Fishing the Dry Dropper: A dry that catches the fish

This method of fishing rivers has been around for a bit and takes on several names including Klink and Dink, some calling it New Zealand style fishing also; however, I like to call it Dry Dropper. This name describes best how I find it should be set up, well for me anyway. I am no expert on this form of fly fishing, but I have spent a lot of time over the last few years trying to better my self at it. This is due to its importance in catching fish, especially in the water that is difficult to nymph euro style. Here is a couple tips I have picked up along the way and for this post we will really look at the importance of the dry fly more so than the nymphs. 
It is my understanding that the dry has 3 fundamental functions in this set up. One, it must float well, second you must be able to see it and thirdly it must be able to support the weight of the nymph or nymphs below.  But there is another one I would like to add to that and this is; it must be able to catch fish. For some anglers a lot of the emphasis when it comes to the dry fly or indicator fly is the first three components and they sacrifice the important aspect of the dry not catching fish. 

I often get asked what dry I use for my set up when fishing this way, and often this comes from anglers that are struggling to see their dry, its not sitting right for them or they are not catching fish with the ones they are using. This is the dry I find that ticks all the above boxes.

 Hook: Dohiku 611 from size 12 to 14 
Thread: Fine strong Silk 
Post: Pink or Orange Para wing 
Rib: Fine Pearl Tinsel 
Body dubbing: Natural Hares Ear 
Hackle: Grizzle Cock Hackles 
Thorax: Mixed natural hares ear, gold lite bright, purple dubbing and red light brite all blended in a coffee blender. 

I always tie the dry fly on a short dropper as I find that I catch more fish when the fly is on a dropper rather than attaching tippet to the bend of the hook to connect the dry fly to the nymph. 
The distance between the dry and nymph is crucial for this method to be effective also. I have a general rule to begin with, that the distance is the depth of the water to your best guess and half that again to the nymph. I tend to use a short aggressive dry leader and I like to fish the set up as close to me as possible to save lining fish by casting any distance away from my position.  

I normally treat the post of this dry with water shed to help it float for longer periods of time, this also make it easier to dry off with less false casts. This dry will count for 15% of fish caught on the dry dropper the majority of days fishing it. It is highly visible, floats extremely well and sure as hell catches fish. Have a selection of sizes and colours in your box to suit the conditions and requirements on the day. on different days you may need larger ones to support two or heavier nymphs and on other days the one different coloured post could be more visible than the other. 
Also it is important to remember that the dry dose not have to disappear or sink to indicate a take, a slight movement which is unnatural to the current of the water can be an indication that a fish has picked up your nymph. the high visibility and fishing the set up in close proximity will aid you in spotting these tell tale signs of a fish. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and it has sparked some thoughts in developing your fishing and fly tying going forward in the new season. If you have any questions or queries please feel free to contact me. Also make sure and check out my website www.piscari-fly.com for all your tungsten beads, Dohiku barbless hooks, the amazing Syndicate Fly Rods, Reels, leaders and much more. Thanks for reading.

Want to Catch A Fussy Trout: Try Beadless Nymphs

For the last season or two I have been tinkering more and more with beadless Nymphs and getting good results.
We all know that the bead has several purposes on a nymph; one, to add crucial weight to get the fly down to the feed zones; secondly, the colour can be the factor that attracts the fish to take the fly.

But as we all know the colours vary and one day when sliver works the next day it will be gold or some other choice from the array of colours now available on the market. So is there a time and occasion for weighted nymphs with out beads, the answer is yes.

When I like most other anglers began fishing many years ago the nymphs we were using was a pheasant tail maybe with a lead shot up the cast to drag the nymph down to the trout or a sinking line would do the same job. However with the evolution of fly tying the tungsten bead has allowed the angler to present their nymphs to the depths very quickly.

As a competition angler I am always aware the the fish can become used to the different colour beads especially when you are fishing 3 to 5 sessions in a competition. So having some beadless Nymphs can be the answer in those late sessions or fishing in over fished waters and when you are looking to catch those fussy trout.

Tying the nymphs slim and getting some good quality lead and a few small tungsten beads in there will allow the nymphs to penetrate to the required depth, just as quick as a beaded nymph.
Fishing shallow runs and glides you will have no problem in getting the nymphs down to the fish and maybe you will have to punch them up stream a little further in order to allow them more time to get to the bottom.

Also a good addition to this approach is an aggressive leader set up so that when you make the cast the natural turn over of the leaders will ensure the nymphs will enter the water at pace and the nymphs will get down faster. This leader set up is something you will have to make up your self to get the best results. A good light weight rod with a good responsive action will aid you in getting these lighter nymphs to there destination also. Make sure and check out the Syndicate 10 foot 2 weight as this is the rod find good and the one I use for this approach.

Here is some of the beadless patterns that I have useful over the last couple of seasons and are we'll wort having a go with this year for some fussy trout.

The pheasant Tail 

Hook: Dohiku 611 size 16

Thread: Fine strong silk 

Tail: fibers of pheasant tail 

Tag: Glo Brite No.4

Rib: Copper wire 

Body: Pheasant tail 

Thorax Cover: Pheasant Tail

Thorax: Olive mixed dubbing 

Legs: Natural Partridge Hackles 

Another option you have is fishing the dry dropper set up with one or two beadless nymphs under the dry just make sure the distance between the nymphs and dry is long enough so that the flies are where they need to be. Make sure and secure in the beads and lead well with a good strong thread and some super glue. Also, lead and tungsten beads or sheets are the best option for adding weight to your flies using wires don't contain much heavy metals to make a difference and can be more expensive that flat lead. 

The Olive Quill  

Hook: Dohiku 611 size 16

Thread: Fine strong silk 

Tail: Coc De Leon

Under Body: Flat lead covered in olive thread 

Body: Transparent synthetic quills 

Thorax Cover: Pheasant Tail

Thorax: Olive mixed dubbing 

Legs: Pheasant tails tips folded back . 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post and it has sparked some thoughts in developing your fishing and fly tying going forward in the new season. If you have any questions or queries please feel free to contact me. Also make sure and check out my website www.piscari-fly.com for all your tungsten , barbless hooks, Syndicate Fly Rods, Reels, leaders and much more. Thanks for reading.