how many fish earth worms! Why not add flys above a weight with a small bobber?? Easy to cast where you want, no back cast to snag bushes etc.? Think it could be just as fish catching as with a fly rod!! Can’t see any reason it shouldn’t work!!
Conceptually it is exactly the same thing. I'm currently writing a book on drop shot nymphing. Historically drop shot nymphing is barrowed from spin fishing.
Yes. To about 5ft deep. I use about a 3ft extender that is 30lb fluoro with a perfection loop at each end. One loop to my fly line and the other to my leader. This works real well. I pretty much use this most of the time. I make them in 3ft and 5ft for deeper water.
You can add a sighted or indicator if you want to. There are no rules in DS. DS like all the other forms of modern nymphing like Euro rely on you maintaining a tight line. So the use of an indicator is something you can add. By no means does adding an indicator takes anything away from the act of DS. You just
th-cam.com/users/shortsm88hcyJnxxQ I like the idea but you waste a lot of line. Tie a drop shot loop without the hook and you can loop and unloop your tags.
Yeah, that's the beautiful thing about fly fishing. You see how one guy does it and you say if I tweak it a bit I can get it to do this. There is no one way to build a drop shot leader as you might guess. I would refer you to Kelly Galloup's drop shot videos on TH-cam for another point of view. Thanks for the comment.
I'm not too sure I understand what you are asking. The total length of the leader is around 7 or 8 feet long. I usually add a 3ft extension to that making it a 10-to-11-foot leader. (A good reference on an extension and this leader is the video I did on my channel called Drop Shot Euro Nymphing, Tying the Universal Nymphing Leader) There is no waste. If you are talking about the long lengths of material to tie the triple surgeons' knots that because I have a lot of fat fingers and a lot of line, I can use. It is a good question and thanks for asking.
![[ไฮไลต์] มวยสากลฯหญิง รุ่น 66kg จันทร์แจ่ม สุวรรณเพ็ง ไทย vs แอลจีเรีย รอบรองชนะเลิศ | โอลิมปิก 2024](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nt71uhZjn6Y/mqdefault.jpg)
Awesome video Mike! Thanks for sharing
Thank you for providing this! Very educational and informative! I learned a lot! Well done!
This is easily the best drop shot video I've seen. Thanks a ton!
I've fly fished since I was 8 years old and never ran a drop shot until this year. I've tied nymphs, eggs, dries, etc.
Drop shotting is SO much easier than anything I've done. I always just used to cast my nymphs into the riddle and figured out where my nymph would end up based on the sink rate. That would determine how far in front of the fish I'd cast.
This is WAY easier. It's stupid easy.
Thats why it's not trendy. There is no money in it for commercial fly fishing giants. You don't need anything special to buy. So, it is just not promoted as much as other modern styles of nymphing.
was able to catch my first fish ever on the fly rod i got from my grandmother using this technique from your video. a little mountain whitefish!
Awesome! Keep at it and over time you will perfect it. You can always email me with? At nwschoolofflyfishind.com
Absolutely fantastic video. Thanks so much. Hope I see you on the river sometime.
Thanks for your kind comment
Very nice tutorial!
wow! nice video
A clear and informative video - thanks; I'm going to watch part 2 now. One thing that puzzled me is when you talked about squashing the shot to help prevent it coming off but a minute earlier you said don't put a knot under it to prevent it coming off as that's what you want it to do if it gets trapped on the bottom.
In that video I tried to show different ways you can do it. What I like most about DS is unlike many forms of Euro nymphing in DS there are no rules. I do smash my lead. I do recommend you watch a more current video I did for TH-cam on weight management in DS. Either search it or go to my channel for that and more on DH. Good comment.
I use drop shot all the time. Set up my rigg a little differently but enjoyed your video and picked up some new ideas. Another easy way to do the tag for your fly is to tie a 3” loop with a triple surgeon the cut one side just above the knot. Now you have a 6” tag to tie your fly on. Like you said I keep my tags at 4” or less for less tangle.
Perfect! Love it.
Very interesting
Great video, I’m excited to try this method. One thing I’m puzzled about is what knot do you use to tie your 3dr fly directly to the leader? In the video you just tie an overhand knot, and it’s unlikely that would hold a fish… thanks!
It's called an in-line nymph, meaning the nymph is tied directly to the leader. I rarely do this anymore because once you tie it on you can't take it off. Any knot will do the job and you are right, if there is a weak point on the leader it is this knot.
Regarding using a triple surgeons to create a dropper….i have read that keeping the upper tag to attach the fly creates a weaker dropper (more prone to breaking) than keeping the lower tag to attach the fly. In your opinion, does it make a difference? Thanks.
