If you want to catch a lot of fish using a fly rod, the double nymph rig should be your go-to presentation. This presentation is effective for several reasons. First—and foremost—about 90 percent of the time trout feed subsurface. Just getting your presentation down where trout feed will dramatically increase your catch rate.

The double nymph rig also allows you to present trout with two food options, and target different sections of the water column at the same time. Providing a couple food options for a trout, at multiple locations, greatly increases your chance of getting one of these finicky feeders to bite.

A double nymph rig shines during colder winter months when temperatures drop and hatch activity tends to decrease. This is when trout typically feed closer to the bottom and when it’s most important to get your flies down deep. With a well positioned drop shot weight, you’re able to get flies down in the strike zone where trout are holding.

Steps for tying a double nymph rig.

1. Attach a 7-8 foot tapered or 3x-5x leader line to the main line using a loop to loop knot.
2. Attach a strike indicator to the leader line at the desired depth (usually about 5 feet). The location of strike indicator can be re-adjusted after the rig is completed.
3. Attach a 8″ to 18″ 4x-6x fluorocarbon tippet section at the end of the leader using a blood knot. This knot will create a stopper to secure split shot above the anchor and keep split shot from sliding down onto the anchor fly. (Split shot are optional.)
4. Attach the anchor (attractor) fly to the tag end of the tippet section using a clinch knot (or improved clinch knot).
5. Attach an additional 8″ to 18″ 4x-6x fluorocarbon tippet section to the bend of the hook on the anchor fly using a clinch knot.

Alternatively, the tippet section can be attached to the eye of the hook instead of the bend. The later is preferable when using a barbless hook.

6. Attach the dropper (trailer) fly to the tag end of the tippet section using a clinch knot.

Note: If you are consistently getting snags, or your flies are hitting the bottom, you may have too much weight on your line and fishing too deep.

There are various fly combinations that can be used for the double nymph rig—and they’ll all generate bites in the right situation. The follow are a few of our favorites double nymph rig fly combos.

One thing to remember is that you want to use a larger, heavier fly for your anchor (attractor) and a smaller, lighter weight fly for your dropper (trailer). We also recommend selecting a bold, colorful pattern for your attractor. Often it’s your attractor fly that initially draws trout in, but it’s the more realistic, unpretentious trailer fly that the trout will commit to and generates a hookup. A colorful egg or attractor nymph trailed by a more natural zebra midge or pheasant tail nymph is a perfect comb.

Double nymph rigs will generate hookups year round, but they tend to perform better than other fly rigs when it’s a bit frigid. During colder months, when trout prefer a subtler presentation, we recommend either a zebra midge or thread Frenchie as your dropper fly.

And don’t forget to match the hatch. When hatches are in season you want to present a menu that mimics the local aquatic insect life as closely as you can. When hatches are in full swing, swapping out your dropper for a soft hackle nymph that mimics fly larvae making their way to the surface is truly matching the hatch.

Getting Down Deep

You don’t want your presentation dragging along the bottom and snagging, but when water levels rise sometimes you really need to get down deep. As we mentioned you can add a couple drop shot to line but sometimes it makes more sense to double down on the weight of your flies. Instead of using a heavier anchor and lightweight dropper, we’ll select a dropper that is on par with the anchor. This will allow both flies to hug the river bed as they drift.

Example combo:

Anchor: #12 tungsten-bead stonefly
Dropper: #14 Frenchie

Both flies paired with 3.2mm beads or higher

For Subtle Presentations

Getting down deep isn’t always the best option, especially when water levels drop or water clarity is high. This is when you want a more subtle, lightweight presentation. Instead of a heavy—light arrangement we’ll used two lighter weight nymphs for both the anchor and dropper. We’ve found this to be the best setup for working the upper water column.

Example combo:

Anchor: #18 Walt’s Worm
Dropper: #20 Midge Pupa

Both flies paired with 2.4mm beads or lower