[Jeff Coria]

What is your favorite tippet, i have the RIO Fluoroflex Plus in 5x and 6x, I've used the 5X a lot and have had issues with knot strength. I use the improved clinch. What is your favorite combo? (tippet and knot)
Thanks in advance for the wisdom.

Jeff

 

[Rick Todd]

I like any fluorocarbon tippet material that comes in a convenient package. Right now I'm using Rio. I use a triple surgeons to attach the tippet to leader, and a loop knot to attach the fly to leader.

 

[bitterroot]

Rio Powerflex
surgeons knot to leader
improved clinch to fly

 

[Jeff Coria]

I like any fluorocarbon tippet material that comes in a convenient package. Right now I'm using Rio. I use a triple surgeons to attach the tippet to leader, and a loop knot to attach the fly to leader.

I just looked up the duncan loop and it feels more secure than my clinch. I'll try this one for a while. Thanks!

 

[scottybs]

Maxima- but then again my friends make funnof me for throwing big streamers, mice and Chernobyl patterns... Come to think of it I normally catch bigger fish ;-)... I like a surgeons loop if I'm impatient or I'll tie a blood knot... Throw a mouse!!!

 

[Rick Todd]

I took my two son-in-laws to Dry Falls this weekend and in the hotel room the night before, I did a tutorial on knots. For selective fisheries lakes like DF, I tie a triple surgeons leaving a 4" or so tag that I tie my first chironomid to with a Duncan loop. Then, 18" down I tie another chiro with another loop knot. One of them had just finished tieing the whole set up (not a trivial process if you are new to tieing these knots) when he realized he had forgotten to thread on a strike indicator! After he got done swearing, I reminder him of the blood knot we had practiced. So he retied the original tippet knot with a blood knot in a pretty short time. Pays to know your knots! When I used to tie my own leaders, I would do a streamer leader with Mason Hard Mono for the first couple sections of butt and Maxima for the rest-really turns over those heavy flies! Rick

 

[kipe'r'us]

I use a triple surgeons to attach the tippet to leader,

I've never thought to do triple..good idea. I use double surgeons leader to tippet and modified clinch to flies, unless streamer fishing then I do the "rapala" knot to my streamer...more action.

 

[Rick Todd]

If you tie a double and a triple and lay them out, the double will form an angle between the leader and tippet-a triple will lie straight. Now is this significant? Probably not! Rick

 

[Mumbles]

Maxima for mono. Tying at home when stepping down leaders I prefer blood knots. On the water a double surgeons seems fine.
I think my flouro is a Rio or Trilene product. Like how it sinks those little chironimids super fast to the feeding zone. No noticiable difference in the knots holding but do to cinch them down more deliberatly leaving longer tags to counter pull, then pull in line before trimming tags.
Clinch knots mostly, I'm still working on my comfort level with the duncan loop and non slip loop knots. Maybe after a few more hundred reps I'll be more comfortable with them. One never knows what the knot will do under a fish's pressure...I don't think knot failure has been a problem for me yet. Lots of wind knots that break and knicked tipped or leaders that I fail to attend to. I am my own worst enemy when fishing.

 

[Kyle Smith]

I like Powerflex for sizes 10 and smaller, Maxima brown for the big flies. I've read that a well-tied clinch knot is stronger than a poorly tied improved clinch.

 

[Mike Lee]

I guess it depends on how much you really want to spend. I use Dai-Riki flouro for my tippets. Size depends on the fly for me. It's cheap, available at my local shop, and seems to hold up. I have switched to making my own furled leaders in varying lengths and thickness. Most of the time I just add tippet unless the water is glassed over. Then I will step down my tippet to get the fly further from the furled leader. I use a loop to loop from the line to the tippet and a blood knot to step down the tippet. I tie most of my flies on with a Duncan/Uni Knot. If you're using a clinch knot with light tippet and having knot failure you might need a few more turns. The thicker your knot material the less turns are needed and vice versa. Some times I use a riffle hitch when stripping fast.

Jeff I bumped a previous thread on knots. There's some good info there too.

 

[hopperfishing]

I use Rio Powerflex 110 meter spools. Get through the whole season with just one spool of tippet in each size. I prefer blood knots over surgeons knots because the blood knot is a smaller profile knot. Blood knots don't seem to pick up moss like surgeons knots when fishing weedy rivers like the Missouri or Big Horn. For most of my dries, I tie a standard clinch knot. I've heard that the improved clinch knot is actually weaker then the standard clinch knot on co-polymer tippet. For streamers, I prefer the Trilene Knot. The Trilene knot is pretty much a clinch knot that is looped twice through the eye of the hook. This knot is nearly 100% and easy to tie. Seems like I lose fewer streamers with this knot because of the durability of the two loops arounds the eye of the fly.

 

[Ringlee]

Seaguar
Used Rio Flouroflex plus for a long time before being turned on to this stuff. Super strong and very thin diameter.

They even have a knot which is pretty easy to tie and Super Stong! Played with that knot vs. the Blood and Surgeons. It was considerably stronger!

http://www.netknots.com/html/seaguar_knot.html

 

[Lugan]

I use flouro tippet 100%. But for leaders I use a variety: mono and poly for dry flies to keep them floating better, flouro for streamers and nymphs.

 

[Jeff Coria]

Thanks for the advice, my clinch knot wasn't as strong and I landed the biggest fish to date today thanks to the Duncan!

 

[Guest]

Many of you may already know this, but I'll say it anyway for those who don't. 100% flourocarbon is 100% flourocarbon no matter what the brand. That being said, if you want to save a bunch of $, go spend $15 on a 250 yd spool of 100% flourocarbon and put it on an empty tippet spool. You'll save time and money.

I'm all about supporting & spending my money at the local fly shop, however this is the only area I won't. Just say'n

 

[Jeff Coria]

The whole story!

http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com...e-and-doing-my-best-to-keep-it-alive?p=534524

 

[Mike Lee]

Many of you may already know this, but I'll say it anyway for those who don't. 100% flourocarbon is 100% flourocarbon no matter what the brand. That being said, if you want to save a bunch of $, go spend $15 on a 250 yd spool of 100% flourocarbon and put it on an empty tippet spool. You'll save time and money.

I'm all about supporting & spending my money at the local fly shop, however this is the only area I won't. Just say'n

Very true Oldskool, in recent testings apparently all of the worlds flouro comes from 3 companies. 2 in Japan and the 3rd in Germany. They are all 100% Flouro, but not necessarily equal. Like mono lines, they are cooked at a varying temp to achieve specific characteristics whether it is for stretchability, clarity, abrasion resistance......nevertheless, if you find one that works for you in a spool of 250 yds, that's a smoking deal!

One thing about flouro that someone wiser than I [wow, could be pavlov's dog] told me is that the lack of resilience in flouro is the reason that it has a lesser knot strength than mono when compared to the line rating. Infact most flouros when tied only hold around 75% of the line rating. I haven't tested that theory.

 

[Mumbles]

Broken off fish...adreneline rush to disappointment...then the story fabrication can begin! Isn't that all part of the game?

 

[Mike Lee]

Broken off fish...adreneline rush to disappointment...then the story fabrication can begin! Isn't that all part of the game?

Agreed! What's that saying Ed....."The fish keeps getting bigger after your lose it".