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Dry dropper · Rainbow Trout

Tight-Line Dry-Dropper Mono Rig, 5X

A tight-line mono rig that fishes a dry and a nymph together. It runs 288" of 20 lb Maxima Chameleon (.017"), 24" of 12 lb Maxima HV, a 12" red sighter section and 12" of Umpqua Sighter (.009") carrying a backing barrel marker, then a 4 mm tippet ring. A 6" tag of 3X mono off the ring holds a #12 Stimulator; below the ring, 14" of RIO Two Tone, 24" of 4X and 24" of 5X fluorocarbon lead to a #16 tungsten Pheasant Tail.

BBy BarblessOctober 15, 2026

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20 lb.017"
Maxima Chameleon
12 lb.013"
Maxima HV
12 lb.013"
8 lb2X.009"
Umpqua Sighter
11 lb1X.010"
RIO Two Tone Indicator
~6.5 lb4X.007"
~4.5 lb5X.006"
Dropper · 6"
~8 lb3X.008"
BUTT · 24 FT
TAPER · 24"
TAPER · 12"
SIGHTER · 12"
SIGHTER · 14"
TIPPET · 24"
TIPPET · 24"
Total length33' 2"
Flies2
Knots8
WaterFreestone river, Tailwater

Drag the drawing to pan. Tap a fly for what it does, a knot for how to tie it.

Build your leader

33' 8" of line · 8 pieces · Butt to tip

Butt 20 lb23SighterSighter4X5X

Tie it

0 of 8 done

These are the finished lengths. Leave extra for tying each knot.

How to tie it

  1. Build the tapered leader

    Join the 24 ft maxima Chameleon to the 24" maxima HV with a triple surgeon's knot. Add 12" of 12 lb with a triple surgeon's knot. Add 12" of 8 lb with a triple surgeon's knot. Add a backing Barrel with tag onto the 12" sighter, 5' 8" above the Tungsten Bead Pheasant Tail.

    Tie a triple surgeon's knot

  2. Add the tippet ring - heavy

    Tie the tippet ring - heavy to the 12" sighter. Tie 14" of 11 lb to its other eye. Add 24" of 4X with a triple surgeon's knot. Add 24" of 5X with a triple surgeon's knot.

    Tie a triple surgeon's knot

  3. Tie on the Tungsten Bead Pheasant Tail

    Tie the Tungsten Bead Pheasant Tail to the 24" fluorocarbon Tippet with an improved clinch knot.

    Tie an improved clinch knot

  4. Add the Stimulator

    Tie 6" of 3X to the tippet ring - heavy with an improved clinch knot. Tie the Stimulator to the 6" dropper with an improved clinch knot.

    Tie an improved clinch knot

The knots

  • Triple surgeon's knot · 3 turns×5
    1. Lay the new line alongside the end of the leader so they overlap about six inches, the ends pointing opposite ways.
    2. Holding the two lines as one, tie an overhand knot, passing the whole new piece through the loop.
    3. Pass the same ends through the loop twice more, three times in all.
    4. Wet it and pull all four ends evenly to seat the knot. Trim the tags.
    The triple surgeon's knot, step by step
  • Improved clinch knot · 5 turns×3
    1. Pass the tippet through the hook eye and pull about five inches through.
    2. Wrap the tag around the standing line five to seven times.
    3. Pass the tag through the small loop just above the eye, then back through the large loop you just made.
    4. Wet it and pull the standing line so the wraps snug down against the eye. Trim the tag.
    The improved clinch knot, step by step

When and how to fish it

Use it in riffles, pocket water and runs where trout feed on top and near the bottom at once. Lob a short cast upstream, lift the rod so the butt hangs off the water, and lead the flies downstream at the current's pace. Watch the dry and the sighter together: set when the dry dips or stalls or when the sighter jumps. When trout rise, the dry gets eaten on its own.

If the dry keeps sinking, the nymph is too heavy for it or the water is shallower than the 62" of tippet below the ring. Shorten the fluorocarbon or go lighter on the nymph.

Common questions

  • Where does the dry fly go?

    On a 6" tag of 3X mono tied to the 4 mm tippet ring, so it rides at the bottom of the sighter with the nymph hanging below.

  • How deep does the nymph fish?

    The 14" of RIO Two Tone, 24" of 4X and 24" of 5X put the nymph up to 62" below the dry, less as the drift angle changes.

  • What is the backing barrel on the Umpqua Sighter for?

    It is a small marker knot on the 12" Umpqua Sighter section that makes the sighter easier to read and gives a reference point for depth.

  • Why a Stimulator?

    It is buoyant enough to stay up with a tungsten nymph below and big enough to see in broken water, and trout eat it on its own.

Rainbow TroutBrown TroutCutthroat TroutDry dropperEuroNymphFreestoneTailwater

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