Two Nymph Rig - Effectiveness???

[DAVID95670]

How many people catch fish on the first nymph in a two nymph rig?

I have never had a fish hit the first nymph and I am wondering how many people see this as effective.

[Woodman]

Very effective!!

I have to admit I usually catch more fish on the bottom nymph, but only by about 60:40 ratio. The best thing it allows is to zero in on which fly is working.

I always...always...always fish two when fishing nymphs deep under an indicator.

[Fats]

Very effective!!

I have to admit I usually catch more fish on the bottom nymph, but only by about 60:40 ratio. The best thing it allows is to zero in on which fly is working.

I always...always...always fish two when fishing nymphs deep under an indicator.

I'm right there with Woodman... I very seldom if ever fish a single nymph.

[Sammy]

pretty much only use one nymph if I'm swinging flies. Fish definitely key in on the last fly, probably because it doesn't have fishing line coming off both ends, but I still catch on the first fly as well.

keep in mind, that your first fly is often used as an alternative to split shot when not fishing too deep/fast.

[Woodman]

Ditto...usualy one when swinging flies, or fishing a nymph just below the surface during a hatch

[jbird]

I catch 90% on the top fly. Its usually my biggest, heaviest nymph. Its also usually my "go-to" nymph. The trailer is the one I experiment with and switch up alot.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

When our guide friend Fred Gordon in Dunsmuir takes out two clients in the day time he set them up with 4 different nymphs (2 per person) to see what is working then he switches around depending on the results.

*I think there must be some distraction or attraction factor to two nymphs coming down into the fish at once.

**I think that fishing two nymphs is the standard today in freestone streams.

[Adam Grace]

I catch about 60% top fly and 40% on my dropper. I usually use a heavier and larger fly on the top, it is usually a fly that I have much confidence in too. I then use a lighter more natural looking pattern as my dropper. Two flies is very effective but it can makes tangles and much larger messes. If you are new to casting just use one fly and then move towards two flies once you start to feel more comfortable with casting a nymphing rig.

[Dan Harrison]

Ditto :) Also if one is producing all the fish I will at times change out and use two of the same. This can be productive because now you have a working fly at two levels of the water column.

[Woodman]

but it can makes tangles and much larger messes.

A good reason to practice your knots if you're a begnner as well. It's often much faster to cut it all apart and re-rig. A split shot, two beadhead flies, and an indicator, all flying in different directions at different rates can make a helluva mess.

[rusty fly]

On the Fall river I've used a size 4 or 6 cone head woolybugger with a size 18 - 22 trailer and most of time I'll get bit on the bugger

[stonefly58]

As Bill mentioned, two numph rigs are the norm these days.

The most successful for me (after many years of experimentation) has been my "Go To Fly" which has been my own pattern #20-22 Midge on the point, and a flash fly, usually a #16-20 on the dropper, placed 8-10 inches apart. As someone had mentioned previously in this thread it makes for an easy change out, if you want to experiment with other patterns.

I have found tying my dropper onto the shank of the point fly has not been as successful as extending the leader past the point fly and then tying my dropper on, both work, however the latter fly to leader attachment is my preference.

[Morgan]

I catch fish on both my top...middle and dropper. Sometime i fish 3 flies :)

[royewest]

Kevin Price once told me to tie the dropper to the eye of the upper fly, not the bend, because the lower fly can tend to pull the upper fly out of a fish's mouth by pulling at the bend of the upper hook, if the fish takes the upper fly and the lower fly gets snagged on something.

I still do both, depending on the size of the upper fly (and if I tied it, how badly I crowded the eye with my thread head) and more random reasons. I also find sometimes that the upper fly can tend to spin in the current and twist the leader, when the dropper is tied to the eye.

[Reno Flytyer]

"I have never had a fish hit the first nymph and I am wondering how many people see this as effective."

How do you know you've never had a hit on the dropper, or on either fly for that matter? I keep trying to figure out how to determine which fly they're hitting, but unless I catch 'em, or foul hook one, all I come up with is, "How's he know?" My theory about the foul hooking comes from their initial hit & either that or the hook set, causing the resistance from the initial strike to enable the point fly to contact the fish.

I may use a couple of nymphs under an indicator, but shy away from using them when
stripping, particularly in the wind.

