Quote Originally Posted by CM_Stewart View Post
I believe there are three risks from having too strong a tippet. Getting the tip section completely stuck is certainly one, another is having the lillian pulled off. The most serious would be having the rod itself break from trying to stop a fish that is too strong for the rod but not too strong for the tippet.

Most of the rod breakages I've heard of are not from too strong a tippet, although I don't know how many stuck tips might be. I routinely break off 5X (4.7# test) tippet by pulling back on my rods (with the entire rod in a straight line with the line and tippet) when my fly is snagged and I can't reach the line to pull back on it directly. That is on a rod where the "recommended" tippet breaking strength is between .8 and 2.4# test. I've never gotten the tip on one of those rods stuck.

The tippet Erik was using to catch the carp was 4X. I think you'd be safe with that on the 43MF or 53MF, but I would hesitate to recommend 3X. I'm also not sure you'd need 3X, but then again I don't know. New ground is being broken and there isn't much accumulated wisdom yet with respect to what you can get away with.
John here, the other Tenkara Guide in the video using an Amago. I was using 3.5 level line and 5X tippet. Properly executed fighting and landing techniques allow you to bring these hard pulling fish to the net. It is all about technique and not trying to over power the fish. My largest fish of the day was easily 6-6.5 pounds and 21 inches. It would have been a much easier fish to land with the Diawa Kiyose and 4X because you can put more leverage on the fish.

Note: I only lost one fish to broken tippet because I just simply tried to muscle the fish around. It was an experiment to see just how much pressure the Amago could put on the carp. It was not nearly as much control or power as the Kiyose. Erik had the advantage for fishing from the bank because of the amount of power the Diawa could put out. I was pretty much relegated to wading in some very smelly nasty water so I could walk my fish around to effectively fight them. If you watch our video closely in the first min or so you can clearly see me "walking my carp" to protect the tippet.

John
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