Another Two Fly Question

How do you tie on your two flies when fishing two flies under an indicator?

  • Tie the second fly off the bend of the hook of the first fly.

    Votes: 18 62.1%
  • Tie the second fly through the eye of the hook of the first fly.

    Votes: 5 17.2%
  • I use both methods. Depends on the day and if I am fishing barbless or not.

    Votes: 6 20.7%

  • Total voters
    29
For what it is worth, I do like the Oros for some situations.

A few things I do to help my OROS game.
1. I use two different colors mixed together to help with contrast to see subtle takes.

2. I use two different sizes of OROS for the same reason.

3. I played around with an OROS for deep water applications after talking to the owner of the company about it. One solution is to use a tapered leader and not screw the indicator down super hard when placing it on the thicker part of the leader. When you have a fish on, you can reel the indicator up to your tip and with a little effort and pull, you can get the indicator to slip down the line that way. You need to use a little caution though, because they could unscrew all the way.
I too have used the two color scheme. I think I have three different sizes of those oros . I usually use that medium size one . Thats a thought leaving that indicator a bit loose , although I use straight floro . So far as said the depth I was fishing last year leaving it fixed worked okay . It's pretty nice not messing with that indicator other than just adjusting the depth .

I am a little bit new to this lake indicator fishing , mostly chironomids . I have known about it ,but would rather move around , and fish buggers ,and leeches , fishing out of a pontoon boat for many years . Now having this fishing boat I will probably do a little more indicator fishing . Having the MinnKota with spot lock , anchoring up is pretty easy . :)
 
Some thread drift: Two years ago I was anchored up on a Kamloops area lake "2-pole" fishing one chironomid per long leader with contrasting coloured SeegerCator™'s. I was marking fish, quite a few fish at the depth my flies were hanging at. Something told me to shorten my casts so basically I just fished the same rigging right off the end of my fly rods. I had been missing subtle takes, super subtle - I wasn't able to see the slight "twitch" 25 to 40 feet away. With that change, the catching improved dramatically. Later, one of the locals, a superb chironomid fisher, suggested my presentations were a size too large and if I'd switched to smaller patterns that may have been the ticket for harder takes..... that I don't know about.


@Irafly - do I understand you correctly (item 2) that you're screwing two different diameter Oros indicators together?

I am trying to be aware of ,especially when the water is a little choppy , seeing that subtle take . We like what we call that chironomid chop ,that ripple on the water where it's giving that fly some movement .
 
Some thread drift: Two years ago I was anchored up on a Kamloops area lake "2-pole" fishing one chironomid per long leader with contrasting coloured SeegerCator™'s. I was marking fish, quite a few fish at the depth my flies were hanging at. Something told me to shorten my casts so basically I just fished the same rigging right off the end of my fly rods. I had been missing subtle takes, super subtle - I wasn't able to see the slight "twitch" 25 to 40 feet away. With that change, the catching improved dramatically. Later, one of the locals, a superb chironomid fisher, suggested my presentations were a size too large and if I'd switched to smaller patterns that may have been the ticket for harder takes..... that I don't know about.


@Irafly - do I understand you correctly (item 2) that you're screwing two different diameter Oros indicators together?
Yes
 
So over 60% said they tie the second fly off the bend of the hook of the upper fly. So does that mean that most of you are using barbed upper flies? I have had trouble with using barbless flies and having the line slip off the bend of the hook. Anybody else have this issue to the point where its causing you to use a barbed upper fly or to tie the second fly off the hook eye of the upper fly?
 
So over 60% said they tie the second fly off the bend of the hook of the upper fly. So does that mean that most of you are using barbed upper flies? I have had trouble with using barbless flies and having the line slip off the bend of the hook. Anybody else have this issue to the point where its causing you to use a barbed upper fly or to tie the second fly off the hook eye of the upper fly?

