Tips on Fly Casting With a Wet Fly Dropper Rig

Fly fishing offers anglers the ability to use flies that coordinate with the hatch of local larvae and bugs which are the natural diet of the native fish. A fly angler can utilize a wet fly dropper rig to present two different flies at the same time with varying depths, increasing the chances of a strike.

  1. Dropper Setup

    • Setting up a wet fly dropper rig requires you to tie a fly 12-24 inches up the tippet then tie one at the end. This gap between the flies allows you to cover more water efficiently and affects the way they sink. The tippet line weight along with the weight of the fly determines how deeply the fly will sink within the water. Use a heavier tippet in strong currents to sink the fly and lightweight line in slow water to keep it less visible.

    Variations

    • The wet fly dropper offers two variations, allowing an angler to cover fish striking top water or suspended baits. Utilizing two wet flies allows you to present to sinking flies of different types to encourage a strike. A dry fly placed as the top fly allows an angler to present top water and a sinking fly simultaneously. Anglers can use two flies with drastically different colors to increase their chances of finding the fly the fish will bite. Varying the size of the flies allows them to sink to different levels.

    Casting

    • A fly fishermen needs to use a slight side-arm casting technique due to the two-fly setup. The side-arm cast prevents the flies from contacting each other which could result in a tangled leader. You should allow the line to fully extend before landing on the water to ensure the flies land extended away from each other, covering a large area.

    Location

    • Fishing on a river or stream with a wet fly dropping rig allows the angler to utilize the current to give action to the flies. Perform a series of slightly upstream casts, allowing the flies to drift downstream, covering a large arch of area. Vary the casting distance of each cast to cover the entire area of water. When sight fishing, land the top fly upstream of the fish; then alternate with the bottom fly if there is no strike.