Most nymph rigs ask you to juggle depth and presentation at the same time. Weight gets you down, and the flies follow along as best they can. Dropshotting simplifies the process. Set the weight on the bottom and let the flies do their job above it. The idea comes from conventional fishing, but it fits fly fishing better than many anglers expect. When trout hold close to the bottom, especially in deeper or uneven water, a dropshot nymph rig keeps your flies exactly where they need to be without constant retying or guessing.
How the Rig Is Set Up
A fly fishing dropshot rig puts the weight at the very end of the leader. Your flies sit above it on short tags. The weight touches bottom. The flies drift freely above the rocks.
After your leader tapers down to tippet, add a straight section of tippet material. Tie your first fly on a tag with a surgeon’s knot about a foot above the end. You can shorten the distance to get down to fish hugging the bottom, but the potential for hanging up increases. If you want a second fly, place it another ten to fourteen inches above the first. Finish the rig with weight pinched on or tied at the bottom. This might be split shot on a short tag, a drop weight with a clip, or a sacrificial section of heavy mono with shot crimped on. You can tie a simple overhand knot at the termination to keep the weights from sliding off.
Why It Works
Depth control is the biggest advantage. Instead of guessing how much weight will get you down, you know exactly where your flies ride in the water column. If you need to fish deeper, add weight and adjust your indicator. If you want the flies higher, shorten the distance between the top fly and the indicator. Adjustments take seconds.
Strike detection also improves. With the weight anchoring the system, you feel changes immediately. A pause, a soft tick, a slight increase in pressure. Those signals get lost when the weight is pulling the flies. Fly movement improves, too. Since the flies are not tied directly to weight, they drift and settle more naturally. They lift slightly over rocks and drop back into place without tumbling.
One of the most overlooked benefits of dropshotting is what happens when you snag. The weight hits first. When it wedges between rocks or into debris, the lighter section below the flies breaks before the rest of the rig. In many cases, you lose the weight and keep your flies. Over a long season, that adds up. Fewer flies lost. Less time re-rigging. More time fishing.
Fly and Weight Choices
Simple, slim nymphs work best. Perdigons, pheasant tails, small stones, and soft hackles all fit the system well. Since weight no longer lives in the fly, bead size is less important. Start with less weight than you think you need with the drop shot weights. You want regular bottom contact, not constant hangups. If the weight taps along every few feet and drifts cleanly between touches, you are close.
Fishing the Rig
Cast slightly upstream or on a shallow angle. Lead the drift with the rod tip and maintain light tension. Let the weight find bottom, then guide it through the run without lifting too much. Hook sets are free. If something feels different, set the hook. With this style, hesitation usually means a missed fish.
Dropshotting does not replace standard nymph rigs or tightline nymphing in all conditions. It works best when fish sit glued to the bottom and refuse to move, are suspended at different points in the water column, or you are fishing over very snaggy bottom. This approach keeps your flies in the zone and keeps you connected to what is happening below the surface.
