Foul hooking with a tandem rig?

[Railking]

Anybody else have this problem? I was out yesterday fishing a tandem nymph rig and managed to snag one in the back with the dropper fly. It was in a fast run that I figured would be holding some fish and I never felt it hit the fly. Once the drift was through, I started stripping my line in and there he was. Now I would think this was just a freak thing, but it has happened multiple time while fishing a tandem rig. It happened twice in one day over the winter. Are they chasing my front fly and catching themselves on the dropper? Has me stumped...

 

[Phish_On]

It happens. To me it seems they are on the first fly, refuse it an accidentally get snagged by the trailing hook. No harm no foul.

 

[TYoung]

Usually snagging with tandem rigs occurs when you put the two flies too close together.

 

[wgmiller]

Phish_On wrote:
No harm no foul.

Well...not entirely... :hammer:

 

[afishinado]

TYoung wrote:
Usually snagging with tandem rigs occurs when you put the two flies too close together.

Agreed. If the flies are close together and you hook a fish on the dropper, you risk snagging that fish with the other fly. Also if you set the hook and miss a fish that hit the dropper fly you risk hooking him with the point fly.

I don't really find snagging a lot of fish a real problem with multiple fly rigs, but logic will tell you two flies will most likely to snag twice as many fish as a single rig...1 + 1 = 2 2 > 1 2x 1

 

[PennKev]

afishinado wrote:

TYoung wrote:
Usually snagging with tandem rigs occurs when you put the two flies too close together.

Agreed. If the flies are close together and you hook a fish on the dropper, you risk snagging that fish with the other fly. Also if you set the hook and miss a fish that hit the dropper fly you risk hooking him with the point fly.

I don't really find snagging a lot of fish a real problem with multiple fly rigs, but logic will tell you two flies will most likely to snag twice as many fish as a single rig...1 + 1 = 2 2 > 1 2x 1

The second fly is definately the key factor in regard to increasing accidental snagging. As you noted snags are probably often the result of missing the hook-up on a take and then the second fly snags.

However, I think it's a far worse ratio of foul hooks with two flies as I rarely foul hook a fish when running only one fly. Probably 10:1 or worse.

That said, I still often fish two flies. It is effective. The foul hookups can me lessened with less hesitation on hook sets and adjustments to rigging.

Kev

 

[Shock]

I agree that it seems to relate to the distance between your nymphs.

For steelhead I keep 18" between my two flies and have few if any foul hooks. For Trout I am often at 12" between flies and get an occasional foul hook but they are usually outside the mouth or near the pectoral fin when they do occor which is not so often that I would consider it a problem.

I am going to try tying with a tag end to my dropper fly this year and I'll see if that makes any difference in foul hooks.

I am curious if anyone else rigs this way and their experience.

Shock

 

[StarvinMarvin]

I love foul hooking them they fight a lot better !!

Never forget when i heard and old guy say that at a delayed harvest

 

[addictedangler]

No mater how far apart the hooks are you still increase your chance of foul hooking fish. Anytime you drift something it may touch the body of a fish. Two hooks increase three even more. I never fish two fly that have larger concentrations of fish. I usually do not find a need . Sometimes I think the first fly attracts the fish and it turns away and the second hook is in the way of the fish. I do swing wets a few inches under the surface with two wets, Example in a few weeks we will get Grannoms and Hendricksons on the Breeches so I will work both just under the surface where the fish has to come up and chase it. I sometimes miss or it misses the dropper and I snag the fish with the second or point fly. Sight fishing eliminates most of this problem. For steelhead I only fish one fly do to large numbers in small areas. as a guide I can not afford someone accusing me of foul hooking or lifting fish. Also in a lot of tight water in ERIE (The shutes above Manchester hole on Walnut) most of the fish are lined. Watch post and when they say they were taking everything you know what is happening. I sight fish for steelies and quite often the fly will drift into the fishes mouth and I drop my rod down because he did not take it so I do not deserve to catch the fish. Usually they can spit it out but sometimes it is fish on and you have no choice.

 

[Shock]

Just an update.

I fished two flies with the droper fly tied off of the tag end of my tippet. The two flies were about 12" apart if you let the dropper hand down or I could say I had a 15" tippet with a 3" tag end.

The results were 12 fish, no foul hooks. All were caught on the dropper.

No a scientific sample, for sure, but I thought it was enough to make want to stick with the tage end attachment.

Shock

 

[chromefinder]

It happens and is quite typical for a two fly nymphing rig.

 

[JeffK]

I believe snaging is worse with the "New Zealand" rig where you tie the dropper to the bend of the hook. That seems to align the point more towards the fish IMHO.

I like tying a 4" dropper for the top fly better. It snags less and you can change the top fly without changing the bottom one.

Snags happen regardless of what you use - somes rigs just minimize it.

 

[laszlo]

This happened to me over the weekend. I was fishing a little beaded mayfly and with a stonefly at the point. I foul hooked a brookie right in the ******. What a fight he put up. I applied a little preperation H and gently released him.

 

[StarvinMarvin]

Wrecked'm,
Damn near killed him!!

 

[MKern]

This happens to me regularly in a couple cases; both when the fish takes the first fly.
1. when the flies are less than 10" apart.

2. when its a larger fish and he starts to run downstream.