using a dropper

[Threedayweekend]

what is the best way to tie on a dropper i have tried several ways just ask to see which one everyone likes the best. Also is it nessary to to use a small fly for the dropper?

thanks in advance
Jason

[Greg Hunsicker]

I normally tie my dropper to the hook of my hopper/popper by using the improved clinch knot and I've never had a problem. Actually you do not want to go too small with the dropper because you might have a hard time getting the rig to turn over resulting with a little pile at the end of your line. It's not impossible just takes a little more concentration while casting.

Go Git'em
Greg

[Buddy Sanders]

Jason,

I tie my dropper to the bend of the front fly's hook with a palomar knot.

You can use any size fly for your dropper that you can cast. I often use a dropper fly that is larger than the leading fly. There are no rules here, just what works for you or what you prefer.

I will say that the popper/dropper rig should be illegal when fishing for bluegills.

Buddy

[kglissmeyer]

Jason, I usually use a three-fly rig and drop each fly off of the bend of the hook using a clinch-knot. As far as size, I don't think there is any hard-and-fast rule as Buddy stated - whatever works in the situation you're in. Usually I will start with a weighted 'Big Ugly' Rubberlegs stonefly imitation as the fly to get the rig down followed by a much smaller bead-head nymph, followed by a fairly small trailer in a smaller mayfly or midge pattern. Catches a lot of fish and works well for me.
There are a lot of other dropper configurations out there and many are very successful, you just need to try them out and find the one that works best for you in your favorite waters.

kelly.

[Host Ray]

I tie my front fly on and leave a long tag(12"+) and tie my dropper onto that. I have a hard time tying to the bend of a hook.

[Bluegill222]

If it's a popper or other super boyant fly, I'll tie the dropper off the bend of the hook with an improved clinch. With dries that aren't much bigger than the dropper, I'll leave a tag off my tippet knot and tie the dry to that.

[rainbowchaser]

Sometimes it is desirable to create an angle in the leader so that the dropper hangs straight down from the first fly. This can be done by attaching the first fly to the tippet as usual and then tyiing in the dropper line at a ninety degree angle to it on the hook eye of the first fly . This will make a fly hang closer to straight down from a floating fly or cause a small nymph to ride above a heavily weighted one

[EdD]

Yet another way is to run an extra 6-8" of tippet through the eye and past the original fly then using a surgeons' knot (double overhand, or, in my case, a triple overhand) add another piece of tippet, usually the next size down to make casting easier, and attaching the dropper to that. Mind you, I am not a font of wisdom and experience, but it seems to work for me.

Ed

[coughlin]

I tie the dropper to the bend of the attractor hook with an improved clinch. The attractor is usually a super bouyant fly like a humpty or wulff. My droppper is always smaller and usually a GRHE #16 beadhead. The trick for me is to use a 1x thinner diameter for the dropper tippet, this allows it to turn over more smoothly. I almost never have "pile-up" problems. Also, I cast the rig upstream, let the dropper sink some, and then, especially if I see fish flashing around, gently left the lead fly. The rising nymph quite often triggers a hard strike.
Cheers
Coughlin

[CoachBob]

Here are the options:
1. Make a slip loop (Pitzen, Duncan, etc.) and slide the loop over the bend of the hook of the lead fly and tighten. This is the preferred method for popper-droppers because it won't affect the action of the popper. If you do not already tie a pitzen (also called a fisherman's knot) look at wttp://www.flyanglersonline.com/features/bobboese/122208.php because this knot will make your life a whole lot simpler. (BTW, you should also be familiar with the Palomar for general purposes.)
2. Tie the tippet for the trailing fly through the eye for the lead fly. You should use a pitzen or clinch for this and the result will be the lead fly standing out 90 degrees from the tippet. This is good for wet-dropper or dropper-dropper connections because the drift will not be adversly affected. You do not want to use a palomar here because a palomar required that you go through the eye of the hook twice and you won't have enough room.
3. Make a slip loop and slide the loop entirely over the lead fly and up to the line of the leader or tippet to which the lead fly is tied. Tighten the loop onto the line itself. This is not as strong a connection as the other two but a lot of people use it.