Double Up to Catch More Fish - AGFC allows multiple hook points

[Kevin]

Effective January 1, 2010, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission changed the fishing regulations to allow the use of multiple hook points in Catch and Release areas of the White and Norfork Rivers. This has been interpreted to allow the use of droppers. Since I fish Catch and Release water almost exclusively, this has triggered a significant change to my fishing techniques. This is not to say that I have not fished droppers previously.

 

In fact, I have been fishing them for over twenty five years. I first used them for bream fishing. I would tie a bream killer below a popper when targeting bedding bream. It is a killer combination. A year or two later, when I began making an annual pilgrimage out west to fish the storied streams in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Oregon, I noted that the standard rig out there was a small nymph suspended below a large dry fly. I eagerly adopted this technique. I remember sight casting to a huge Yellowstone cutthroat with a small brassie dropper on a red humpy. He slammed the brassie on the first drift. At a fat twenty three inches, it is my personal best Yellowstone cutt and I still remember the take.

 

Over the years, I have noted that fishing doubles, where allowed by law, has become pretty much standard around here. Last year when Lori and I fished with legendary drift boat guide, Brian Sloss (we have recently booked a winter small mouth trip with him for January), on the Eleven Point River, he had us fishing large stone fly nymphs with large stone fly nymph droppers. It was very effective and we boated well over forty fish using that technique.

 

I frequently fished double soft hackles and grasshoppers with a small nymph suspended below, when I was outside of Catch and Release sections. The only thing that prevented me from fishing doubles more often was the fishing regulation that did not allow their use in Catch and Release water, where I do most of my fishing. Now, with the recent change to allow their use everywhere, I am fishing them a lot. The most common ways that I fish droppers are double soft hackles, double nymphs or a nymph suspended below a dry fly.

 

To fish double soft hackles, I join a fresh twenty four inch tippet to the leader with a blood knot. You end up with two tag ends coming out of the side of the knot. I leave one of them a bit longer than the other (at least four inches long). I trim the tag other close to the knot and tie one of the flies to the long tag. If I am joining two different sizes of material, I make the long tag from the heavier material. I then tie the other fly to the end of the tippet. I can easily tie another blood knot and join other flies.

 

To join nymphs suspended from dry flies or other nymphs, I simply tie on a large dry fly or nymph to my leader. I then tie an eighteen inch section of tippet to the bend of the hook with an improved clinch knot and tie a small nymph to the tippet with an improved clinch knot. I find that the larger and uppermost fly tends to attract attention and the trout normally take the bottom fly but not always. My favorite dry flies for this technique are western foam grasshoppers but stimulators and large humpies work well also. My favorite nymphs for the top flies are San Juan worms and egg patterns. I prefer to use small bead head flies for the lower fly. Copper Johns and zebra midges are perfect for this use.

 

I have also fished double streamers (woolly buggers) and double dry flies. With both I tie the additional fly to the bend of the hook of the first fly with a tippet tied on with an improved clinch knot. The double woolly is a great way to cover a section of water quickly. The double dry is the answer for how to fish multiple hatches.

 

The advantages are obvious. Two flies are better than one. Not only do you have two different offerings but you have the option of a double hook up or two fish on at the same time. By the way this is a pretty exciting possibility. I have landed several doubles and the fish tend to run in different directions making the fight very interesting.

 

There are disadvantages. With more than one hook point, you have an increased propensity to tangle your line or catch yourself with one or more hooks. Tangles with multiple hooks are more difficult to clear. It also takes more time to rig double flies than a single rig. If you catch the bottom or break off during a battle with a good fish, it may take a while before you are back in action. It is particularly difficult to tie a blood knot or an improved clinch knot around the bend in the hook in low light or windy conditions. It should also be noted that when you hang up on something you lose two flies not one.

 

If you want to increase your chances to catch more fish, consider using more than one fly at a time.