I’ve tried split shots and am really tired of them. they nick my line up, and are hard to get off. I’m constantly tieing on new tippet just to get rid of the nicked up part the weight has left.
I’ve noticed some stuff on cabelas web site. they are Tungsten Tacky Weight and Loon Deep Soft Weight. Was wondering what your experiences were with or other products. I really need a better weighting system. I don’t tie my own flies either so i can’t do anything about the weight.
Ripper,
Try putting them on ABOVE a knot
in your leader. This will keep
them from slipping, and you won’t
have to “pinch” them on so hard.
This stops the nicking you speak of.
This works well for me.
MW
I’ve used the Loon soft stuff quite a bit. It’s not the perfect solution, but I do find that I like it b etter than split shot.
My big issue with shot is that you can’t get it off the tippet. It’s too hard constantly adapt to the changing depths and current of the water if you don’t have this flexibility. The Loon putty fixes that for me.
Down sides to the putty are it’s expensive, you do occasionally cast it off the leader, and it’s almost impossible to use when it’s cold outside. You’ve got to put in your pocket to keep it workable once it’s below 50 deg or so.
So it’s not perfect. But overall, it works very well for me. YMMV…
[This message has been edited by LigonierA1 (edited 31 March 2006).]
One advantage of the soft lead putty is that you can add or remove small amounts to get your weight just right.
I agree about the temperature senstivity, I keep mine in an inside pocket to keep it soft, and dip my line in the cold stream for a few seconds to firm it up before the first cast.
Don’t let the can sit in a warm car too long, it will flow around and seal the lid making it almost impossible to open.
Toobies would solve most of the problems that you mention. I have only played with them a little, but so far I like them. Anyone else with more experience with toobies, I’d like to hear what you think. My biggest problem is remembering to put one on before I tie on a fly.
That Toobies seems like a pretty interesting system. Any one else have experience with it?
Hi,
I’ve never used split shot, but generally will use two nymphs tied “truck and trailer”; tie the 2nd nymph to the bend of the hook of the first one. The first of the two is a heavy nymph (or a “bomb” in really fast water) and the 2nd would be a small one that needs the “help”. One could also reverse order them, and tie them on as per a team of wet flies and put the heavier (or heaviest if you do up a 3 nymph team) on the point. So, pick up a few really heavy tungston bead head nymphs, and fish a team of nymphs. Of course, do not do this if you are not allowed to fish multiple flies at a time! Here in New Zealand we’re allowed 3 flies on most rivers and lakes, but last year (or the year before?), some of the more popular areas only allowed two.
To adjust your “depth”, then adjust where you attach your strike indicator (if you use one). What I do, is spray a bag of egg yarn with silicon, let it dry, re-spray, re-dry etc until it’s good and water proofed. When you need a strike indicator, tear off some of this yarn. To tie it to your leader, you make a loop as if you are starting a simple overhand knot. With the line that is “on top” (of the loop), take it behind the loop and push a 2nd loop up through the first loop. Now, if you were to pull on this, it all comes untied, because it’s not really a knot. However, stick your “egg yarn” through the 2nd loop you formed, then pull tight. The yarn will act like a break, and gets held to the leader. When you want to remove your “indicator”, just push the line “together” and the “knot” loosens up. You can then tie your indicator at different points on your leader.
On the other hand, if you view strike indicators as “bobbers”, then ignore the last bit and tie on a big bushy Royal Wulfe, or a Stimulator, or Humpy, etc, and tie your nymphs to that. The size of your indicator… uh …dry fly will depend on how heavy a nymph you require to get deep.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=“1” face=“Verdana”>quote:</font><HR>That Toobies seems like a pretty interesting system. Any one else have experience with it?
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I sometimes use a section of LC-13 looped in in front of the tippit
Can’t say that it’s any better than split shot
“The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year”
Mark Twain
A guide out here keeps one of the tag ends on the leader-tippet connection or between pieces of leader if not using a tapered leader.
The split shot gets crimped onto the tag. If the split shot hangs up on something…pull…it’ll slip off the tag and you don’t lose your flies.
You also don’t have the problem of the crimped weights damaging your leader or tippet.
He uses it when nymphing for trout in fast moving water and for steel heading.
You don’t really “cast” the rig though…you just sort of fling it upstream, let it drift past you as you raise the rod (keep the weights right on the bottom), and lower the rod once it passes you heading downstream.
Let the current force the rig back to the top before lobbing it back upstream for another pass. If you fling it upstream without the flies being on top of the water, you’ll load your rod and the flies will likely tangle into a huge mess as they zing through the air. You really want to just flop it forward without loading your rod at all.
Drift it a handful of times and if you don’t get any hits, take a big step upstream and repeat.
Set the amount of line hanging out of your rod to just what you can high-stick in front of you with the weights just touching bottom. That determines how far upstream and downstream your drift goes.
He also uses a weighted fly (or multiple weighted flies) within the rig itself.
I’ve seen him set this up with a bead head nymp followed by an egg pattern and the weighted tag above the nymph when searching for steel head (got my first steel head last year on this set up).
[This message has been edited by Thwack (edited 03 April 2006).]
That is a pretty good idea. I’ll have to try it next time out. I’m going to try placeing the split shot right above the tippet leader connection, I think that will help with slipping and work well.
[This message has been edited by Ripper (edited 03 April 2006).]
Don’t use anything when nymphing anymore except “Loon Deep Soft Weight.” It’s easy to put on and take off and doesn’t seem to nick the leader or tippet material. I prefer to roll it on so that it ends up in a small torpedo shape on the tippet/leader. believe that results in less bottom and snag hang ups. Usually place it 12" to 18" up from the fly. Holding it in your hand for a short time makes it warm enough to work with and once it hits the cool/cold water it molds to the line very well.
Black tungsten beadhead.
Waterfox
I use sinking leaders quite a bit and they work very well. You could also use a C&D rig or a slinky set-up, but then you’ll be lobbing instead of casting.
…another vote for the Loon soft weight…I started using it this season…like others have pointed out its not the perfect
solution but i like it much better than dealing with shot…I also form it into a cigar shape on my line but one thing that wasn’t mentioned is its reusable. I peel it off my line and throw it back in the container…
Though i think it was around 5 or 6 bucks i have a feeling its going to last quite awhile…