Nat Greene Flyfishers    September 2009

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Two at a Time

While fly fishermen are not likely ever to agree on the “best” approach to catching fish, most will agree that using more than one fly at a time dramatically increases your catch. Using multiple flies can be viewed as a sign of experience and patience. Your experience says you are giving the fish a choice and multiple flies are often more easily seen by the fish. To the contrary, you will need the patience to unravel the horrendous tangles your leader will assume. As a graduate student, I always wanted to sit down with a physicist over a beer to find out just why the tangles with two flies are so much worse than with one. It never happened so I just steel myself for the inevitable mess.

I have fished the upper Housatonic River in Connecticut for many years but never floated it with a guide until a few years ago. I saw many new stretches of good looking water that I could access on foot. I also fished two dry flies for the first time. It seemed several mayflies were emerging but the fishes’ favorite was a size twenty blue winged olive. The guide tied an olive crippled emerger to the bend of a number 14 caddis. I took twice as many fish on the small fly. And I didn’t experience a single tangle!

Most of us fish two nymphs at a time. The so-called Polish or Czech method is the current craze. These methods use short lines and the fisherman constantly “feels” the flies move downstream over the bottom. I like a big, heavy fly to take the flies to the bottom. Sometimes I tie a dropper strand to the hook bend of the large fly. Less often I tie the second fly to the ends of a blood knot where the tippet is connected to the rest of the leader. Whatever approach you use, I don’t think there is much dissent regarding the increased effectiveness of using two nymphs compared to one.

I reveal my New England upbringing when I tie two wet flies to the leader. Wet flies can be fished nearly the entire depth of the water column on the same cast. I usually start with bright and dark flies if the stream doesn’t lend me any clues. A Royal Coachman and Black Gnat or Gold-ribbed hare’s ear are great combinations. Dark and Light Cahills are also a good pair. Fishing wets is easy. I cast across or slightly upstream and let the flies sink to the bottom. I must follow the line with the rod tip as the line moves downstream to allow the flies to sink. When I think the flies are deep enough, I stop the motion of the rod tip. This forces the current to push against the line, causing the flies to rise off the bottom. The hot spot of the cast comes at the end of this movement when the flies near the surface. The fish apparently think the flies are emerging and getting away so a strike often comes at this point. I also fish the wets straight upstream on a slack line. This is akin to fishing a nymph upstream. I let the flies sink and drift back naturally, stripping in line to maintain enough contact to set the hook in event of a strike. Sometimes I occasionally twitch them toward the surface and then let them sink again. The strike usually comes after a set of twitches. Most of the time I don’t feel anything but instead strike back to a flash or unusual movement. Polarized sunglasses are a big help.

Finally, using two streamers at a time is not frequently seen. I recently watched one fisherman using two Clouser minnows at the same time while fishing for stripers on the Roanoke. A friend complained he was out-catching everyone else in the boat. I could readily understand that two flies would be much more visible to the fish than a single fly, especially in the murky waters of the Roanoke. Given that getting the fish to see the flies is half the battle, that’s a compelling reason to use more than one fly. On a less promising note, I’m not sure it is legal to use two flies on the Roanoke once the keeper season has ended.

Taking the sum total of the above, fishing two flies at a time just might be better than one. I truly think I catch more fish using more than one fly. An indisputable observation is that I produce some absolutely incredible tangles using multiple flies. I used to sit down and gingerly pull the damn things apart but lately I just take the clippers to them and re-build the leader. So prepare yourself for some repair work. I think it’s a pretty good tradeoff given the greater number of strikes. In the end, you must decide. I wish you the best of luck. Just expect you will spend some time repairing your leader and be sure to bring along extra flies. If you hook the bottom and break off your rig, you will now be donating two flies at a time to the stream. So, tight lines but watch those rocks!

Jim Brady

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