[Shep25]

I wouldn't use a tapered leader with droppers, point fly should be the largest fly, this will aid turnover. When fishing droppers go up a line size for your dropper: e.g 7lb mainline 8lb dropper, this will greatly protect against dropper tangling.

Don't go to light on your tippet on a stillwater, I'll go down to a size 16 on a 8lb dropper.

If I fish a dropper I tend to just tie a tippet on the leader and don't trim the knot back and tie a dropper on that 20-30 cm (mainly because I don't know better!)

 

[Hooper]

If I fish a dropper I tend to just tie a tippet on the leader and don't trim the knot back and tie a dropper on that 20-30 cm (mainly because I don't know better!)

Forget about leader when fishing a multicast, level tippet straight through from fly line, I only use a tapered leader if I cast large wind resistant flies or small dries.

12 feet of 7lb line, droppers 8lb tied with three turn water knot. Two fly cast spaced 7 feet apart or three flies at about 5 and 4.5.

Point fly needs to be bigger will help with turnover, as your casting improves the point this needn't be the case.

As you improve increase your leader to 15 feet I find this the ideal length for fishing three flies.

When you bring your cast in sometimes your dropper will be twisted around the mainline, do not get hung up by this, the fly's will right themselves in the water. Although periodically check leader for tangles.

And you will get tangles when fishing droppers.

 

[pati]

Well typically if you take a few minutes changing your leader, most of us will sit—> so you rest the water and you are much less visible on the bank…

In my mind this is why your first casts were the most successful…

Try casting and then crouching/sitting, minimise casting/false casts, just leave your fly out there…

 

[codyarrow]

LOL no! If I was getting a fish every 15-20 minutes I'd not be swopping about either, he was in the right peg at the right time, a down wind gentle breeze had pushed quite a few of the lake's fish into the corner and he was the only one able to take advantage.

So 'position' was everything?

In my own fishing world I became a lot better when the anxiety you described in your first post lessened to almost being extinct.
Took me three decades though.

 

[Shep25]

So 'position' was everything?

In my own fishing world I became a lot better when the anxiety you described in your first post lessened to almost being extinct.
Took me three decades though.

Oh I can't wait for that!!! Many years attending coarse fishing matches has led me to observe every thing (and every angler!!) around me! I just can't help it, I'd love to be able to relax and ignore the world, but still, every time I hear a splash my head pops up out of the reeds like a meerkat on crack cocaine.........'whatwasthattttt?'

 

[C.Bal4]

I think this is the way I need to go, it makes a lot of sense, I'm not happy dragging lures through on Di 3's so two floating lines would keep me happy enough. BTW why & how do you use a sink tip line effectively?

I have a floating line with a 6ft slow sinking tip which I find useful for getting my flies down through the surface easier. I find it helps sink the leader and get the flies sub surface or you can fish a washing line. In my opinion I'll fish mostly the top 6 feet of just about any small stillwater as even when the fish are deeper they're always looking up. Another thing with a lot of fisheries is you find an awful lot of fish quite close in so I always start off casting a rod length back from the waters edge, especially so if the water has wee pontoons to fish from. The amount of times fish lie under these is incredible, at one small stillwater I fish the tigers like so hide under them or in the reeds at the side. Also I prefer to go light on tackle, I fish a 5wt normally with 5-6lb tippet and find this ample, in the summer months fishing small dries I'll take my 3wt for delicate presentation but I'll still stick with 5lb tippet I wouldn't fish any less as it's the take is where I find you'll get smashed off, not so much the fight.

 

[Hooper]

I think this is the way I need to go, it makes a lot of sense, I'm not happy dragging lures through on Di 3's so two floating lines would keep me happy enough. BTW why & how do you use a sink tip line effectively?

Embrace sinking lines buddy, they will be good friends to you, esp on bigger deeper waters. Also I find it quite exciting when I'm slowly doing the Roly poly and the rod nearly gets yanked out of my hands.

 

[Shep25]

Embrace sinking lines buddy, they will be good friends to you, esp on bigger deeper waters. Also I find it quite exciting when I'm slowly doing the Roly poly and the rod nearly gets yanked out of my hands.

I took your advice and fished my Di3 yesterday, it was a super tough day and next to nothing was showing to the dries and emerges, so with your words ringing in my ears, I threaded up the sinking line.........then I was kind of stuck with what I was trying to achieve, I started off with just an unweighted damsel nymph on a 9' leader......nothing, then I tried a brass beaded version of the same......nothing. Then I dug into the depths of my 'Little fly box of horrors' and found a few FAB's, I tied on a black one aaaaannnnnnddddd..........................nothing! It took me a while but I felt I knew nothing about that style of fishing so I'm back to learn! How do you rig for sunk line fishing? When doing the Role Play ..... er sorry.... Roly Poly is it normal for the rod tip to be dancing about? Looking for advice please!

 

[Hooper]

I took your advice and fished my Di3 yesterday, it was a super tough day and next to nothing was showing to the dries and emerges, so with your words ringing in my ears, I threaded up the sinking line.........then I was kind of stuck with what I was trying to achieve, I started off with just an unweighted damsel nymph on a 9' leader......nothing, then I tried a brass beaded version of the same......nothing. Then I dug into the depths of my 'Little fly box of horrors' and found a few FAB's, I tied on a black one aaaaannnnnnddddd..........................nothing! It took me a while but I felt I knew nothing about that style of fishing so I'm back to learn! How do you rig for sunk line fishing? When doing the Role Play ..... er sorry.... Roly Poly is it normal for the rod tip to be dancing about? Looking for advice please!

Rather than me explain it, I'll show you, the below video is made by an Angler called Tim Joyce, he is a coach down in deepest darkest Essex, never met the fella, so not I'm plugging his service, what he does is he explains, really clearly how to fish different methods and how they work, Is channel will teach you a lot.

Anyway here's Tim doing sunk line work, nearly as good as me..