Thank you very much for your video ! I have found Euro drop shot nymphing to be very effective. Thanks for your tips. One question I have involves adding a new dropper fly to the leader. What is the reason you don't recommend using a clinch knot from the dropper to the leader. I usually use a clinch knot and slide it down to my double surgeon "stopper" knot. I find the clinch knot to be much easier to tie when I'm on the rive. I really appreciate your opinion. I especially like the fact that using a drop shop system allows me to use unweighted flies that I think drift much more realistically than tungsten bead headed flies, especially when fishing smaller flies. Thanks again
Use the clinch Knott. The beautiful thing about DS is there are no rules. I showed you what has worked for me over the years. Add to this and find what works for you. Tweek it, bend it and mold it to your own style.
I really like your suggestion of flattening the lead, I'm anxious to try it. Having a set up where the lead can pull off but not fly or slide off would be great. I've been tying a 6" piece of 7x mono with a knot at the end of the leader to keep the lead on, so the 7x breaks off before the leader breaks, but that's a pain.
I was wondering why you extend the line 3" past the lead ? I found your site today and subscriber right away. Keep up the good work !!
@@rjf1877 The extender is a way to lengthen your leader without building a new leader
Got it, thanks much ! Really anxious to try your lead flattening technique, I imagine it doesn't work as well for the non-toxic weights which seem to be a lot harder. Have you found the non-toxic weights still slide of when you need the to ?
@@rjf1877 remember squish the lead flat. You can still slide the weight off even squished. You should be able to do the same with non tox. Whatever the case the effect is the same. Do what’s best for your style. There are no rules in DS
When fishing small streams (using a 3 wt.) would you still recommend this type of rig?
Thank you for this tutorial. I look forward to giving it a try here soon. Just a question of clarification, the end of the 7 foot leader with the perfection loop, what exactly would I be connecting that to? Would that connect to an additional portion of leader of some sort?
I believe that is the end that attaches to your fly line. Connecting with a loop makes for easy removal and swapping of leaders.
Mike.. i stumbled across your channel only a couple months ago, and just got back from a fly fishing trip. Your method is absolutely deadly to say the least. Ive been using an indicator for a long time. No more. Its just not needed with your method and i thank you. I actually got tired of catching fish lol. I used 8 lb floro for my leader. My question.. since the floro is invisible to the fish, why cant i use the same 8 lb for the dropper tags? Have you tried that? Thank you in advance sir.. your method was an absolute game changer for me
There are no rules in Drop Shot nymphing. I'm in the process of writing another book, Drop Shot Nymphing, where I am continually saying this throughout the book. However, the reason I use 6lb fluoro on all of my 8, 10, and 12 pound leaders is, If the flies get caught on the bottom I want the flies to break off and not the whole leader. It's much easier to tie on a fly than change a leader. 6lb fluoro is a great combination of strength and free flowing movement which we want our nymph to do. I hope this helps.
@@northwestschoolofflyfishin1543 excellent i didnt think of that.. thank you sir!
per George Daniel.... he ties his tags on just above the triple surgeons using a clinch knot
Yes this works. As long as the lead shot is at the end of your leader you are drop shotting. There are many ways to make a DS leader and all work. That’s what makes it great. American anglers have been DS for a hundred years. Some genius made it to apply to FF. This is not Euro where every aspect of this style good and bad can be debated. DS is American nymphing where there are no rules. What makes it effective is your flies are alway in the trout’s face done with the right weight. I love all the great ideas from anglers. It’s a very positive way to fish. Play around like I did for years and find what works best for you. Thanks for the comment
What about using A leader ring and tying on the rig with a clinch knot?
The neat thing about DS is you can make the leader that works for you. As long as the lead is at the end the leader above will be whatever you want. Tippet rings sounds like a good idea. Try it and get back to me with the results.
Why not make dropper loops?
your thoughts on using a tippet ring instead of tying a perfection loop
That will work providing the ring is big enough to pull the fly through it. Try it and let me know. Thanks for the comments
Do you still adhere to the tippit size system, example 7x for #22, 3x for a #16 for the droppers?
I use regular Stren or Berkley 6 lb fluoro for my droppers it’s a fraction of the price for fluoo tippet. I rarely use smaller than 5X and do so for small flies.
Made this leader to your specs ,if I fish just two flies, with the split shot 8"/10" from bottom flies I have to cut off two feet of the leader so end up with about a five foot leader ,which seems a bit short
Yes, that is a bit short and there is little worse in fly fishing than having a leader that is too short. To solve this problem, we use extenders. An extender is an addition to your leader a 3, 4, 5 feet of fluoro to your leader increasing its length. I use 25lb fluor. So cut a length you desire then tie a perfection loop on both ends. One loop goes to your fly line and the other to the leader you just made. Think of it as a buffer between you fly line and leader. I use it all the time. If the river is deep, I might use a longer extender and so on. I find 3 feet works best for me. Another solution is to just lengthen the leader you are making to the length you desire. A good reference for you is on my channel, Northwest School of Fly Fishing I have a video called Drop Shot Euro Nymphing Tying the Universal Nymph Leader. Here I cover the topic of extenders. Thanks for the comment.