I have in the past tied off the bend of the hook , not a fan at all , nor off the eye . Neither one now . No matter what set up I am doing whether it is just nymph fishing in a river or indicator fishing , or trolling flies in a lake , I fish the upper fly off a tag . Both methods I fish a small swivel . Plus when fishing buggers or leeches using small fly clips . Also the obvious ,changing the upper fly without undoing the bottom fly .
 
So over 60% said they tie the second fly off the bend of the hook of the upper fly. So does that mean that most of you are using barbed upper flies? I have had trouble with using barbless flies and having the line slip off the bend of the hook. Anybody else have this issue to the point where its causing you to use a barbed upper fly or to tie the second fly off the hook eye of the upper fly?
I used to tie to the bend of the hook on the upper fly, I don't fish barbed flies so I did lose the lower fly and tag often enough to switch to a loop knot tied to the eye of the upper fly. It works for me.
 
I still tie off the bend sometimes when fishing a big dry like a Chubby with a dropper. The bump from a squished barb seems to be enough to keep the dropper tippet on the upper hook and this configuration just seems to sit better on the water, with the dropper pulling down a little on the back of the fly instead of the front. One drawback is that with good fish on the dry, if they’re swimming around with the dropper trailing behind them, and the dropper snags something even just a little, that can pull the dry right out of the fish’s mouth. If that happens a couple times, I’ll usually just cut the dropper off, since they’re eating the dry anyway.
 
I still tie off the bend sometimes when fishing a big dry like a Chubby with a dropper. The bump from a squished barb seems to be enough to keep the dropper tippet on the upper hook and this configuration just seems to sit better on the water, with the dropper pulling down a little on the back of the fly instead of the front. One drawback is that with good fish on the dry, if they’re swimming around with the dropper trailing behind them, and the dropper snags something even just a little, that can pull the dry right out of the fish’s mouth. If that happens a couple times, I’ll usually just cut the dropper off, since they’re eating the dry anyway.
And sometimes (perhaps more often than "sometimes") that trailing fly snags on the fish you're fighting.... (which may be why it's illegal to fish two flies on one "pole" in BC).
 
I still tie off the bend sometimes when fishing a big dry like a Chubby with a dropper. The bump from a squished barb seems to be enough to keep the dropper tippet on the upper hook and this configuration just seems to sit better on the water, with the dropper pulling down a little on the back of the fly instead of the front. One drawback is that with good fish on the dry, if they’re swimming around with the dropper trailing behind them, and the dropper snags something even just a little, that can pull the dry right out of the fish’s mouth. If that happens a couple times, I’ll usually just cut the dropper off, since they’re eating the dry anyway.

Same here ,that dropper does not stay on there long if they are taking that dry pretty consistent .
 
I still tie off the bend sometimes when fishing a big dry like a Chubby with a dropper. The bump from a squished barb seems to be enough to keep the dropper tippet on the upper hook and this configuration just seems to sit better on the water, with the dropper pulling down a little on the back of the fly instead of the front. One drawback is that with good fish on the dry, if they’re swimming around with the dropper trailing behind them, and the dropper snags something even just a little, that can pull the dry right out of the fish’s mouth. If that happens a couple times, I’ll usually just cut the dropper off, since they’re eating the dry anyway.
It's not conducive to getting doubles to the net either!
 
And sometimes (perhaps more often than "sometimes") that trailing fly snags on the fish you're fighting.... (which may be why it's illegal to fish two flies on one "pole" in BC).
This (foul hooking with no, or after a fair hookup) actually happens to me only very very rarely when fishing two flies under an indicator in lakes. I have started some fascinating macrame projects with 2 flies, a long leader and an indicator however.
 
I used to tie to the bend of the hook on the upper fly, I don't fish barbed flies so I did lose the lower fly and tag often enough to switch to a loop knot tied to the eye of the upper fly. It works for me.
I have two issues with tying both lines to the eye of the upper fly.
1. The first one is just me. But I have a really hard time getting the second tippet through the same eye especially when the upper fly is a smaller balanced leech. Just can't see the hole well enough.
2. For whatever reason, I seen to break off more fish when I rig this way compared to tying the lower fly to the bend of the hook of the upper fly. And perhaps this too is me not tying the knot as well in the tighter space?
 
