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2. Fly Tying
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3. Nymphing set up.

Hello fellow fly fisherman, I am relatively new to fly fishing only been a few months. I started Nhymph fishing which is working well but I seem to always find that my top fly constantly gets tangled on the main tippet. My first fly is hung around 9" down and my second is 18" away. Your help and skills would be appreciated. Thanks Fred

I'm not sure if you are using a dropper rig or two nymphs in a straight line. Dropper set-ups often get tangled. You can try tying a length of tippet onto the bend of the top fly with a clinch knot and then tying the second nymph to the end of that tippet. Also slow the casting stroke a bit to make sure the line has fully straightened out behind you before executing the forward cast so the flies will be in a straight line.

Thanks Matt, I'llgive it a try today

Matt's advice, as always, is good. However, I also sometimes tie on a nymph, then thread about 18" of new tippet through the eye of that nymph, tie the new tippet to the eye of the nymph (I like the Double Davy for speed and strength for most of my fly knots), let the new tippet hang down, then tie another nymph (often smaller) to the end of the new tippet. Some call this an eye to eye tippet connection. The theory here is that the hook bend of the upper nymph is not impeded and a fish won't hit the tippet tied to the bend of the top nymph and miss the hook. I've caught plenty of fish with rigs tied the way Matt suggests, though, and I like its straight line profile and the way it casts. But I do mix it up some, often based on a whim, sometimes tying Matt's way, sometimes tying eye to eye. And this year I have been using droppers (created with a triple surgeon's knot) more and more for the same reason I'll tie eye to eye. Several of the Euro gurus really think that's the best way to go. It's hard to get anything more than anecdotal information on all of this, and personal preference. But this will give you a bit more to think about anyway. Like we need that. :)

Tying your flies on droppers is nothing new. It was common practice for fishing wet flies back-in-the-day. I can say with confidence, I catch a lot more trout by tying on droppers rather than from the hook bend or eye. And tangling is not an issue.

FC54,

See, there are many ways to skin a cat. Try various methods and find out what works best for you.

Revisiting this I'm thinking your casting stroke may be what is leading to tangles. Try getting a smoother stroke, pausing enough on the back cast, and open your loops up a bit. That may help. I often rush my forward cast if I don't think to pause a bit more on the backcast. Try watching your backcast at times to see what that tells you. Or, if you fish with a buddy who is experienced ask him or her to watch your stroke some and give you feedback. So much of this just takes time, but getting more feedback can cut the learning curve some. As Matt says, finding what works best for you is the trick, and what is best for you might not be the same for others.