Dry-dropper
Also called Dry dropper, Dry/dropper, Hopper-dropper
A two-fly rig where a dry fly is tied on top and a nymph hangs below it on a dropper. The dry fly serves as the visible fly and often as the strike indicator.
- Group
- Nymphing
- Category
- Technique & presentation
- Level
- Beginner
- Water
- Freshwater
Last updated
What Dry-dropper means
Start with a buoyant dry fly tied to the end of the leader. Then tie a second piece of tippet to the bend of the dry-fly hook, or to the dry fly’s eye, and attach a nymph to that tag end.
The dry fly is the “bobber” you can see, and the nymph is the fly that rides underneath. The dry can be a realistic adult, or a high-floating attractor like a Chubby Chernobyl. The dropper is commonly a small nymph like a Pheasant Tail Nymph or Zebra Midge.
Depth is set by the dropper length. Weight is set by the nymph. The rig is usually dead-drifted through seams, runs, and pocket water, with small mends to keep the dry drifting naturally.
Why it matters on the water
This rig lets one cast cover two feeding lanes, the surface and the water column below it. That is useful on days when trout will eat a dry occasionally but feed more consistently on nymphs, or when you are prospecting and do not know what they want yet.
The dry fly gives immediate feedback. If it twitches, stalls, or sinks, that often means the nymph ticked bottom, the nymph got eaten, or the drift dragged. Learning to read those small changes makes it easier to control depth and drift without adding a separate strike indicator.
Read next
- Dry flyA dry fly is a floating fly meant to be fished on the surface, where you can see it and the take.
- NymphA nymph is a subsurface fly meant to imitate an aquatic insect in its immature stage, or a small food item drifting in the current. Nymphs are fished with or without weight, an indicator, or tight-line methods.
- Strike indicatorA strike indicator is a small float or marker on the leader that shows takes and depth while nymphing. It moves, stalls, dips, or shoots sideways when the flies get bumped or eaten.
- TippetTippet is the thin, level line tied to the end of your leader. It’s the section you cut back and replace as you change flies and re-tie knots.