Early Season BWO's

Foxgap239

Foxgap239

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With the good BWO season quickly approaching, I was wondering the different tactics people use. I have done very well in years past fishing a size 18 or 20 BWO Comparadun only. The more I read the more I see people using dry and dropper rigs. Those who use that tactic, what fly do you typically use as your dropper and how far down to you place the dropper?
 
I like the dry dropper for early BWO's.

I use a parachute dry and a beatis nymph pattern (green/brown dubbing and olive partridge tailes and legs). To symbolish emergence I tie with dark wingcases.

If I'm on a stream where the fish will hit whatever, I just sub the more specific nymph for a PT.

as far as depth and distance between, it really depends on the water conditions. however, If using one of those ready to emerge nymphs (with the darker wingcases) maybe a foot between.
 
MKern wrote:
I like the dry dropper for early BWO's.

I use a parachute dry and a beatis nymph pattern (green/brown dubbing and olive partridge tailes and legs). To symbolish emergence I tie with dark wingcases.

If I'm on a stream where the fish will hit whatever, I just sub the more specific nymph for a PT.

as far as depth and distance between, it really depends on the water conditions. however, If using one of those ready to emerge nymphs (with the darker wingcases) maybe a foot between.

+1...pretty much

Parachute dry in the size and color to match the hatch and a nymph tied using an olive PT for the tail and body with partridge legs and a black or dark wing case - sometimes using pearl flashabou to make a flashback.
 
Maybe a dumb question but do you use a bead head nymph or will that sink the dry too easily?
 
Foxgap your gonna find yourself fishing a dropper alot more! unbeaded and less weight the better for a dry dropper. Especially if its a small dry, you can always put a midge down there ;)
 
Yeah that was sweet. I do need to put a bit of weight on the dropper because I don't think mine was breaking the surface today.

I will be using a dropper when the BWO's come off soon. How much tippet off the hook, about a foot?
 
Depends on how deep you wanna fish it, if I fish a tandem nymph ill go anywhere from 10"-24". But a dry dropper the tippet off the shank will depend on the depth you want to fish the dropper. But I was thinking today, I dont think it was half bad that the midge wasn't dropping. You where fishing on top with the bwo and the dropper floating in the film would act as a pupa or an emerger without a wing casing imo and many times its hard to notice a fish eating from the film in moving water. Which an indicator ie bwo in your case was still acting as an indicator. And the fish probably rose to check out the bwo but as it turned noticed the harmless midge pupa in the film and instinctively took it.
 
I hadn't considered that but you may very well be right.
 
No one way to fish a dry dropper. Observe where fish are holding and feeding - in the film, below the surface, etc. A DD rig is the ticket to fishing the upper half of the column if the fish are holding and feeding there.

Unless the water is fairly shallow, a dry dropper is not a very good rig for nymphing the bottom. Two reasons - heavier flies make it difficult to float the dry, and adjusting the length of the dropper to stay on the bottom is difficult. In that case an indy or a sighter is best.
 
Fox,

Try a comparadun and a rabbits foot emerger as a trailer fly with frogs fanny on the wings of the comparadun and emerger. The distance between the two should be anywhere from 12 to 20 inches.
 
Curiousity/opinion question.

I have seen BWO almost everyday I fished during the winter but in spotty numbers. Will the warm winter and sporadic winter hatches have a dramtic impact on the intensity of the March hatch?
 
There were quite a few BWOs on the Saucon yesterday afternoon from maybe 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM or so, when the sun was on the water and the air temp was around 50 degrees. Water was 46-47 degrees. I did not see a rise to any of them tho did see a a half dozen rises to midges. For me, it was a beautiful day, the fishing was great but the catching was not so hot.
 
For dry dropper, I like no more thana foot between flies.

2 years ago I caught 3 fish in a row with both the dry and dropper hooked in their mouths. It happened 7 times total for me in a month's span too.

I attribute that to the proximity of the two flies. Exciting the fish to strike and..."what the heck, while I'm here i'll eat both bugs" thing.
 
Point well made and thanks. Mushumatt and me were out yesterday and two things you said happened. First the fish came up to look at my BWO and decided to take the midge pupa instead because they were so close. I think I had about 8" out. Next fish I landed had both hooks in him. Excellent advice.
 
mcneishm wrote:
I did not see a rise to any of them tho did see a a half dozen rises to midges. For me, it was a beautiful day, the fishing was great but the catching was not so hot.
Deadly
 

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Ahhhhhhhhh, the GN. I honestly don't think there is a better fly out there. Nice tie, BTW!
 
MKern wrote:
For dry dropper, I like no more thana foot between flies.

2 years ago I caught 3 fish in a row with both the dry and dropper hooked in their mouths. It happened 7 times total for me in a month's span too.

I attribute that to the proximity of the two flies. Exciting the fish to strike and..."what the heck, while I'm here i'll eat both bugs" thing.

Kern,

Do you have trouble with foul hooking fish when the dropper fly is 12" or less. I know I do when the dropper is short, the fly catches the fish and usually pulls the lead fly out of the fish's mouth. Not an issue when the fish takes the lead fly.
 
My go to has been a comparadun with trailing shuck, but the griffiths has saved the day on many occasions. Last summer I happened onto a couple of tandem rigs which worked exceptionally behind the comparadun:

1-Size 20-22 soft hackle unweighted except for a small glass bead tied behind the hackle.
2-Size 20-22 olive emerger tied palomino midge style and fished in the film.
3-Size 22-24 olive walt's worm ribbed with fine holographic mylar and tied with enough brass wire tied underneath to get it a few inches under the surface.

I tend to tie tandems on a very short line (< 12"), but then I am rarely looking to cover more than the top 6 inches of the water column.
 
mcwillja,

I only do on larger fish; like over 14".

I believe I hook them legit, but if they get downstream of me I feel the mouth hooked fly pop out because the second fly hooked somewhere else and the pressure is enough I dislodge the mouthed fly. Again I believe this is what happens. There is definately a different fight from once hooked and then the foul hooked part and it is only when the fish gets downstream.

I will add that it's not all the time I have the flies that close; just dry dropper during a hatch.
 
Kern,

Yeah I hook them initiailly legit but if the dropper is short it hooks in the side of the trout and pulls the lead fly out and now you have a foul hooked trout. It has happened to me a few times (mostly on larger fish) and it is frustrating so now I normally keep the dropper tag long.
 
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