Dropper FLY

How do you attach the Dropper Fly?
Do you have a loop on a Fly already?
Or, tie strait to the hook.
As you can tell I have not done this before.

As always,
Thanks
Puff

Dear EP,

I've bought some flies with a loop attached to the rear of the fly but I have not used them.

If I an fishing a dry fly with a dropper I tie tippet to the bend of the hook and attach the dropper fly to that tippet. When I am fishing multiple nymphs I usually do the same thing, but sometimes I will hand tie leaders and leave the tag ends on the two lowest blood knots long so that three flies can be tied to the leader.

Best wishes,
Avalon

Avalon,
Thanks for the help.

Any and ALL:
What lb. test should the loop be? I hope to tie some kind of nymphs soon.

I was watching a show that suggested puting the dry on the leader (just threading it through) then tying on the tippit and tying on the droper on the end of the tipit the knot holding on the tipit keeps the dry from sliding down to the end of the dropper. I havent tried it but it seems reasonable

Eric

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Tis bettter to have hooked and lost, than never hooked at all.

I'm kind of wierd abut this. I really like the Weavers knot shown in the FAOL knots section as it is easy for me to tie under any conditions.

First I tie a weavers not using a piece of soft weight instead of a fly, then remove the weight, put the loop around the bend of the top fly, and tighten the knot. Then tie on the dropper fly with the same knot.

[This message has been edited by oldfrat (edited 05 June 2006).]

When tying on the last section of tippet I leave 10" or so tag of the heavier section. That is where I tie on my dropper. Tying the dropper on a heavier section than the farthest fly is 'sposed to keep the dropper less likely to tangle. Maybe it does. You can also tie on a section of tippet just above the last knot in your leader. The knot in the leader will prevent the dropper tippet from sliding down any further.
AgMD

Thanks for all the Great info.

Puff

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I usually use a clinch knot to tie a tippet section to the bend of a dry fly (or sometimes a wet fly). I pre-tie some of these at home in good light and then I can just tie the top fly to my leader as usual. I bought an inexpensive leader holder at a fishing store. I see now that Orvis has a new tackle storage system for this that isn't too expensive.

I also use the method of leaving a long tag end on the tippet to leader knot and tying a fly to the long tag. That works as well.

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Fish more, work less!

If you think about it, tying to the hook bend has to be the worst way to attach a dropper. Any fish that trys to strike the upper fly has to push the dropper tippet out of the way to reach the fly.
An easy way to attach a dropper would be to use the tag end of your tippet.
I like to use a loop2loop connection for my tippet and just leave a long tag end when I tie the tippet knot.
Knotting droppers to your tippet with dropper loops or tying mulitable droppers on to your tippet with uni or surgeons knots is the best way to go and really doesn't take much time.
The use of multible droppers will clue you in faster to what a fish is looking for, and it's vey hard for some fish to watch three or more opportunites slip by.
Don't forget to cast with an open loop.

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May the fish that you catch always be larger than the hole in your net

[This message has been edited by dudley (edited 07 June 2006).]

When I use a dropper(which is most of the time)I change attatchment to what I am doing.If dry to dry/emerger, I like the tippet thru the front fly(usually a bigger hook size) then tie on next size down tippet with a surgeon's knot to the trailing fly. Dry to nymph dropper I usually tie to the hook bend of the dry fly and once again go with the next size down tippet mtrl. Nymph to nymph depends wether I go doubles or triples. Doubles I do the tie it on and leave a long tage end. Triples I will do the long tag end and then tie to the bend fo the second fly to the third frly since with me the third fly is usually a #16 or less un wieghted nymph.