Hi Ulrich,
One thing to bear in mind is that a leader/tippet needs to be lengthened or shortened depending on wind direction and whether or not you are fishing a dropper and the weight of the dropper. The easiest way to achieve this (in my experience) is to have a loop (I prefer a Perfection Loop as it sits straight) at the end of your leader. You attach your tippet to this by means of a Clinch Knot. When you need to shorten your leader, slide your thumb nail down the clinch knot and this will loosen it, cut off the required amount of tippet and then re Clinch Knot the end back onto the loop at the end of the leader. You can make this change very quickly without removing your flies.
Have a look at the bottom of this page for diagrams of what I am talking about - http://www.yellowfish.co.za/index.ph...id=38:articles
As a general rule, if the wind is blowing into your face or you are fishing a dropper you need to shorten your tippet section and if you have a strong wind from behind you then you need to lengthen your tippet section. If you don't do either of these then you either won't be able to turn over your fly properly or your leader will straighten immediately causing drag. How much to shorten or lengthen by comes with experience but start off by removing one foot at a time. It can also sometimes help to fish a slightly heavier tippet when fishing a dropper. What I mean by this is instead of tying on a meter or two of straight 6X, rather tie a meter of 5X and a meter of 6X as this will typically turnover better until your casting improves.
Your dropper should be around 1.5X - 2X the depth of the water but this can vary depending on the speed of the water - slower water you can get away with a shorter dropper. You can also allow a longer drift to get the fly down into the zone, something that is often required when fishing lighter nymphs. As a general rule in our streams I would look at a dropper length of 60-80cm to begin with and then adjust accordingly. If the water is not too fast the fish will rise through the column to eat your nymph so it doesn't have to be right in their faces before they will eat it.
Keep on tying your dropper off the bend of the hook. Beginners to this technique find this method easier to cast with less tangles compared to tying a dropper off a tag. It is equally effective regardless of what anyone tells you.
Your fly choice is fine although sometimes wind resistant flies like a para-rab can cause the dry fly to "stall" in the air when casting which can lead to more tangles. If this is happening then perhaps try a more aerodynamic dry fly like an Elk Hair Caddis or CDC&Elk.
Grant's tip about aiming a meter above the water is very important, regardless of whether you are fishing a nymph or dry.
Good luck and let me know if any of the above is unclear?
“Apparently people don't like the truth, but I do like it; I like it because it upsets a lot of people. If you show them enough times that their arguments are bullshit, then maybe just once, one of them will say, 'Oh! Wait a minute - I was wrong.' I live for that happening. Rare, I assure you” ― Lemmy Kilmister
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