Selecting the correct tapered leader and tippet for the type of fishing you are about to do is crucial. Nothing can spook fish quicker than an oversized tippet for the particular situation. On the other hand, and undersized tippet can result in the fly fisher losing their trophy before they even get a photo opportunity. We will start at the very basic of leader and tippet selection and then get more specific, and hopefully conclude with enough information so well always have the proper leader and tippet for all upcoming fishing scenarios.
What is leader and tippet
Leader and tippet is the final connection between the fly fisher and their fly. It is the section of line after the fly line and before the fly. Its purpose is to transfer energy from the fly line down to the fly, allow for natural presentation of the fly, and then be strong enough for the fly fisher to retrieve any fish that might strike at the naturally presented fly. Sounds simple enough, but this is fly fishing, and fly fishers have been around a long time. And as a group we seem to think about everything related to our sport a lot, and therefore probably have over complicated things a tad.
The leader in fly fishing is tapered. It is thicker at the butt section, then at the tippet section. It is usually divided into three sections, the butt is tied directly to the fly line, and is the longest portion of the leader, about 60%. The mid-section is next and its purpose is to taper down to the tippet without losing a lot of strength. The final section is the tippet, it is the actual section that is tied to the fly. It is the thinnest section, it needs to be strong, yet allow for a natural drift, without alarming the fish that your offering is connected to a person that will pull back.
Commercial leaders by and large achieve all this in one smooth product. Although there are still knotted leaders out there, by and large knotless leaders are the choice. It is possible to construct you own leaders and many people do. But that is the topic of another article. A fly fisher does, however need to know how to attach new tippet portion to the fly line, I prefer the double surgeons knot, but the blood knot is also popular. Learn how to tie these knots before fighting that monster! A poorly tied knot will reveal itself at the most opportune times.
X factor
Now comes the fun part. A new set of numbers to learn. Different numbers then choosing flies or fly rods. Fly fishing is overwrought with numbering systems, and unfortunately leaders and tippets you are just going to need to learn. They are sized on the X numbering system. So when you hear someone say they are switching to a 6X, you now know they are talking about their tippet. X measures the diameter of the leader minus .011. So a 6X would measure .005. A 0X would actually measure .011. One really only needs to remember the HIGER the X, the smaller the diameter. The other number worth noting the test, or breaking factor, a 4lb test leader will break when more than 4lbs pressure are applied. This is worth noting, and many a trophy are lost when violating that #.
There are many variable to consider when selecting the right X, but the two most common are the size of fish you are going after, and the size of fly you are using when going after them. A quick guide is as follows:
X Fly
0 2-6
1 4-8
2 4-10
3 6-12
4 6-14
5 12-16
6 16-20
7 20-24
8 24 and smaller
Length
One must also think about the length of the leader itself. Leaders are sold these days anywhere from 4 feet to 15 feet. There are many things to consider when deciding on length, some are variable like wind and water clarity. Other variable are static like size of fish, current, etc.
Typically the easier it is to spook a fish, the longer the leader you will need to use. So
The industry seems to have settled on 91/2 feet as a good all-around length. For everything from trout to steelhead to tarpon. It is a good length to handle for all levels of fly casters, and it gives enough distance between the splash down of the fly line and the fly as to not spook most fish under most circumstances.
From this standard we can then begin to think of reasons we might need to adjust. Spring creeks or spring fed lakes will probably require 15 feet of leader. Whereas sinking tip lines used in spring run off will use as leaders as short as 4 feet. A weed choked largemouth bass pond will require a shorter, stouter leader, and therefore you will be able to muscle your fish away from snags. But a trout caught in a spring creek will have the advantage because your leader will easily break off due to its lightness. Windy days might require one to shorten up a bit to ease in casting. When switching from nymphing to dry flies one might need to lengthen a bit.
Summary
I hope this has clarified and not complicated things a bit. What all this means is one must carry a good assortment of tapered leaders and even more importantly tippets with them at all times. There are many times I switch sizes in the same day. If I am fighting fish deep in faster current during the day, I might go down one X factor, and then in the evening if I am dry fly fishing in shallow slow water, Ill go up two X factors.
Not having the correct tippet can handicap ones ability to land fish, either by breaking off if too small, or spooking them if too large. It is a nominal expense compared to the rest of your equipment, and a bad place to start watching that fly fishing budget. So make sure youre well stocked for every imaginable situation before you hit the water. I guarantee you at some point you will be glad you are.
About The Author
Cameron Larsen is a retired commericial fly tier and fly fishing guide. He now operates The Big Y Fly Company. http://www.bigyflyco.com/flyfishinghome.html. He can be reached at info@bigyflyco.com. This article will appear in the Big Y Fly Fishing E-Zine at Http://www.bigyflyco.com/Bigyflyfishingezine.html.
