Steelhead Salmon Trout Fishing Social Community by Kype Magazine

I love fishing tandem flies for trout---I love to nymph fish and I almost always use two flies, even with dry flies when the hatch isn't quite on yet--I almost always drop some sort of midge off my dry fly........I do it for steelhead in Erie, but only when the fishing is slow and I am searching.....If you can see plenty of steel in front of you, I stay away from the tandem rig because you will automatically wind up snagging another steel with your dropper fly.....Another good reason not to use a tandem rig for steel: I kept ended up wearing the other fly the steelhead didn't take.......after pulling countless flies from my hands, I gave up on the tandem rig for steelhead, with exception to stained water........I think you are only allowed to use one fly in New York on the Salmon River---so I never fished a tandem rig up there......... Metz nailed it on the trout--I use a weighted nymph with an emerger tied off it......KILLER TAKES.........especially when that emerger starts to swing and a SJW / egg set-up is certainly NO LAUGHING MATTER !!!!

Not at all Erik. Even with 8 or 10lb tippet, it will not interfere with the hookset.

I have seen guys using tandem flies with the tippet tied to the bend of the first hook. doesn't this interfere with the hook set?

Bob Linsenman had a great take on the two fly system in his book, "Great Lakes Steelhead: A Guided Tour for Fly Anglers" 1995, Countryman Press. I basically reguritated what he said in that using two flies versus one is first a personal preference but will give you more options to see what the fish might be interested in but can also cause more tangles and lost tackle. It's a good read for anyone who is interested.

Two flies have several advantages, it's a great way to give the fish two opportunities as well as to search for which pattern is getting hit using more than one option at a time. You do increase your tangles, and usually your hook ups as well. Simply tie an extra foot to 18" of leader (tippet) directly to the shank of the first hook and tie your second fly on. One egg pattern and one nymph works great for steelhead. In ultra clear water I would go with two nymphs. For trout, one indicator dry fly with a 6"-10" dropper to a small nymph or emerger can be a wicked combination.

There has always been the debate of one fly versus two. One fly gives you one presentation to concentrate on and provides less chance of snagging while two flies gives you different options but has the tendency to snag ot tangle more often. I like the two fly option...one egg and one nymph.

I never used tandem flies for steelhead, but i use to swing a pair of wet flies for trout. a old friend taught me when a use to fish the Lackawaxen river in Pa. They worked great when the water was a little warm and just before the evening hatch began. I would tie one to the leader and add the other to the bend of the hook of the first. Brookies use to love it especially when stripped back up stream.

O.K., don't laugh now, but I use a Red San Jaun Worm and a Egg Fly setup and it's about a 60% Egg and 40% S.J.W. catch rate on this combo. To make it even better I do this on a 10 foot light action spinning rod with a small oval float. This combo with a Nymph replacing the Egg is also on of my "secret" wepons to catch about anything that swims in the Creeks and Tribs around my part of NY. I saw this combination used at trout parks in Missouri and adapted it to Steelies and Rainbows. I don't think the fish in my area see the S.J.W. very often and it peaks their interest. Will