And sometimes (perhaps more often than "sometimes") that trailing fly snags on the fish you're fighting.... (which may be why it's illegal to fish two flies on one "pole" in BC).
Are you saying that its illegal to fish two flies on a single fly rod in BC?
 
Are you saying that its illegal to fish two flies on a single fly rod in BC?
Yup. Three of us met Bruce Southern at the (then) fly shop in Logan Lake where my friend Keith hired Bruce to show us around the area. Bruce met us at Lac Le Jeune and noticed me tying on a dropper. He said "Oh, I see you're fishing a $150.00 cocktail". I asked him what he meant, he said that fishing two flies in BC was a $150 fine. I clipped off the dropper. Eh.

Do you use reading glasses when tying on flies? I have very little issues with knotting a second fly to the eye of the lead hook when wearing my cheaters.
 
And sometimes (perhaps more often than "sometimes") that trailing fly snags on the fish you're fighting.... (which may be why it's illegal to fish two flies on one "pole" in BC).
I've never noticed issues with snagging due to a 2nd fly. My experience has been that a lot of the BC guys that haven't fished other places are very against two flies, but those that fish outside BC would love to bring the 2-fly option to BC.

Alberta is the opposite of BC...you can only fish one rod, but they allow fishing up to 3 flies on one line.
 
Yup. Three of us met Bruce Southern at the (then) fly shop in Logan Lake where my friend Keith hired Bruce to show us around the area. Bruce met us at Lac Le Jeune and noticed me tying on a dropper. He said "Oh, I see you're fishing a $150.00 cocktail". I asked him what he meant, he said that fishing two flies in BC was a $150 fine. I clipped off the dropper. Eh.

Do you use reading glasses when tying on flies? I have very little issues with knotting a second fly to the eye of the lead hook when wearing my cheaters.
Yes I do wear reading glasses for tying all my knots now. Every since I had lens replacement surgery. Maybe I need an extra strength pair....lol
 
I've never noticed issues with snagging due to a 2nd fly. My experience has been that a lot of the BC guys that haven't fished other places are very against two flies, but those that fish outside BC would love to bring the 2-fly option to BC.

Alberta is the opposite of BC...you can only fish one rod, but they allow fishing up to 3 flies on one line.
Haig-Brown often fished two flies in BC. Here's a passage from Western Angler: "Over several seasons on the Nimpkish, I fished two flies on a cast, one of them a dark fly, such as Greenwells Glory, the other bright, full-dress, salmon fly, Torrish, Silver doctor, or Durham Ranger. I found that the bright fly took the steelhead and the dark fly the cutthroats, was surprising regularity."

I wonder when the single fly policy was introduced.
 
IMG_6663.jpeg

I liked @Shawn Seeger ’s drawing so much that I had to do my own to show a slight variation I’ve been trying. It’s not too different from what others have shared but rather than loop the dropper onto the tippet going to the upper fly, I just knot it directly on and it jams against the non slip mono loop and cocks the upper fly out just slightly. I like the heavier fly as the lower fly most of the time.
 
View attachment 185765

I liked @Shawn Seeger ’s drawing so much that I had to do my own to show a slight variation I’ve been trying. It’s not too different from what others have shared but rather than loop the dropper onto the tippet going to the upper fly, I just knot it directly on and it jams against the non slip mono loop and cocks the upper fly out just slightly. I like the heavier fly as the lower fly most of the time.
Kinda like your idea of the dropper tippet jammin' against the top flies loop knot. When I'm fishing the QR indicator with a leader that's long (long to me is +15' to tops 25'), I often add a split shot to the tippet above the top fly (I tie a surgeons knot into that tippet so the split shot jams against the knot). I also have the indicator pegged opposite of what you show. Just a preference.
 
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