There have been pages and pages on here and elsewhere discussing what is the best knot for droppers, We seem to have ended up almost universally with a 3 turn water knot, which to be honest is not ideal. This is because the fly is tied to the end of the knot pointing downwards towards the point fly and this tends to tangle the dropper fly with the main line.
We all know it is taboo to tie the fly to the upper end of the knot pointing towards the rod as this produces a serious hinge when a fish takes the dropper which can lead to the knot parting.
Wouldn't it be great if someone could come up with a dropper knot that holds the fly well away from the main line. I don't mean a blood knot or using superglue on a water knot, but a brand new knot.
Come on you handymen, is such a knot possible?

something similar to this ???????

Hends Dropper Rollers – Glasgow Angling Centre

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interested to hear if anyones tried these, i can honestly say that when i do employ droppers i tend to use two or three turn water knots (dependin on bs) without any probs, if im sensible about fly style and dropper length.

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i was walking far from home, where the names are not burned along the wall, saw a building, high as heaven, but the door was so small

Over the years i have tried various knots and always go back to the double blood.To me its the most effective for keeping the dropper off the leader. I love fishing big waves in a brisk "breeze" to me ideal conditions for some of the lochs I fish. If the wind starts playing havock with the leader i just drop down to two flies shorten the droppers down to 6" and if really windy shorten the leader to 9ft emloying 6lb maxima helps not ideal but its stiffness helps. untangling droppers is part and parcel of fishing in these conditions...no pain no gain. in these conditions the bob fly is usually very heavily dressed which makes dropper twist inevitable.

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Hello Abacus,

best i can come up with is this :



now when you get to step 4 put both ends pointing in opposite directions through the gap between the two knots and slide the knots together. When all has gone well you'll end up with a cross figure. Cut off the thinnest of both ends and you're left with a dropper in a 90° angle with your leader. We tie this knot when using thin fluorocarbon cause it kept breaking on the knot with traditional knots. I found you don't have to make 5 turns on each knot, three turns is secure enough. Try it, it works .

Regards
Johan

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Johan Janssens

Mmm...I tried them. Man they are tiny. The suggestion was don't try to tie them when on the bankside. Yeah right, you can say that again. Ended up with one in my vice . Finally got a dropper onto it and parked it up whilst I went for a lie down in a dark room. Never went back .

The idea looks ok, just imo not terribly user friendly. Maybe someone else will find them a doddle. Good luck .

Chris

I've used those rollers for a number of years now and I think they are great.
Yes they are a little fiddly to use but that is far outweighed by the benefits imo.


When tying dropper knots, this is the one I use.
Dropper Loop | How to tie the Dropper Loop | Fishing Knots

Simply make the loop large enough and snip one end and hey presto.

Hi,
I use the Hends rollers when short line nymphing and find they reduce tangles.
I normally only use one dropper. My rig is 1m of Rio Grand max 6X from a short tapered leader to a 1mm tippet ring and then 50cm 7X Grand Max to the point fly. The roller is on the 6X and sits on the ring. I use 6X Rio Riverge for the dropper as it is weaker than the 6X Grand Max but stiffer. Hopefully this means that either the point tippet or the dropper breaks first if snagged.
I make these up at home and carry several with me as I agree that the river bank is not the best place to play with the rollers. A useful tip is to thread the roller on the line while it is still attached to the backing card. Once dropped on the floor it is gone for ever.
Cheers
Bill

If I wanted to be really picky I'd go for a uniknot tied straight round the main leader and a stopper knot on either side.

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Johan, surely this is a Double grinner/uni/Duncan knot.I do use this and find it very reliable.

Jim

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