NZ rigs, yarn indicators and the short comings

[Andre]

While marshalling recently I noticed a few guys having to "unspin" the nymph as it had wound itself around the tippet. I normally fish NZ rig. I tied my dry on the tag of my tippet knot and the nymph at the end of the tippet yesterday and was totally peed off as I constantly had to unwind my dry. What was I doing wrong or how do you guys get around this?

Hi Roland, bear in mind, at the B Nationals, and yesterday, the wind was blowing downstream towards the cast. many people cast differently in such conditions, and very often make the mistake of forcing the leader into the wind. This can vey often result in a tangle. What tends to happen, is that you have two flies with different wind resistance. The more streamlined nymph punches through the air easily enough, but the more wind resistant dry fly, is being pulled forward, against the natural wind resistance, which is holding the fly back. The fly then naturally falls back against the leader, and gives you the twist. to illustrate what is happenning, do the following:-
tie a nymph and a dry, on a piece of tippet, exactly how you will fish it. Hold the nymph, or point fly, in front of a fan, and watch the dry fly spin around the tippet. Same thing happens when you try to cast it into wind. Dry and dropper into wind is horrible. It's fine when you cast it with the wind, as you are able to open the loop of the cast slightly if you need to, in order to keep the flies in true tandem, but into the wind when you have to punch them.... no no... disaster.

[dlampert]

While marshalling recently I noticed a few guys having to "unspin" the nymph as it had wound itself around the tippet. I normally fish NZ rig. I tied my dry on the tag of my tippet knot and the nymph at the end of the tippet yesterday and was totally peed off as I constantly had to unwind my dry. What was I doing wrong or how do you guys get around this?

Hi Rols,

Nothing wrong with NZ rig but if you want to fish a dry off a tag with a nymph below then try the following:

- keep the tag as short as possible
- Use a Davy Knot or similar to make best use of the short tag
- if casting into the wind use a dry fly with a small profile (flies like RAB's and para-RAB's are more likely to spin)
- avoid very supple tippet
- shorten your leader/tippet when casting into the wind
- open your loops or use an eliptical cast

When fishing a dry/dropper I prefer a NZ rig, when fishing 2 nymphs I fish both a NZ rig and tag system - can't say I have noticed a difference in casting or hooking ability with either. Tag simply allows an easier change of flies.

[rols]

Thanks a mil Andre, that explains exactly what was happening. I tied a 3 turn water knot with my tag going to the dry. What would you have used? When seeing the higher flow? I told myself....to just nymph...I tried hard, but my left side just started shaking and my thoughts immediately focused on heart failure.....so I did the dry and dropper.. 1 fish

[rols]

Thanks D
Now that I think about it, my tag was about 15cm's long. It peeved me off no end. The worst is, I "unspin", and it's coming free, and then starts to wind up all of a sudden No knot or anything, when I wind off slowly.

[Korrie]

Thanks D
Now that I think about it, my tag was about 15cm's long. It peeved me off no end. The worst is, I "unspin", and it's coming free, and then starts to wind up all of a sudden No knot or anything, when I wind off slowly.

Hi Rols
another little help to prevent the tag from spinning is to use different diameters.

The tippet section coming from the rod side, is one bigger than the one on the point fly.

Use a blood knot and the thicker tag end, becomes the dropper.
A blood knot, tied correctly, will stand out at 90 degrees.
The "thicker/stiffer" tag, helps to stop the spinning.

With all of the above mentioned tips, I am sure you will be able to stop the spinning.

[rols]

Thanks Korrie, will try it this weekend. Would have loved to be at the meeting last night but it was my daughters end of year college exhibition.
Cheers

[Korrie]

Hi Rols

Did you try it over the weekend?
Did it help?

[Saloon 2000]

This was one of the better threads posted on Flytalk. Just read it from beginning to end.

[Bryan]

It is....and it just reminded me of a question I had for Korrie.

Korrie, what was that knot similar to a slim beauty, that you showed us, for attaching thicker mono to tippet ?

[Korrie]

It is....and it just reminded me of a question I had for Korrie.

Korrie, what was that knot similar to a slim beauty, that you showed us, for attaching thicker mono to tippet ?

Bryan, it was very similar to the slim beauty knot.

Joining mono lines, where the difference in diameter is less than 25%, a blood knot.
Where the difference bigger than 25% in diameter, Slim Beauty knot.
With the traditional Slim Beauty knot, the thinner diameter is used double, I use a single strand. In the thicker section, a standard overhand knot, not the figure 8 knot