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Thread: How long of a tippet do you use?

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    Default How long of a tippet do you use?

    I'm reading Allen McGee's book about soft-hackled nymphs. He says that when fishing (for trout) he uses long tippets (same diameter) of 26" to 30". Just curious: how long are the tippets are you folks are using?

    I guess I'm concerned that a 30" 6X tippet is kind of unruly.

    Randy

  2. #2
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    I guess it all depends upon how he is fishing the soft hackle. I usually have around 18" to 24" of tippet for my flies. I use fluorocarbon tippet for practically all my flies, dry or wet. When the fish force me to get down to really small dries then I switch to mono tippet.

    Larry ---sagefisher---

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    Those of us dedicated to furled fluorocarbon leaders use a tippet equal to the length of the leader without any problem.

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    For tippet I always start out the same length ... holding the tippet spool about at my chin and then pulling the material outward as far as I can reach gives me aprox 30" - tying that off with a double surgeons knot to the leader shortens it to maybe having close to a couple of feet of tippet (plus, too, tying on the fly), that is my usual start out tippet length. I have found that when fishing wild trout waters the longer tippet works best. When fishing hatchery raised trout, or bream and bass, length not so important.

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    Quote Originally Posted by randyflycaster View Post
    I'm reading Allen McGee's book about soft-hackled nymphs. He says that when fishing (for trout) he uses long tippets (same diameter) of 26" to 30". Just curious: how long are the tippets are you folks are using?

    I guess I'm concerned that a 30" 6X tippet is kind of unruly.

    Randy
    Look at the leader formulas in Allen's book on the bottom of pg. 55 and top of pg. 56, he's using 30" of tippet material, for the terminal end,. on the GH Slack Leader. That being said, I have gone even longer...no problemo.

    PT/TB
    Daughter to Father, "How many arms do you have, how many fly rods do you need?"
    http://planettrout.wordpress.com/

  6. #6

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    Thanks folks. And are you folks using 30lb - that should be .021 diameter, I think - test for your butt section? I've usually used a longer - 4 foot - section of 20 lb.

    Randy

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    For dry flies, emergers, and midges, I start with 3', and refresh the tippet when it approaches 2'. For nymphing, I start with 2'.

  8. #8
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    Boy, it's hard for me to imagine using 6X at all when swinging soft hackles, regardless of the length. The takes are strong enough many times that it seems like the fly/flies would snap off too often. I don't find the fish very leader shy when fishing soft hackles, I guess because the fly is typically moving past them faster than in a dead drift situation, so they don't have much time or inclination to scrutinize it.

  9. #9

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    John, I've never had 6x break on the take, my rod tip and reel drag protect the tippet. I use 4' of tippet and change when I get to about 2 1/2 feet.
    Last edited by Ray; 05-08-2014 at 05:46 PM.
    The man who coined the phrase "Money can't buy happiness", never bought himself a good fly rod!

  10. #10
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    I have been using these since Andy Puyans first offered them out of his shop, a long time ago. They have saved a number of large fish, on small hooks and very fine tippet - in fast water...these, I came across at BRF...




    P
    T/TB
    Daughter to Father, "How many arms do you have, how many fly rods do you need?"
    http://planettrout.wordpress.com/

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