Tippits?Leaders?

[MarcusDiGiovanni]

Howdy Ya'll, LOL,

Pretty dumb question I know but dont make fun, I gotta learn one way or another. Okay so hear it is, how do I tie tippits and leader to my fly line?, so It goes fly line>Leader>Tippit>fly?. I picked some up today and I'm confused, Do I use the whole leader Or do I cut it?, am I suppsoed to cut pieces of the tippit spool?, all help is apreciated and if theres ant pics pr vids u have or know of can u tell me please I am really confused. OH I got all my gear and took some pics so I will upload that soon.

Thanx!,

MRCUS

[kemper]

To make it simple you can buy the whole kit and kaboodle in one nice little package pretied for you.

 

Basically it is usually a section of heavier line followed by progressively lighter lines.

 

I would call it a lead, but thats just because im a float fishermen, not sure exactly how the fly guys refer to it though.

[Dnthmn]

Hi Marcus,

 

You have the basic idea but the real answer will depend on your application and you have quite a few options available to you. If you are new to fly fishing and are just learning I suggest you head to the fly shop and pick up a couple knotless tapered leaders.

 

Tippet material and various diameters of fishing line/leader material are used for making your own leaders and it can get pretty confusing. Personally I mostly fly fish for Steelhead/Salmon in the fall/winter and bass & panfish in the summer. I usually don't use dry flies so I generally never use a tippet. My leaders are a length of flourocarbon or braid off the spool that I keep in my vest pocket. For everything except panfish I tie my leaders at least 1 - 1.5 times the length of my rod up to about 15 feet as a maximum. For panfish I've gone as short as 4 - 5 feet attached to a floating line, but lets face it, pumpkin seeds and blue gill aren't the smartest fish in the water and from my experince don't spook that easily.

 

Brush up on your knots for attaching lines together such as albright special, double uni & blood. Also once you get it down using a nail knot to attach the leader to fly line is a great way to go (my personal favourite). Tip on getting cheap tubes to help with the nail knot - dollar store q-tips with the ends cut off. Keep about a dozen in your vest.

 

Check out this site for info on the knots

 

http://www.knetknots.com

 

Since I generally don't use them I cannot give you a whole bunch of information on tippets. I know that the tippet size is dictated by the fly size for a better presentation. Here is a chart to use as a guideline.

 

http://www.killroys.com/charts/tippet.htm

 

Hope that helps a little.

 

Also check out http://www.talkflyfishing.com. There is a ton of info on fly fishing there and a great bunch of people willing to help you out.

 

Cheers,

 

Dan

Edited January 1, 2009 by Dnthmn

[Spiel]

....Dnthmn has got it. Only thing I'll add is learn the Triple Surgeons Knot.

[MarcusDiGiovanni]

Thanks guys, I appreciate the inflo.

[MarcusDiGiovanni]

One more wuestion, My tippits cam on a big spool with liek 30 yds, am I supposed to cut it to a certain length?

[Spiel]

....Tippet (leader) length is typically dictated by the type of fishing, long leads for dry flies and shorter leads for wet flies and nymphs. Of course water clarity (or lack of) can also be factored in.

 

 

Have a look here.

[MarcusDiGiovanni]

Ok, so my Fly Line has a loop in it, should I create a loop in my leader so i can atach them that way?

[Spiel]

....You can.

 

Loop to Loop connections

 

Loop to Loop connections

 

Loop to Loop connections

 

The down side is that

[MarcusDiGiovanni]

K, thanx for all your help, im all, set,

[Spiel]

....I'll add this Marcus. Learn the basics, keep it simple at first and let your own experiences be your guide. With the basics mastered you'll find yourself guided by where you fish and what your fishing for. You'll adapt and improve to meet those needs. As you improve you'll gain new knowledge and add new techniques on your own , some of your own design (the most rewarding) and some by research and of course asking questions here. Good luck and happy angling.

[kemper]

Im new to the flyfishin game too marcus, just picked up my first set up. I did spend a lot of time on the river with a guide this summer out west and the things you learn in a day on the water with a guide are incredible. Its costly, but definately worth it.

 

Well get together this spring and see if we cant hook something!

[carp-starter]

I have posted before the info below - so I will just copy & paste. I hope the urls are still on the Web.

