to tippet or not to tippet

[txalba]

Question: is it really necessary to tie tippet material to my normal 9ft mono leader, (the leader is not tappered - straight off the reel) does it really make that much of a difference?

Asking as i have never used tippet material, just mono. tying in one dropper to my leader using same reel of mono.

(mostly fish for brownies)

cheers

J

 

[greenie62]

Question: is it really necessary to tie tippet material to my normal 9ft mono leader,....

?

Depends on what style you're doing and where - river / lake.
Wet / sunken lure fishing - where presentation isn't a big factor - many just use 6-9 ft straight mono.
Dry / nymph and on river - where presentation is a major factor - use a tapered leader and a 2-3 ft tippet of fine/hi-strength line - so that as you change fly you aren't using up the (expensive) tapered leader - just the (cheaper) tippet material. It can also help if the leader and tippet lines have different floating/sinking characteristics or treatments.

Tight Lines!

 

[sumtime]

Depends on the size of yer flies.

 

[S-Kippy]

Never bother with tapered leaders or tippets. Straight off the spool all the way through. I do OK.

 

[txalba]

Thanks for replies,
i bought tippet line instead of normal mono so i guess rather than exchange it ill try it out and see what it does, even if i just use it for my droppers, thanks all.

If i find any marked improvement ill post back

 

[keora]

The reason for a tapered leader is that it allows the leader to turn over and extend on the cast.

With an untapered leader, it and and the fly are likely to land in a heap on the surface, especially when casting into the wind.

I use Drennan Subsurface leader material for making leaders - the first 5ft is 8lb, then 2ft of 4lb and 2ft of 3lb. I tie a micro ring on the end of the 8lb section, which means that the 8lb line lasts longer. If you don't have micro ring, the 8lb section is shortened every time you tie a new length of line to it.

The above breaking strains are used when fishing for brown trout in a river. For large rainbow trout, I use 5ft of 8lb line, finishing with 4ft of 5 or 6lb line.

 

[S-Kippy]

The reason for a tapered leader is that it allows the leader to turn over and extend on the cast.

With an untapered leader, it and and the fly are likely to land in a heap on the surface, especially when casting into the wind.

In theory....but there are other ways of getting the leader to turn over that dont involve a tapered leader. As for everything landing in a heap in my experience that rarely happens unless you are casting directly into the wind [you rarely are] or its a flat calm in which case nothing will get the leader to turn over properly other than stopping the cast early.

Personally [and I have used them] I dont think the advantages are so great to make them worth bothering with.

 

[loc_han]

I use a 9ft x 6lbpoint tapered leader, with a Riverge leader ring tied on the 6lb point, then 2ft length of (whatever weight I need) fluoro. You can also tie a dropper on the ring if need be too. I have to say this is my set up for the fisheries I visit.
The rivers I fish, brownies only grow to approx. 3-4lbs, anything bigger has definitely got lost. Most are in the 1/2-1.1/2lbs, so I tend to use my Greys 3wt 7ft Streamflex rod most of the time and usually make up a 9ft x 4lb-3lb lfluoro leader.

 

[keora]

Using a leader ring is a lot more convenient, as it means the leader doesn't shorten each time a new tippet is tied on the end.

 

[bullet]

The rivers I fish, brownies only grow to approx. 3-4lbs

Oh, that's a shame. You must feel very hard done by...

 

[loc_han]

My biggest trout in almost 10 years is just over 2LB, but I live in hope.lol

 

[Rich P]

I digress, slightly, but can a 4-turn water knot be used to attach leader to tippet. If not, what is the best knot?

 

[keora]

You can use a water knot if you want. I prefer a double grinner knot because it's a bit quicker to tie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lU2MXj_Ir8

 

[Rich P]

Thanks, keora, for the tip......