Good Fly Presentation Obviously, the goal when casting a fly is to present the fly to the fish in a realistic manner. You are trying to simulate nature here. If you are going for trout in a stream, for instance, this means a drag-free float of 36 inches over a precise spot that marks the window of a feeding fish. Also remember that the Evening Secret (http://www.eveningsecretfishing.com/specialsecret/4_Fly_Fishing_Tips.php) will swarm fish to your spot consistantly, and help you catch more fish. Never randomly cast you have got to pick a spot and hit it. Throw tight loops that put the fly on target. One important method that can be used is to overcast the target and stop the line short while it is in the air. The fly should come back to you and fall on the water with slack in the leader. The best trout fishermen fish with only 30 to 35 feet of line, but make up for this with accurate casting. They read waters will and put the fly in the p ay zone time after time. One of the most important thins they do is to recognize that presentation and approach are much more important than pattern. It is different for bass. Whether a surface bug or a streamer, the offering must move past a spot where a bass is apt to hold. As the boat drifts, it is important to pick a precise time to shoot a cast to the target. Too soon or too late, and the fly wont be in the right spot. This is where the double haul form of casting becomes essential. It generates line speed and enables the caster to pick 30 or 40 feet of line off the water and shoot another without false casting. When bassing, make your presentation, retrieve 10 to 20 feet, pick up, and cast again without the need to false cast. After each one, drop the rod type and keep the butt of the rod near your belt buckle with the tip-top of the rod pointing at the line. A simple lift will let you execute the next pickup or strike a fish. Leader Connection If you are a fly caster, you know that a smooth connection between the leader and fly line is important in presentation. The best way to do this is to nail-knot a six-inch piece of 25-30 pound leader material to the end of the fly line. A loop like those found on snelled hooks is then tied into the opposite end. The connecting leader must also have a loop. Connecting the leader itself is done by passing the loop attached to the fly line through the loop on the leader; reaching through the fly line loop. Next, grab the butt section of the leader and pull the leader up through until the tippet passes the loop. Last, just pull the loops together by tugging on the fly line and the butt section in opposite directions. Strategy If you are every in a situation where see large brown trout in open water and hold, your best bet is to use a No. 12 Cinnamon Ant and sink it. If this doesnt work, move to the No.16 Adams fly. Still nothing? Switch to the No. 20 Black Ant. Last-ditch effort would be to use a 3X tippet and use a No. 6 nymph or streamer. Typically the bigger trout will leave small morsels to the small guys, preferring the bigger bites that are easy to get. They are very economical feeders. High Rider Dry Flys If your best dry-fly patterns are failing you, it may be time to switch to spiders and variants. Many times a spider or variant will bring trout to the surface, then you can switch back to a conventional dry fly. These spiders and variants will delicately drop to the water, usually somersaulting or jumping after touching it. Fish find this very alluring. High riding is another attribute of these flies. When tied properly, their hackles support the hook above the waters surface, thus imitating a natural fly much more closely than the ordinary fly does. About The Author
Copyright 2005 EveningSecretFishing.com FishingLong-Time Fisherman and President of EveningSecretFishing (http://www.eveningsecretfishing.com/specialsecret/4_Fly_Fishing_Tips.php). Feel free to use this article on your website or anywhere else - but all links and bio information must remain in tact.
It snowed this weekend in New York City, in what I hope will be the end of our short by cold winter. No matter how brisk the weather remains in these next two weeks of March, I know that April, and the start of my fly fishing season, is but a few precious days away. I am already getting prepared. This week, I pulled out my vest and waders from the closet, packed away since the fall, and smelled the scent of the stream once again. I took inventory of my gear, and spent a few moments day-dreaming of the hundreds of dollars I want to spend on fly fishing stuff that I cannot afford. And most importantly, I spent some time thinking about where I want to go for my first fly fishing trip of 2007.
When April comes around, I will probably first fish on the Connectquot River on Long Island because I always seem to do well there. The stream is fully stocked and the fish rise to the surface readily. Often I will catch a dozen trout in three hours, releasing all but perhaps a few rainbows or browns that make a fine dinner.
After six months of winter, I want my first trip to be a success. Perhaps that is why I will head to the river that is so fully stocked, because I know that if I get “snunked” on my first fly fishing trip of the year, not catching a single trout, I might be disappointed.
