A Different Kind of Dropper Jig

[zonker]

I've been pondering the issue of fishing with droppers and the best way to rig them. We've talked about them before. A dropper is a light lure/fly that is fished in addition to your jig when jig fishing. It doubles your chances of a take and also allows you to fish a very small, light offering. Awhile ago I found the Candy Dropper Jig made by Over the Edge Tackle (formerly Osprey Tackle). Here is a picture of it again. It works very well with its double eyed head.



In the picture the orange fluff is a small tube fly that slips onto your leader over a regular Octopus hook. But you've already seen that.

Here is something else that works and I think I like even better. Awhile ago I brought the new VMC Barbarian jig hooks to your attention. We discussed it on the old forum. Some of you informed me of other companies that were making hooks with this type of bend. Remember these?



Yesterday I was fishing and I broke off my last Candy Dropper jig. I was about to tie up another dropper off the bend of one of my regular jigs (like fly fishermen do with their droppers) and suddenly it occurred to me that I had a great dropper jig right in my box. Here it is:



I know it's kind of naked (this is my special "low water" version, tied extra sparsely) but that is so you can see how well the dropper leader fits right into the notch of the Barbarian hook. Cool, huh? While suspending a dropper off the bend of a hook is nothing new, the handy notch on the Barbarian keeps the clinch knotted leader from sliding around as it would on a round bend hook.

I run the dropper fly on a leader about 1.5 - 2.0 feet long. The handy "L" shape that the 90 degree jig hook provides allows you to set the depth at the distance of float to jig and not float to dropper. The neutrally bouyant dropper fly rides at roughly the same level in the water column as the jig, give or take a few inches.

I wish I could tell you I immediately started catching fish but the only one I hooked yesterday was on a Colorado spinner fished under my float. He just shook his head a couple of times and said bye-bye.

I now have another easy to rig dropper jig.

zonker

[chumdog]

I've fished a dropped that way for years while flyfishing.  The heavy "point" fly was usually a heavily weighted stone fly, in a large size, and the dropper a small bead head pheasant tail nymph.  The dropper fly outfished the big fly by a wide margin.  At least in my experience.   

The only question I have here is, is it legal to fish with a dropper set-up, and essentially two hooks or lures?.  I think in the "selective gear" regulations in effect on many of the rivers and streams in WA, you would run into a problem with the  enforcement guys, if using this set-up.  But then again, If you're pinching the barbs, and not slinging guts, what's it gonna hurt?

Nice job Zonk!

[zonker]

Dean,

Oregon regs permit the use of up to three hooks on the line.

"No more than 2 hooks may be used while angling for Pacific Halibut and no more than 3 hooks may be used while angling for other species." --- Oregon Statewide General Regulations (Hook and Weight Regulations)

Of course, specific waters may have specific regs in addition to this but the ones I fish are OK with it.

Don't know the Washington regs.

z~

[bugnuts]

Like chumboy, I've spent more years than I care to remember chucking a tandem of nymphs with the dropper fly tied to the bend of the hook of the bigger fly under a strike indicator...it ain't the purist approach, but I've caught a whole bunch of really big trout this way.    In fact, what you describe in this tutorial, zonk, is exactly the system I was just using east of the mountains for steelhead only with standard rounded Gami hooks.

Using these VMC hooks definitely addresses one issue with my age-old system, namely, when all barbs are pinched as required by regulation, what stops my dropper knot from sliding right off the hook?  Honestly, I've fished these dropper rigs for years and I've never actually had it happen, but it is a logical concern.  Your idea is worth trying especially if these hooks also lead to a better hook-to-land ratio as advertised.

By the way, our WDFW regs on this subject are as follows:

SELECTIVE GEAR RULES

Only unscented artificial flies or lures with
one single barbless hook are allowed. Up to a
total of three artificial flies or lures containing
single barbless hooks may be used. Bait is
prohibited; fish may be released until the daily
limit is retained. No one may fish from any
floating device equipped with a motor, except
where specifically allowed under Special
Rules for individual waters. If any fish has
swallowed the hook or is hooked in the gill,
eye, or tongue, it should be kept if legal to do
so.

[chumdog]

Cool, I'm all over it!

[Da-Brow]

so By reading this about the Skokomish, I take it that you can have a trailer hook or dropper? night closure and non-buoyant lure restriction and single point barbless hooks required

[Brian]

Welcome to our forum Da-brow! This is listed under the statewide freshwater rules and addresses the issue of using more than one hook on your line.

Hook and line angling only. Barbed or barbless
hooks may be used, and a hook may be single,
double, or treble, but not more than one line
with up to three hooks per angler may be used.