Dry Dropper
What is Dry Dropper?
Simply it is fishing a dry fly with a small weighted nymph suspended beneath it. It’s a great method on Larger rivers too when they are very low but it’s deadly on smaller faster streams like we are concentrating on now. The method can be used on fast to medium paced water but it has to have movement otherwise you are better fishing with a dry fly only. Really you are nymphing but with the added indicator “The Dry Fly” which is used for this purpose and also if a trout is feeding off the top. This method allows you to tackle both fish up near the surface and trout that are down deep in the water column. By casting up stream and remembering to keep a low profile follow the dry fly as it drifts down through the run. Line control is very important the dry fly must not swing or move faster than the current as it will raise up the nymph and leave it kiting in mid water and turn away potential trout from taking it. Remember when the cast is made lift as much line off the water as it drifts back towards yourself without moving the dry fly it is this art that you must master. It will allow you to fish the nymph at greater distances from you when a steady hand can control a lot of line on the water. Line placement is as important as line control because if the correct mends are not placed into the line before it hits the water skating will occur and it makes a lot of unnecessary work for the angler to control the fly. So remember to put upstream or downstream mends into the line before the hit the water not after. The takes are very visual normally with sudden stops, jerks or the disappearance of the dry fly indicator but if you are missing a lot of takes that are supple its usually due to the leader begin too long . If it’s too long what happens is that when a trout takes the nymph at the start of the drift it has taken it before the leader length itself hasn’t fully straighten out and by the time you see a take it’s really too late as he has spat it out or you may get a very bad hook hold.
The Leader
Michael Drinan
michaeldrinan@gmail.com
+353-(0)87-235-3885