In thinking about my desire to do well on the stream, I asked myself: What makes a fly fishing trip a success? When do we come out of the river, pack the waders in the car and say to ourselves: “That was amazing”? For some, catching fish is the only measure of success of a fly fishing trip. Maybe that is why Orvis sells scales and rulers to calculate the length and weight of the trout we land.
If the measure of your fish is the only measure of your success, then what happens if you do not get a bite? Did you waste your time on the river if you did not land a single trout? When I first taught myself to fly fish in the trout parks of Missouri, I would go hours, and days without catching a trout. It was frustrating. Yet even on the hardest day, when there were no fish to be seen, I still relished the time spent in the stream.
Fly fishing is not only about catching fish. As I have written in other articles, fly fishing is about feeling connected to nature, about searching within ourselves in the solitude of the stream, about escaping from the relentless pace of our 21st Century lives. And at its highest moments, fly fishing can bring us closer to the Divine, as we sense the awe and beauty of our world and wonder how such an amazing place came to be.
Defining success in fly fishing by the number of fish you catch is kind of like defining success in life by how much money you have, or by the number of cars you own or by the size of your home. I am not at all opposed to material success. It is good to work hard and enjoy the fruits of your labor. But if our lives are only the sum total of our bank accounts, have we truly accomplished all we can in this world?
Judaism teaches that the measure of a successful life includes the ways we repair our broken world, the love we share with family and friends, and our striving to become better people. Even in the realm of the material, success does not only come from what we acquire, but also what we give away to others. Giving tzedakah, charity, is an obligation for every Jew, no matter how rich or poor. The most destitute must give something, even a penny, because the act of charity makes one a better person.
What then is the measure of success in fly fishing, and in all of life? I would tell you that doing well goes beyond the fish we catch or the sum of our material possessions. Success comes from all that we have seen and done that is beautiful and elevating and makes this world just a little bit better.
When April finally does arrive, I will probably still go to that well-stocked stream for my first fly fishing trip, because I do want to catch some trout. But I will also do my best to take a moment to breathe, to look around, and to appreciate those precious moments of connection and solitude on the stream.
Name: Rabbi Eric Eisenkramer, The Fly Fishing Rabbi
Website: http://www.theflyfishingrabbi.blogspot.com/
If you are going to catch a bass, act like a bass. This doesn't mean you have to eat frogs and harass cute little baby ducks. But you need to think like a bass. When I talk to bass fishers, I often get a similar reaction. Fishing for bass inclines you to stalk them like they stalk their prey. Trout are more refined, gentle fish. Trout in a lake, you wait for. You can troll, but basically most trout fishing involves keying into the basic fact that trout in a lake are on the move, cruising. They do some stalking, but they don't have the explosive body/muscle type that makes a bass attack like a linebacker through the weeds and into their prey.
Fishing for bass reminds me of fishing for trout in rivers. I enjoy anticipating where a trout lies, and then stalking them. Fishing for bass forces me to have a similar degree of awareness, observation and anticipation. To stalk them. To be careful and quiet and patient. To use all my senses just a little bit more than I would for trout.
I try to anticipate any potential ambush point. A small rock pile. A pile of brush half submerged in water. Logs diving into the water. And my favorite-- yard-wide floating islands of tules and bulrushes. These little moving forests may not be the ideal bass location, but they fascinate me. Try picking one up out of the water, and you'll see what a perfectly messy little, moving shield they offer for a bass. I usually fish the shady side of these little islands. But, to be honest, visit your local library. Fly fishing, more so than any other sport, is a sport of active participation mingled with active reading.
My point is that the behavior of bass to lie in wait for their prey causes me to do the same. This way, I'm always anticipating something big about to happen on the water. I also don't get as bored as I often do with trout fishing, trolling around hoping to intercept something.
Bass fishing has everything trout fishing has, only scaled up: lots of impressive top water action; strong long fights; big, very big fish; fishing and hunting challenges. The reason more trout fishers don't consider bass is probably a matter of perception, and down right lack of respect for the fish. And maybe some uneasiness with fishing near others who are looking at you quizzically slinging a line when you should be slinging powerbait trailing behind the latest techno-plug. But we're flyfishers. We don't fish with other people. So find an isolated piece of water to practice your new sport. And when others see you haul in a 4-pounder on a fly, they might be back with a fly rod. Or they'll throw beer cans at you.
Typically, though, I find myself more alone on bass waters than on trout waters, especially fly-only trout waters. It is a great thing that lakes can become catch and release (and a shame more bass water doesn't), but once a lake becomes catch and release, it becomes marked. Which, again, is a good thing, but then all the flyfishers show up expecting great things. Bass waters tend to have fewer people, with notable exceptions, such as opening day, pleasant warm summer weekends, and bass tournaments.
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