Tried this and got all tangled in less than 10mins, I think tippet size may be the culprit. What are the recommended sizes for tippet on the fly droppers.
There is a learning curve to drop shot nymphing which includes perfecting the cast. There are no rules in drop shot nymphing. Only the weight is at the end of your leader. Today I tend to use a 10# Fluro leader and 3X to 4X droppers for my nymphs. Generally, the way you are casting is causing all the foul ups on your leader. There must me a straight line between the fly and you fly rod. I would recommend 2 videos for you to watch. One is on my channel Northwest School of Fly Fishing called Drop Shot Nymphing/Euro Nymphing Tying the Universal Nymphing Leader. Plus, there are quite a few other videos I've done about the subject of Drop Shot Nymphing. As far as another view of the cast a good video out there done by the Kern River Fly shop. I believe it is called Czech Nymphing the Kern River. Here you will see how Guy will instruct you on casting. This is almost the same cast as what I'm showing you on my video only it is done relative to Czech Nymphing.
Hello, you describe monofilament, what about flurocarbon? Do you use it at all? Just learning here..... thanks.....
Sorry I misled you. I use fluorocarbon for all my leaders,tags, or droppers. Never mono.
I mostly fish an indicator dry dropper rug alittle uero nymphing and always wanted to try a drop shot rig.what is your indicator for bites with the dropshot
One of the best things about drop shot is there are no rules. You can use an indicator if you wish. Keep in mind the advantage of drop shot is the weight always keeps your flies in the target area. Keep this in mind when you use an indicator. If you want to use one, then I would recommend you use a smaller one. Good comment!
@northwestschoolofflyfishin1543 do you feel the bite or is it hesitation in the line when not using a indicator
@@russellogden8071 You will feel the bite as long as you maintain a tight line as best you can. There is little question to whether or not you have a fish on. It's either a trout or your lead is caught on the bottom,
Been fly fishing for 56 years! Also open face spin fish on occasion! Often wondered why few suggest using a light limber spinning rod to drop shot fly fish with a bobber (indicator) to adjust depth! Weight on the end of the line with the flys above it at different heights similar to what you present here!! That’s how many fish earth worms! Why not add flys above a weight with a small bobber?? Easy to cast where you want, no back cast to snag bushes etc.? Think it could be just as fish catching as with a fly rod!! Can’t see any reason it shouldn’t work!!
Conceptually it is exactly the same thing. I'm currently writing a book on drop shot nymphing. Historically drop shot nymphing is barrowed from spin fishing.
There is only 30 inches to your first fly, does that limit this rig to shallow water runs
Yes. To about 5ft deep. I use about a 3ft extender that is 30lb fluoro with a perfection loop at each end. One loop to my fly line and the other to my leader. This works real well. I pretty much use this most of the time. I make them in 3ft and 5ft for deeper water.
Not sure how you could easily change loop to loop connections on stream with flies and split shot on your leader.
what about the sighter?
You can add a sighted or indicator if you want to. There are no rules in DS. DS like all the other forms of modern nymphing like Euro rely on you maintaining a tight line. So the use of an indicator is something you can add. By no means does adding an indicator takes anything away from the act of DS. You just
Adding something to the task
th-cam.com/users/shortsm88hcyJnxxQ
I like the idea but you waste a lot of line. Tie a drop shot loop without the hook and you can loop and unloop your tags.
Yeah, that's the beautiful thing about fly fishing. You see how one guy does it and you say if I tweak it a bit I can get it to do this. There is no one way to build a drop shot leader as you might guess. I would refer you to Kelly Galloup's drop shot videos on TH-cam for another point of view. Thanks for the comment.
Why do you waste so much leader.
I'm not too sure I understand what you are asking. The total length of the leader is around 7 or 8 feet long. I usually add a 3ft extension to that making it a 10-to-11-foot leader. (A good reference on an extension and this leader is the video I did on my channel called Drop Shot Euro Nymphing, Tying the Universal Nymphing Leader) There is no waste. If you are talking about the long lengths of material to tie the triple surgeons' knots that because I have a lot of fat fingers and a lot of line, I can use. It is a good question and thanks for asking.
Don't use lead shot in any Maine body of water if you are caught you will not be fishing anymore. Lead shot is illegal in Maine!!!