 

carp-starter

 

SOME ASSUMPTIONS

 

I am assuming that the leader that you buy will already have a loop at the butt end and that the 3 sections (butt, middle section and tippet end) of the leader are all in sync or balanced with each other. Some leaders do not come with a loop.

 

The leader that you bought, is probably one piece – at 7 ½’, 9’ or 12’. Leaders also come pre-tied – same lengths..

 

I tie my own.

 

A leader is has 3 sections to it – the butt, the middle section and the tippet end.

 

Spools of tippet material is nothing more than fishing line. When the tippet on the leader you have been using is shortened because of various reasons, you must increase the length of the original tippet that has been shortened using the appropriate tippet material. Tippet material comes in spools of about 25 yards in – various diameters.

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 

I do not tie my leader directly to my fly line. I connect loop to loop. So, you must make the connector out of mono line.

 

This is what I do.

 

This is what we will have once you finish.

 

==========!!--------()()________________

 

== is the fly line

!! is the nail knot

-------- is the 30 lb mono and you will make a loop at the end

()() are the loops

____ is the leader

 

Get about 12 inches of about 30 lb test mono. Make sure the thickness of your mono is not thicker than the end of your fly line. I have to say this because your fly line may be WF1. Just make sure the mono is thinner. That short piece of 3-4 inches of mono that you end up at the end of the fly line has to be an extension of your fly line – meaning – in sync.

 

Use a nail knot to connect the mono line to the fly line.

 

http://www.animatedknots.com/nailknot/inde...imatedknots.com

 

http://www.killroys.com/knots/nail.htm

 

Use a

Surgeon's Loop

to tie in a loop in you mono. The length of your mono should end up being between 3 to 4 inches.

 

http://www.killroys.com/knots/surgloop.htm

 

Now use the

loop to loop connection

and connect the leader your mono. Make sure you do it right cause there is a way of screwing it up.

 

http://www.killroys.com/knots/looploop.htm

 

SOME FACTS

 

You attach the complete leader.

I tie and sometimes use 24-foot leaders.

 

A leader is never described in terms “of pound test”. A leader – both butt and tippet – is always described in terms of “diameter”. The diameter is described by the X designation. This means that ALL 5X tippets will have a diameter of .006. A standard 5x tippet is around 4 lb test. But, 5X tippets can be less or more than 4 lb test.

 

If you tie your own leaders, each section that you tie is of a certain diameter – not of a certain pound test.

 

A leader must be “balanced” – the butt VS middle sections VS tippet must be in sync. If the butt is .017, then the tippet should be 4X – 8X. The middle section must be tapered properly with respect to both ends. If the butt is .021, then the tippet should be 0X – 5X. The tippet must be balanced within itself from the butt to the tippet end.

 

At the end you should have the fly line, leader, tippet and fly all balanced. Of course everything has to be balanced to your fly rod. The relationship is shown in the site below.

 

http://www.killroys.com/charts/flyline.htm

[MarcusDiGiovanni]

Hey Guys, thanx for all your help, I've gained a lot of info and I should be okay. As Kemper said getting a guide would get me a lot of knowledge, probably somthing i'll look into for the spring.

'Thanx again,

Marcus

[shane]

Ian James is a well known guide/flyfisher from southern Ontario. I like his leader system. Nice and simple.

 

http://www3.sympatico.ca/ianjames/

 

His leader system is about half-way down the first page.

[Dnthmn]

Ian James is a well known guide/flyfisher from southern Ontario. I like his leader system. Nice and simple.

 

http://www3.sympatico.ca/ianjames/

 

His leader system is about half-way down the first page.

 

 

You would not go wrong hiring Ian to teach you to cast. He's a great guy, will keep you laughing the whole day with his stories and is absolutely worth the amount of money he asks. That being said, book him early... like now.

 

There is also...

 

http://www.thefirstcast.ca

 

&

 

http://www.grandrivertroutfitters.com

 

and I can also put you in touch with a few guides that I know through London's fly fishing club. You will undoubtedly have to travel part way to meet up with any of them. Don't forget to look for a club in your area as well.

[MarcusDiGiovanni]

Newmarket doesen't have SQUAT!