The Dry Dropper Rig-My Favorite Way to Fly Fish

An Early Rise

It’s early summer, when the days are the longest. Getting to the river this time of year before the sun pierces the horizon requires an extraordinary effort. But I am willing to exchange sleep for an empty parking lot and the solitude that comes with being the sole angler on the water. I gear up in the remaining darkness and actually feel a little cold on the hike in. It is impossible to avoid brushing against the dew clinging to the underside of the greenery that now conceals a once passable trail. The droplets absorb into my skin, creating temporary discomfort. I am immediately grateful for the sun’s first rays that find their way through the canopy. Their warmth relieves my discomfort but warns me that the heat of the day is not far off. Along with the rising temperature, the bright sunlight will force the wild browns to scatter and take refuge in their most reclusive holds. This is the kind of morning that will require a stealthy approach. So I opt for a dry dropper rig.

No Second Chances

The morning sun is already casting long shadows. My silhouette extends upstream, threatening to alert the trout of my intentions. The water is cold and clear but low. It’s lower than I’ve seen it all year. The river has become defined, revealing the trout’s most likely hiding spots and creating an endless series of upstream targets. But it will take precision to hit each target on the first attempt. There will be no second chances.

Each cast will need to extend beyond my growing shadow. I lengthen my leader with a thin tippet and attach an elk hair caddis to the end. I grease my leader and my fly, but before casting to my first target, I tie a thin piece of fluorocarbon to the bend of the hook of the caddis. Gauging the depth of the water, I snip the fluorocarbon short of arms length and tie on a small beaded pheasant tail. This morning, I want to give trout two options to choose from.

Which One Will They Choose?

My first target is a rounded rock that is typically submerged. The current swirls around the rock on all sides, slickening the water behind it. I cast just beyond the rock, making sure to stop my rod tip abruptly, rocketing the pheasant tail out ahead of the lighter elk hair caddis.

Both flies land gently on the water just a few feet above the rock. The caddis sits high on the surface not even noticing the weight of the pheasant tail plunging toward the bottom. I make a quick mend to create slack that releases the caddis into the drift. It swirls in the current to the left of the rock and settles perfectly into the slick.

I’m instantly disappointed that my presentation doesn’t entice a dramatic rise. Instead, my caddis disappears. I raise my rod tip and discover the fourteen inch brown who ate the pheasant tail instead. 

I hit every target I could that morning. Each successful presentation yielded either a rise to my caddis or an eat underneath.

This is my favorite way to fish. There’s no guesswork. It’s all about execution. An accurate cast and subsequent dead drift over a likely spot provides trout with two options, leaving me to wonder which one will they choose? 

Dry Dropper Tactics

If you are new to the dry dropper rig, it is a two fly system in which a small weighted nymph is suspended by a dry fly. The dry dropper is an effective and fun way to fish. It requires the same skills you use as part of your dry fly game. But it gives you the added benefit of presenting a small nymph suspended in the water column.

How to Rig a Dry Dropper

There are a few different options for rigging a dry dropper rig. It can be set up to use with a traditional fly fishing outfit. I also will use it with as part of my euro nymphing or mono-rig systems. It is a versatile approach to fly fishing that can be used in a variety of situations.

Attaching to the Bend or Eye of the Dry Fly Hook

There are two ways you can attach the dropper directly to the dry fly you will use. The first option is to use a simple clinch knot to tie a section of fluorocarbon to the bend of the hook. (Nylon tippet will work fine too if that is all you have). Start with about an 18″ section of fluorocarbon. Then attach a weighted nymph to that section of fluorocarbon. If your dry fly hook is barbless, you will have to tie the dropper to the eye of the hook instead. I prefer to tie to the bend of the hook when possible. Even if your dry fly hook has a pinched down barb, tying to the bend is fine. I only tie to the eye if my dry fly hook is an actual barbless hook.

Attaching Dry Fly to a Tag

I use this method most often because I can easily switch to this when I am euro nymphing or using a mono rig system. All I have to do is snip off my top (or tag) fly and attach a dry fly. I leave the weighted nymph at the point. I can use this method to fish at short distances. However, I am often surprised how far I can cast this rig using either a light weight euro line or a mono rig. This method can be used with a traditional/regular fly line set up too.

Best Times to Fish a Dry Dropper Rig

There are many situations in which a dry dropper rig is effective. I tend to use it during times of the year when I know there is a chance that trout are looking up. It presents trout with a choice between eating from the surface or taking a nymph suspended in the water column. About the only time I won’t use a dry dropper is when trout seem to be sticking to the bottom in deeper runs.

Tom Rosenbauer provides a fantastic overview of the dry dropper technique:

Low and Clear Conditions

As I tried to illustrate in my story, the dry dropper rig becomes an essential tactic when fishing low and clear water, especially in the summer months. The soft landing of the dry fly generally will not spook fish. The dry dropper rig also helps you to fish at a distance when water conditions do not permit you to fish close. I love prospecting for trout using this system in these types of conditions. It is fun to hit all of the likely spots knowing you are presenting two options for the trout.

Splashy Rises

Another time I find the method to be effective is when I’m seeing a lot of splashy rises. These types of rises can indicate when trout are chasing some type of emerging insect. I have found trout will often take my dropper fly when casting in the vicinity of a splashy rise. There have been many times in which I thought the trout took my dry fly only to learn the fish was hooked on the dropper. This happens when a trout charges up from the bottom taking the dropper as an emerging insect and breaks the surface of the water.

Small Mountain Streams

I especially love using a dry dropper rig in small mountain streams where trout may be a little less pressured and more eager to take a larger dry fly. It is a lot of fun trying to land the dry fly in small pockets as you make your way upstream. It is an effective approach on these types of streams because you often need to fish at a distance to avoid spooking trout. The dry dropper method can provide the necessary stealthy approach.

Casting a Dry Dropper Rig

When casting a dry dropper rig, you will want to employ the same set of skills you use when dry fly fishing. The most important piece to remember is to make sure that you get the nymph out ahead of the dry fly. As I described in the story, you’ll want to make sure you are stopping the rod tip abruptly on your front cast. You may even want to bring the rod tip back toward you just a touch to ensure the leader straightens. When done correctly, the dry fly will land softly on the water and the nymph will land ahead of it in the drift. This will give the nymph time to sink as the dry begins to drift.

Advanced Tactics

Like all tactics in fly fishing, the dry dropper method provides anglers with an opportunity to adapt the approach to everchanging stream conditions. By changing the size of your dry fly, the weight of your nymph, and the length of your dropper, you can adapt to catch trout in any water type.

As you progress with this technique and start to use it in a variety of water types, you will want to focus on your casting skills. The key is to prevent drag and stay in contact with your dry fly. This is critical when you start to deploy this tactic in heavier currents. By keeping your rod tip high and not dropping it during your front cast, you will keep your line/leader off of the water. This helps prevent drag and keeps you in touch with your dry fly. This will provide you with a longer drift and better strike detection. No one explains this better than George Daniel.

Thanks for reading! Spend more time on the water!

Have a great day!

Jeff Smecker

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