Reno Flytyer

[Woodman]

I have actually hooked a fish on the top fly, lost him, and then belly hooked him on the point fly. Happened several times over the years. Not really the way I'd like to land a trout.

[Darrin.Deel]

I run nothing but 3 fly rigs in the valley.....The fish is going to eat the bug it wants to eat, doesn't matter where in the lineup it is. If you aren't confident in the fly, don't tie it on.

[RDS]

I also use 3 fly rigs mainly and have no problems. On Sunday I fished a valley river and caught fish on all three of the flies. Most of the time I put the largest fly on top and the smallest fly on the bottom. The only drawback is that when I am stupid enough to cast into trees, snags, etc. I am losing three flies instead of one or two. Oh well, sacrifices have to be made.

[amoeba]

How many people catch fish on the first nymph in a two nymph rig?

I have never had a fish hit the first nymph and I am wondering how many people see this as effective.

Not much on the first nymph for me either. I don't do it much anymore, and I don't think it adds much effectiveness. Maybe a little. FWIW, it does add weight, sometimes enough to get your second fly down without split shot. I suppose it is also a good way to kill time fiddling around with rigging if you aren't catching fish.

[candyman]

Hi, I'm a newbie, but an oldie in age. what is the steup for a two nymph rig, I'd like to try it.

[Sammy]

read this. do it. catch fish. repeat
http://midcurrent.com/knots/seeing-double/

[thepeacockspecial]

why 2 when you can go 3 in most rivers? :D

for most tailwaters, my go to fly is a black or purple zebra midge.

[Morgan]

i was out fishn sunday and the wind wasnt too bad....so i used a 3 fly set up. Brass head zebra size 18 on the top...caught 50% of my fish. A blk body rainbow warrior as my middle, got 25% of my fish on it. And a sz 20 bars emerger on the body, and my other 25% were caught on it. All 3 flies were hits w/ the fish. If its really windy i'll use a 2 fly rig for less tangle ups. It just depends on where im fishn and the weather conditions.

[Ralph]

read this. do it. catch fish. repeat
http://midcurrent.com/knots/seeing-double/

I think snagging the bend of the hook with a uni-knot (Duncan loop) is heck of a lot easier (and 3x as fast) than messing with an improved clinch.

Simply tie a uni-knot on one end of a piece tippet and attach the point fly to the other end. Loop the uni-knot over the bend of the upper fly, wet leader (don't hook your tongue, like someone I know) and snug down. Done.

[KJE]

I'll nearly always go with a slightly larger (12-16, depending on river) beadhead fly (usually a dark lord or caddis) with a small (18ish) mayfly or soft hackle below, generally connected at the bend of the hook with a clinch knot. It's easy to adjust this based on the season, river, and weather, and switch to a big stone or Oct. caddis, etc., but there is always something small riding shotgun.

On the other hand, a single fly can probably be high-sticked then swung in the same cast more effectively.

Vast majority, maybe 75%, come on the bottom fly if I have two on, but that's also probably based on the way I fish - often high-sticking, rarely indicatoring.

[Dan LeCount]

I think snagging the bend of the hook with a uni-knot (Duncan loop) is heck of a lot easier (and 3x as fast) than messing with an improved clinch.

Simply tie a uni-knot on one end of a piece tippet and attach the point fly to the other end. Loop the uni-knot over the bend of the upper fly, wet leader (don't hook your tongue, like someone I know) and snug down. Done.

The trick to doing fast clinch knots for droppers is spinning the fly youre attaching tippet to, rather then wrapping the tippet around the standing line. Count the number of bumps to match however many you normally get when you do your clinch on the eye, then in the loop and back out. Takes maybe, 5-6 seconds to do a clinch this way once you get it down.

[Ralph]

The trick to doing fast clinch knots for droppers is spinning the fly youre attaching tippet to, rather then wrapping the tippet around the standing line. Count the number of bumps to match however many you normally get when you do your clinch on the eye, then in the loop and back out. Takes maybe, 5-6 seconds to do a clinch this way once you get it down.

I get spinning the fly part, I never wrap the line. What slows me to a crawl, especially in the dark or with cold hands, is sticking the leader in the loop and then back out and under the tag. You also have to pull the knot in three directions to cinch.
With the uni knot, there is no hunting for the hole and it is done entirely by feel so old guy vision or darkness don't enter the picture. It also cinches perfectly every time with a single tug on the line.