Two
Fly Systems
Two fly systems
have been used by fly fisherman for years to up their catch rate
and fish water more efficiently. The hopper and a dropper technique
is the way most fisherman are introduced to two fly rigs. Most
commonly fished with an eighteen inch dropper off the dry fly
this technique has hooked thousands of fish for anglers who use
them. Although fishing the hopper dropper rig is very effective,
it is just a stepping stone into the many doors that two fly system
can open to fisherman.
Using a dry fly
as an indicator as used in the hopper dropper rig is a sound idea
but isn't always fished correctly by anglers. Unless your fishing
in shallow water, or you are dropping an emerger pattern, the
short dropper most commonly used with this system ineffective.
When using this system I try to match the length of my dropper
to the average depth of the water, usually five to seven feet.
I find most fisherman are intimidated by using long droppers and
those that do quit in frustration, after wrapping their leaders
into a tangled mess. Tangling long droppers isn't in the casting
of the system but in the way the system is rigged. You will be
usually fishing a total leader length of anywhere from twelve
to twenty feet. Because you are mainly fishing the dropper in
this system, the position of the dry fly on the leader isn't very
important in the actual presentation.
Take a nine foot
four to six X leader and will cut the line between the two and
three X sections. Then take the rest of the line and coil ii up,
placing it back in its package in case you wish to go to a single
fly rig later. You Then have about a five foot leader, and are
ready to add the dry fly. Then from the bend of the dry flies
hook , tie on 2-6 foot section of five or six X tippet using an
improved clinch knot. (The length of the dropper will very depending
on the individual situation). Then add a bead head nymph (preferably
with a tungsten bead for added weight) for my dropper. Because
the dry fly will slow the drift down considerably more than an
indicator, and drag is extremely reduced, using this system will
result in the fly sinking much faster than usual. Fishing in this
matter also speeds the sink rate of the fly because you are only
using the small diameter tippet to sink your nymph, instead of
the tapered part of the leader. This basically becomes a right
angle rig and you will be surprised on how fast you will get your
fly deep by using this system.
Two fly systems
are not only for surface flies and can be extremely effective
below. When nymphing, try tying on an emerger pattern on a nine
foot four X leader with a twelve inch section of five X tippet.
Then tie on another section of five X tippet about four feet long.
Tie a large weighted stonefly pattern, or any other bottom bouncing
type fly at the end of the five X. Then add a strike indicator
were the leader meets the fly line. This rig will get down fast
with little or no split shot, and will fish the water at two levels.
The stone fly at the bottom were the naturals will be, and the
emerge a few feet up struggling to get to the surface to shuck.
Fish this system in the late afternoon, before the main hatch
is really coming off.
When fishing streamers
for trout, take a nine foot four X leader and add about two feet
of five X tippet. Tie a small bead head nymph, in size sixteen
to eighteen to the tippet. Then tie on a three to five inch section
of five X tippet from the bend of the nymph's hook. Add a sculpin,
woolly bugger, or crayfish pattern, for the dropper. I believe
the fish see this as a small baitfish that was chasing a nymph,
and was caught in the current, completely unaware of the big trout
that is ready to feed upon it. This sets up a predator prey situation
that big trout can't seem to resist.
Other streamer tactics
include the double streamer system. This system is setup much
like the nymph streamer system, just replace the nymph with
another streamer. The fish see the first fly go by, and are enticed,
but may not strike. As the second fly passes, it is just to much
temptation for an active fish.
Two fly systems
can work well for bass as well as trout. The two streamer rig
proves very effective for bass especially in rivers. Another popular
technique is the popper and a dropper system. This is set up exactly
like the hopper dropper rig, but heaver leaders and tippet are
used. Tie on a big bass bug and a weighted streamer for the dropper.
As the fly sinks it will tend to pull the popper under a bit,
but this is part of the presentation. The popper looks like an
injured bait fish struggling to stay on the surface, to revive
itself . The streamer will be held a few feet under the water,
so if the fish misses the popper you will have another chance
of hooking it down below. When bass are enticed to strike and
they don't lay into their prey, the urge to feed seems to be even
grater. These systems will bring out the aggressive, more predatory
nature a bass and will hook you more fish consistently.
Two fly systems
can be very effective, and at times can produce you more fish
than a day fished without them. If you choose to take a little
time learning the subtle techniques used to cast and present these
systems properly, I'm sure they will be a welcome addition to
your fly fishing arsenal.