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Double Your Catch
Rate, Fish Multiple Flies AZOD Fly Fishing Section Leader
Here’s a simple formula for the opportunity to double your catch rate. If one fly works, wouldn’t two flies work better? Traditional fly fishing has taught us to prospect all water levels and recognize the fishy areas with a single fly. This is a simple task, but one that takes time. In reality, much of that time may be fishless time. By fishing a multiple fly setup, you can locate and key in on what the fish are feeding on in half the time. If using a single dry fly is your preference, then you are catching only those fish that will take a dry. Although all of the artistic imagery of fly fishing is almost always depicted by dry fly fishing, the absolute truth of the matter is that trout get their meals from below the surface 80% - 90% of the time. However true this percentage is, I can personally attest to catching at least 80% of my trout sub-surface. An old mentor once told me, “trout live in the water, so that’s where they prefer to get their food.” If you follow this logic, trout will look to the surface only after looking directly in front of them. Keep in mind that every time a trout rises to the surface, it is also exposing itself to the talons, claws, and teeth of a predator. Simply put, fishing with multiple flies means fishing with more than one fly. I have witnessed multiple configurations of this method, some of which were clearly overkill and probably not legal, but nonetheless, it was fishing multiple flies. Multiple fly rigs can consist of two nymphs, two or more wet flies, a large streamer and a tailing nymph, a dropper rig with a dry fly followed by a nymph, or two dry flies. The concept of fishing multiple flies is quickly becoming a very popular technique. The most common method is using a Dry/Dropper rig. This highly effective rig provides the opportunity for the angler to dabble with nymph fishing while still focusing on the dry fly. Dry/Dropper rigs most often exist as a dry fly with a weighted or beadhead nymph tied 12” – 24” below it, depending on the depth of the water being fished. The technique allows the angler to anticipate the surface bite, while also prospecting all of the water below. When fishing a dry fly with a subsurface fly below it, it appeals to the trout's interest above and below the surface and imitates two different stages of insect life. A favorite benefit of using this type of setup is using the dry fly as a strike indicator. This is a highly effective and simple technique which does not wreak havoc amongst the inexperienced casters like fishing a multiple fly heavy nymph rig. Keep in mind that a good dry fly floatant will need to be applied to the top fly more frequently to compensate for the added weight of the dropper (usually a beadhead). Every angler has had days when trout can be seen keying in on surface on the surface. When this occurs, adding another dry fly is an efficient way for the angler to figure out what pattern the trout are taking. A good use of this setup is when fishing a small and barely visible pattern such as a midge or Griffith’s Gnat. Although the smaller dry can still not be seen, it gives the angler a close proximity by just keying in on the primary top fly. Any surface action caused by a trout within 24” is usually a good indication that the trailing fly was just struck at. This gives the trout a choice and the fisherman a better chance. In deeper and faster moving waters such as Lees Ferry, fishing the heavy double nymph rig is sometimes the only effective technique. By using a strike indicator just below the fly line and a splitshot above the upper fly, anglers cater to the fish the stubborn fish that cling close to the bottom for cover and detect the strikes with minimal effort. The most important factor when using this type of rig is to use a splitshot heavy enough to keep the flies down in front of the fish and moving at the same speed as the current. This rig is effective in fishing deep runs and swift water. When prospecting, a good methodology is always try the Dry/Dropper first. With this, you will cover more water and more lies. The dry fly can be anything from a fat-bodied terrestrial to natural you notice or suspect to be there. The dropper fly should be tied to either the hook bend or the eye of the dry fly and should resemble something that is available in the water you are fishing. A great way to determine this is to pick up a few stones around your feet and turn them over to see what is clinging and crawling around on the bottom of it, such as a caddis or mayfly nymph. If these are evident, then a Hare’s Ear or Pheasant Tail are good choices for the dropper. A safe and agreeable distance between the two flies should be in the neighborhood of 18 inches. Preferably, it is easier to use beadhead nymphs because of the ease of casting, compared to using a splitshot below the dry fly. Also, because the splitshots have a tendency to slide and fray line, the beadhead is a better choice. Multiple with multiple flies provides the opportunity to prospect two different feeding zones and determine where the fish are willing to feed more actively. Whether you use combinations of wets, nymphs or dries, fishing multiple flies will almost always put you on to more fish, more consistently. In the event that they are hitting the dry fly and not the dropper patterns, there are no rules against clipping off the trailing fly and catching fish the old fashioned way. -AZOD-
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