The dry-dropper is the summer rig for small streams and pocket water. A big foam hopper, Chubby Chernobyl or Stimulator floats the whole thing, and a small beadhead nymph swings below it where the fish actually are. When a trout eats the nymph, the dry dips like a bobber; when one eats the dry, you see it. It is the rig for a walk up a Laurentian brook trout stream in July.
What you need
- Fly line and leaderFloating line, 9 ft 3X–4X tapered leader
- Dry flyBuoyant foam or hair-wing dry, size 8–14 (hopper, Chubby, Stimulator, Elk Hair Caddis)
- Tippet12–30" of 4X–5X for the dropper
- NymphBeadhead nymph size 14–18 (Pheasant Tail, Hare's Ear, Copper John, Prince)
- FloatantGel or powder floatant for the dry
How to tie the dry-dropper rig
- Tie the dry fly to the leader with an improved clinch knot and apply floatant.
- Tie 12–30 inches of tippet to the bend of the dry fly's hook with a clinch knot (or to the eye for a "New Zealand" style).
- Tie the beadhead nymph to the end of the tippet.
How to fish it
Cast upstream into pockets, seams and along undercut banks. Mend and drift drag-free. Set on any dip, stall or twitch of the dry, and on any rise to it. Keep the dropper length shorter in shallow pockets, longer in deeper runs.
Tips
- The dry must be buoyant enough to hold the nymph; foam hoppers are the easiest.
- Downsize the nymph and lengthen the tippet in clear, slow water.
- Great for smallmouth in rivers too: a big foam popper with a small nymph below.
Common mistakes
- A nymph too heavy for the dry, which sinks it.
- Dropper too long in shallow water, leading to constant snags.