Tippet + Leader ?

Bamboozle said:
6cth001:

All I can add is; forget you ever heard of any tippet size lighter than 4X and forget whatever you heard about needing the light stuff for delicacy, etc...

Presentation is everything, fly turnover is a close 2nd and if I had a dollar for everybody I know who never fishes light tippets, I could buy a year's supply of 3X.

ANY store bought leader you buy will work and IMHO a 7' - 7-1/2" 3X leader would be ideal because you can easily add a lighter tippet to that. Work with that for awhile and you will quickly realize the fish are less concerned with tippet size than fishermen.

When you come across a fly where the 3X tippet won't fit through the eye of the hook, then start worrying about 4X - 7X. ;)

Good luck & have fun!!
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Love to hear that. This is what I’m setting up today. THANK YA
 
PennKev said:
This is sound advice.

The only thing I would change is starting with a 2x leader since that gives you a better base for streamer fishing.
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Good point. I agree.
 
Or you could switch to a heavier leader just for streamer fishing...

That's what I do because my streamer leaders are shorter, stouter and simpler and switching leaders takes less time than rebuilding.

FWIW - Almost since I began fly fishing I carried dedicated dry fly leaders, wet fly leaders and streamer leaders and I just switch IF I expect to fish with a dry, wet or streamer for an extended period.

Going that route saves me time, and eliminates compromises in casting/presentation when changing to a different fly type and the need to carry as many sizes of leader material.
 
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Well, T/bert's suggestion is good, better than mine. I'd never though of suggesting a tippet ring, probably b/c I have been too dumb to ever use one!
 
afishinado said:
4x or 5x tippets should work best for the size flies most fished.

I would stay away from 6X or lighter except when fishing tiny flies (which should be avoided by a beginner anyway).

Using too light of a tippet causes breakoffs like you mentioned, and may cause your tippet to twist.

There's no need to have to deal with really light tippets, especially for a beginner.

Here is a chart which matches recommended tippet size with fly size along with some valuable info about tippets written below.


Good luck.
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A beginner does not have to avoid fishing tiny flies. I learned to fly fish on small creeks that could be jumped across in their narrow sections and all I used was tiny caddis larvae, and small nymphs and streamers. If beginners avoid using tiny flies completely, how will they ever improve their skill in that
space? If a beginner wants to use 6x tippet, I would encourage that beginner to make use of fluorocarbon leader material as it has two benefits to the beginner - it is stronger than plain mono, and it is invisible to fish which will help get their strike ratio increasing, which further helps learn how to play fish and release them without removing them from the water.
 
SteelheadJoe said:
A beginner does not have to avoid fishing tiny flies. I learned to fly fish on small creeks that could be jumped across in their narrow sections and all I used was tiny caddis larvae, and small nymphs and streamers. If beginners avoid using tiny flies completely, how will they ever improve their skill in that
space? If a beginner wants to use 6x tippet, I would encourage that beginner to make use of fluorocarbon leader material as it has two benefits to the beginner - it is stronger than plain mono, and it is invisible to fish which will help get their strike ratio increasing, which further helps learn how to play fish and release them without removing them from the water.
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The tiny flies I wrote about are midges size 20 and smaller.

Flouro is generally not really stronger than nylon.

It's less visibility under water is questionable by most anglers.
 
afishinado said:
The tiny flies I wrote about are midges size 20 and smaller.

Flouro is generally not really stronger than nylon.

It's less visibility under water is questionable by most anglers.
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Agreed. I think it has largely been debunked that flouro is invisible under water.

Strength is all in how you look at it. It is definitely more resistant to abrasion (its only real benefit in my opinion) but I think its knot strength is weaker (not sure if this is a thing, just my own experience).
 
afishinado said:
...Flouro is generally not really stronger than nylon...
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Actually both Rio & Orvis rate their mono tippet materials as STRONGER than their equivalent fluorocarbon tippet material of the same size...

I realize diameters are the elephant in the room when it comes to comparing break strength but BOTH brands are made in Japan and the Japanese don't play the "fudging the diameter to achieve higher breaking strengths" game...

That being said, I use fluoro pretty much exclusively because I hate the way mono flat spots if you draw a knot poorly or it gets wrapped around something and pulled free.

I also like my tippet to be IN the film, not on ON the surface and this is easier to achieve with fluoro. I don't know whether the "invisibility" thing, true or not would even factor in under these circumstances.

I don't worry about the insignificant difference in breaking strength to get the benefits I want versus mono.

It also has a longer shelf life and since I'm inclined to buy stuff I like in bulk, this is a good thing.

Speaking of shelf life; before someone mentions it, I don't lose a lot of sleep over how long it takes the tiny .25" pieces I snip off to break down in the environment... ;)
 
I meant that not only is it not stronger (which could imply they are equal), it is in fact weaker... ;)
 
poopdeck said:
Reading this is confusing to me. Are you using a 6’ 5X tapered leader, which is not common size leader, or is the leader longer, say a 9’ leader that you’re cutting down to a 6’ length? Possibly you are using 6’ of straight 5X tippet material, calling it the leader and then adding 3 to 4 more feet of 6X tippet.

I get the feeling you’re not actually describing a tapered or knotted leader, just a length of 5X tippet material with another length of 6X tippet material tied on the end. Perhaps I’m confused, perhaps it’s in the translation but something is amiss in your description.
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No. I started with 9’ 5x leader. When my leader got down to 6’ ish I added a few feet of 6x tippet. I am definitely using l the leader and tippet in order appropriately, the diameters of leader/tippet and when to use each size is what I’m learning :) Sone previous suggestions included using 3x leader with 4x tippet. Did this yesterday and worked much better!
 
Stronger in a straight pull and being abrasion resistant are very different things.
 
Krayfish just posted a video by Simon Gawesworth that reminded me that tailing loops will cause wind knots, and not allowing the rod to load and unload properly will snap the fly right of the leader. Another reason to keep things short enough for a new caster to handle.
 
My simple advice….

To start go with a 7ft 3x or 4x leader.
Tie in a 2.5mm tippet ring using a clinch knot.
Tie in 4x or 5x tippet…maybe 4-6ft with a clinch knot.
That should work with flies from 12-16.
If you fly choice needs to go to 18 or below, tie in some 6x tippet with a triple surgeons knot.

When you are ready or need to go to longer …move to a 9ft leaders and longer tippet.

I fish with 16+ ft leader/tippet in this method on the Upper D. Smaller water…downsize the lengths.
 
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