Pacemaker Fishing Forum

Pre made tippets are usually a waste of money. They are for world record keeping (there is a way to build them for that purpose).

If you learn how to tie proper knots (blood, albright, uni to uni etc), you can make your own. I like floro at the end.

So....now you have the butt end. To that you can tie a 10lb line (5') or two 2.5" sections, one being greater than the end. For blue gills, I like to end up with 4 or 6 lb line. If you are throwing into a lot of cover, you will need 20lb test in total (or at least that). Capt. Mike will attest to that.

Here is something I grabbed from the net:

Leaders. At the end of the fly line one attaches a leader which tapers from the fly line to the fly. The leader serves to both deliver the fly and to make the link between the fly and the line invisible to the trout and to interfere as little as possible with the presentation of the fly.

Generally the choice is between monofilament or fluorocarbon. What is the difference?

Monofilament is a single-component product manufactured in a relatively inexpensive process. It is formed through an extrusion process in which molten plastic is formed into a strand through a die.

Fluorocarbon is a polymer that's nearly invisible in water because it has an almost identical refractive index to the water. It is inert, so it resists deterioration by sunlight better than plastic. However, if monofilament is kept out of the sunlight and cared for it will last for some years.

Which to use? As fluorocarbon has a higher specific gravity than monofilament, is nearly invisible in water and is stiffer than monofilament it is preferable for wet flies such as nymphs. On the other hand, as monofilament will float longer and is generally more manageable it is easier to use for dry flies.

Frog hair leaders claim to be more abrasive resistant and more pliable that traditional fluorocarbon therefore it is worth testing whether this has more use as a dry fly material. I have used froghair fluorocarbon for both dry and nymphing and found it perfectly satisfactory.

Absent Froghair, for dry flies use monofilament and for wet flies use fluorocarbon.

Strength. Leaders nominate different strengths. Trout fishing leaders can range from 1x up to 8x. Illogically, the higher the numeric value, the lighter the tippet. Therefore the 8x is about 1lb breaking strain. On the other hand the 1x has a breaking strain of . 8x is too light for a beginner. We suggest anything from 5x to 7x unless you are going to hook into some big fish straight off. If the fish are leader shy go for the lighter leader. In addition if you are going to use a very small fly the lighter leader will allow it to fall more naturally. If the water is a little cloudy or the fish are not too leader shy and you are using a larger fly, use heavier tippet as it will reduce the risk of breaking off your first fish. If you are fishing with a heavier leader and you forgot to carry a lighter one, you can always improvise by adding some light tippet to the end. By carrying say, 4x – 7x tippet on your trip, you are able to take a 2x leader and cut it down a little, add some lighter tippet and voila, a lighter leader. It is not rocket science. Just make sure you can tie a strong knot such as a blood knot or an albright.

Knotted or knotless leaders? In short, don't use knotted leaders where there is a risk of picking up moss or slime on the line which will interfere with the drift of the fly. Knotted leaders are therefore preferable for the dry fly. The knotted leader permits the stiffness of the line to be controlled for the delivery of the fly. It is easy enough to make your own leaders if you like and certainly if you add tippet to the end of you line you are beginning to do so.

Tippet. This is material added to the end of the leader to either lengthen it or repair it as the leader gets short after changing too many flies. If one uses tippet material one is introducing a knot into the line which runs the risk of picking up some debris while nymphing. Generally however it is wise to use tippet to maintain the lightest material near the fly and to ensure that the leader does not get too short. However don't use too much light tippet as it will affect one's ability to turn over the fly and present it well.

As noted above, always carry a selection of tippet so that you can repair you line or improvise by chopping around you leader, adding some tippet and creating a lighter leader. Conversely you can cut down a lighter leader and add heavier tippet if you are being broken off by big fish.

When fishing for bass or stripers, all you need is 7-9' of 20lb test leader.....nothing else. Tied right to the fly line.

Hey Tyler.  I use 10-20lb butt end and 6-10lb taper to the fly when hitting the local spots.  I just picked up some Tippet rings to make it easier to adjust tippet to the conditions (mono vs fluoro and diff sizes).  I'd be happy to give you a few to try out.

Ryan

I use SA mastery series wet tip express 250 gr on my 7 wt.... Not cheap but good and should last.  I'd go with 200gr for your 6 wt.  not sure if I'll get out this weekend but if you are out local let me know when and I'll drop off some Tippet rings.