Working Putah with a dry and and dropper

rgloft · Senior Member

Working Putah with a dry and and dropper

Ty · Senior Member

I used a dry w/ dropper setup in the sierras. This may be obvious but make sure your dropper won't sink your dry. I've wondered about using that at Putah myself. I was out at access #3 on Saturday morning for a few hours and got skunked. Putah is so tough. We get spoiled going to the sierras with so much access and room to cast. Putah is a bitch!

rgloft · Senior Member

Correct me if Im wrong but I thought you didn't use a indicator with dry.and Im beginning to think that when im useing a indicater its to high i allways put it above the leader ? thats right now I remember your supposed to put it about a foot below where I attach the leader to the flyline thereabouts . Dam I get connfused theres so much to remember Ill catch on eventually

LilWhippersnapper · Senior Member

Are you attaching your indicator to your fly line?

rgloft · Senior Member

I did last time I went out. But I think It should be about a foot below

WT · Senior Member

your indicator should be a below the fly line, otherwise you might as well use your fly line as an indicator

LilWhippersnapper · Senior Member

It depends on the depth your fishing and how long your tippet is. I think the rule of thumb is "the length from your indicator to your first fly should be a foot and a half longer than the depth you're fishing."

DrBombay · Senior Member

You attach the indicator somewhere below where the flyline meets the leader. Your going to need to adjust it often sometimes, It may be a few inches to a few feet below the flyline. As for a dry dropper on putah right now ? I haven't been there in months but i guess without knowing whats going on and if i really wanted to fish this way I'd start with an elk hare caddis with a caddis pupah dropper, Or a midge setup like a #20 adams or griffiths gnat with a midge emerger dropper or standard zebra midge dropper. RgLoft, You probaly should try and get up to some easier waters with a bit more action then putah can provide at this time. Stick with it and eventaully most of it starts to become automatic.

mx19 · Senior Member

Richard.Make a list of all your questions and then call me.I will meet you at sweeneys and walk you through it...

rgloft · Senior Member

thanks steven Im not sure if I can be that organized to have all questions ready it once theres just a lot to learn I went out with allistair today and worked on my drift some more . I think Ill get a new indicator like the one he uses it is cork and a tooth pick looks easer to use than yarn . lets hit putah some time maybe everything seems to change once ya hit the water . Or not. I don't know If you have the time

AfricanAngler · Senior Member

Hey Steve (mx19),

As Richard said we were out yesterday. Good day out, as all on the water are, and even got a couple of little ones at access 5. Seems to be my anti-skunk spot that. Others guys (better fisherman than me no doubt) have posted about catching all the way up from there. I am batting 0 for thousands above five. What am I doing wrong??If you wouldn't mind I would like to rack your brains about fishing some of the water between access 1 and 4. Lots of it looked good but really but, faster and deeper on the most part and I am just flat out intimidated by it. Is it even worth it for a rookie like me to try it?? Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers,

Alastair

mx19 · Senior Member

The fishing from #1 to the end of #3 would be your best bet.If the water looks good , then it most likley is good .some spots you can get a long drift and others you can only high stick the pocket...just try to remenber some of the basic's...
  1. Dont scare the fish .shawdows,walking in the water,etc...
  2.    Get your bugs on the bottom. you should bump bottom 1 out of every 4 drifts.
  3.   Change up your flie's before you move to the next spot.
  4    Use good polarized sunglasses so you can see what your fishing.
  5.   Work the whole water.A few drifts inside, a few more through the middle, and then the outside.cover it all or as far as you can reach...

Heres a little tip...if the flows are higher than 500 you can bet Iam using at least a AAA size shot in most riffle and med to slow speed water....
    Last time out I fished a small 6 ft deep hole with 7 ft of leader a AAA shot and had 3 fish .switched up my flies and got 2 more.then I added 12 more inches of leader and got 2 more .All out of the same tail out at the bottom of a riffle at #3

bono · Master Fly Fishing Guide

Richard: Back to your original question, if you are going to use a dry and dropper make sure the dry you use is large enough to keep afloat with the dropper drifting below it,usually an elkhair caddis or even a stone fly pattern works well for me on Putah.And as far as the indicator is concerned , obviously one is not used when fishing with drys and the rule I use is one and a half times the depth of the water you are fishing, genarally speaking this will make up for the loss of depth due to the angle of the leader. Example if the water you are fishing is 3 ft deep then the distance to your first fly should be about 5 ft. Hope this helps. Bono

rgloft · Senior Member

Thanks for all the input