6 steps
Hook-Bend Dropper
An improved clinch tied around the bend of the upper hook so a trailer fly or stinger swings free.
Use it for
An improved clinch tied around the bend of the upper hook so a trailer fly or stinger swings free.
This line
Tie the dropper in fluoro or mono. Braid on the bend saws the upper hook.
Avoid when
Thin-wire dry-fly hooks. The cinch can open the bend.
All steps visible
Hook-Bend Dropper
Step 1
Lay the dropper line around the bend of the upper hook, not through the eye.
Step 2
Wrap the tag around the standing dropper.
Step 3
Finish five wraps.
Step 4
Pass the tag through the small loop at the bend.
Step 5
Pass the tag through the big loop as well. That is the improved clinch, tied on the bend.
Step 6
Wet it and cinch so the trailer rides off the bend. Trim the tag.
The drawing follows this tying order. Pause, step, or scrub to stay with the words. The standing line runs to the reel. The tag is the short end you trim. Skin-hook means the point lies flat in the plastic, not out where grass can grab it.
Common mistakes
- Tying it through the eye, which is just a second fly on the same tippet.
- So many wraps that the trailer sticks out sideways and tangles.
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