When fishing a nymph tandem rig set-up, will I guess less tangles if I attach the smaller (unweighted) fly to the bend of the hook of the point fly than if I attach the smaller fly with a separate, short tippet above the point fly?
Regardless of the tangles, which set-up do you prefer?
Thanks,
Randy
I tie the heaviest fly on the point (to the tippet). I then tie the unweighted fly to the eye of the fly on point.
its far more important on how the cast is made. your not casting dry flies so your loop should be open. practice and you will find that you won’t tangle at all.
Gene
I usually fish 3 flies with heaviest to the leader tippet. Each successive fly is tied to an x size smaller tippet and tied to bend of the previous fly. In the spring we often have caddis and mayflies emerging at the same time so i will use two appropriate color and sizes of soft hackles behind the weight fly. In the winter I will almost always have a midge pupa or two in the mix. The weight fly varies by area & season caddis larvae ,crane fly larvae , general attractor, tungsten egg, marabou jig.
Make sure you leader is well tapered and use roll casts or water load casts
Thanks folks. BTW, I just read in Charlie Meck’s book that I can tie in a loop to a fly, then connect to the leader with a loop-to-loop connection. The fly will be close to the leader, and it might not be the most effective way to fish, but it will almost eliminate tangles.
Randy
I prefer to tie the dropper fly to the bend of the point fly. Little problem with tangles.
I agree – tying your trailing fly to the bend of the lead fly results in fewer tangles. I always tie the larger, heavier fly to the tippet first, then tie the smaller trailing fly to the bend of the lead fly with about 12" of tippet, and add weight about 12" above the lead fly.
One bonus to this method is that you can quickly tie an “open” clinch (or improved clinch) knot and then just slip it over the bend of the lead fly and tighten it down. Much quicker than tying a conventional clinch or improved clinch.
I have never seen a guide tie a trailing fly or dropper any way other than at the bend of the lead or top fly. They know what works best for their clients who often lack good casting skills.
I had a guide in Colorado who tied the top fly on with a regular clinch knot but leave the tag end about a foot and half long. He would then tie the dropper nymph to that tag end. It worked fine.
I usually tie the heavier nymph to the tippet section then tie on the dropper nymph to the bend of that hook. I want the dropper or smaller fly to float a little freer with no weight. Seems to work.
As Gene said though, preventing tangles is more a function of the cast. Keep a slow open loop and you won’t have as many problems.
Gotta admit that I gave up on multi-fly rigs because I never mastered the tangle problem. I just found it was more productive to go with a single fly I could keep in the water than to sit on the bank untangling things. This is a character flaw that proved true in everything I’ve done for recreation and pleasure. Once I got good enough to enjoy the outcome, I never pushed myself to become a master.