Rigs
The lough cast: a team of three
What it's for
The classic Irish drift rig: three flies on one leader. A bushy bob fly working the wave on the top dropper, a middle fly fishing the body of the water, and the slimmest fly anchoring the point. Around 15 ft of leader as the house norm — shorter and two flies in a big wave, longer and finer in a flat calm.
The beats
The bob
Top dropper, nearest the fly line. The biggest, bushiest, least aerodynamic fly — a Bumble or Sedgehog — dibbled through the surface as the cast comes back.
The middle
The change-fly position: middleweight, often the buzzer or wet that matches what's hatching.
The point
The slimmest, heaviest, most streamlined fly at the end. It anchors the cast, turns the leader over, and fishes deepest.
Spacing
Roughly even gaps of 4–5 ft between flies. A common Irish build runs 6 ft from fly line to the bob, then 4 ft and 4 ft; competition habits stretch each gap to 5–6 ft. Droppers themselves stay short — 4 to 6 inches.
Trim for the day
Rough and windy: drop to two flies and shorten toward 12 ft — control beats coverage. The house norm is ~15 ft; in a flat calm stretch to 18–20 ft and go finer, but only as far as you can still turn the team over.
Common faults
Droppers left long
Constant tangles — the dropper wraps its own leader on every cast into wind, and the team arrives as a birds' nest.
Fix: A dropper is a tag, not a limb: 4–6 inches, stiff enough to stand off the leader. If a dropper keeps tangling, shorten it before you blame the wind.
When you'll use it
- Any traditional wet-fly drift — this is the rig the Tactical Card's three-fly teams assume
- Covering two depths and a wake in a single cast
- Bob-fly fishing in a good wave, where the dibble draws fish up
Related
Terms: point dropper bob fly · team of flies · leader
Sources & how we know this (4)
- Three-fly team roles (bob/middle/point), fly placement by weight and aerodynamics, dropper length 4–6 in
Current Seams — How to build a wet fly leader for a team of three flies · 2026-07-11 - Irish traditional wet team: 3–4 flies on a 15–20 ft leader from a drifting boat
The Floating Fly — Tom Doc Sullivan on lough style · 2026-07-16 - 18 ft two-dropper wet cast with ~6 ft gaps; spacing widens near the surface and tightens at depth
Trout & Salmon — Stan Headley, Tips for better droppers · 2026-07-16 - Classic 5/5/5 and 6/4/4 spacing conventions; shorten and drop a fly as wind builds
Fly Fishing Forum (UK) — Minimum length for a leader with two droppers · 2026-07-11