Have you ever wondered if there’s a better method to manage two nymph rigs? 

If you follow my blog, you know I love to fish dry flies. I walk along the river searching for fish rising. 

When I do fish nymphs, I usually fish two nymphs. Most of the time I tie on about 18″ of leader on the hook bend of the first nymph and attach a second nymph to it using improved clinch knots.

Nymph Rig | www.johnkreft.com

And I’ve been using this set-up recently when the fish aren’t rising. Remember the $3 Dip? It works!

$3 Dip - Gold Bead | www.johnkreft.com
$3 Dip

The other small nymph that’s been working as well is a Florescent Pink Copper John. That’s right, some of the Copper John Rainbows are catching fish!

Copper John - Florescent Pink | www.johnkreft.com

What should I do with them when switching back to dry flies? Cut the flies off? Throw them in my pack?

Fly Storage Mess | www.johnkreft.com

I do both of those.

Well, here’s a trick I’ve used for lake fishing with chironomids and I’ve thought about doing the same thing for fishing rivers. It will save you from tying a couple of knots and stop wasting time to fish sooner.

Chironomid Rig Storage | www.johnkreft.com

Take a piece of pipe insulation and attach one fly. Then wrap the leader with the second fly around the foam insulation. Attach the second fly and there you have it.

Simple right?

If it’s so simple, why haven’t I done it?  I just haven’t gotten around to it. I seem to forget all the organizing and restocking thoughts or ideas that creep into my head while fly fishing. As soon as I get home, there’s other things to do I guess.

Well, today is the day!

What are the benefits of this method?

  • Saves time tying knots
  • Eliminates wasting leader material
  • Eliminates tangles in your pack or vest
  • Easily change flies with only one knot
  • Gets you fishing faster

Need a few ideas on the nymphs to tie on? If you are fairly new to fly fishing, check out my post What Nymphs Should I Use for some assistance.

You might consider this method for multiple hopper-dropper rigs as well. What is a hopper-dropper fly rig you ask? Learn more about these in the post Fish a Hopper-Dropper Fly Rig.

So I did it! Here’s the final product.

Nymph Rig Storage | www.johnkreft.com

That wasn’t so hard.

Enjoy…go fish!

 

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2 Comments

  1. Hi John,

    I love you “pipe insulation” idea. Wow! I wish I had thought of it but thank you for the concept. I’ll be using it! Take care & …

    Tight Lines – (Gretchen &) Al Beatty
    Longtime Fly Fishers

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