Tippet is essential in any fly angler’s tackle when targeting trout. It is also a complicated subject; with so many brands, sizes, and types, many anglers get confused when faced with a wall of tippet in a fly shop. As a beginner, I was confused for many years and often made mistakes when selecting and using tippet. I still make many mistakes, but I now put much more thought and priority into my tippet. In this article, I share my general thoughts on tippet and give my opinion on debated topics relating to tippet.
Why Use Tippet?
Standard tapered leaders are common in the industry. These leaders are often 7.5 or 9 feet long and taper down in thickness to a desired tippet size. Tapered leaders are ready to fish out of the packaging and satisfy many fishing scenarios without adjustment. So why do we need a tippet?
Inevitably, as we lose flies in the bushes or tie on new ones, our leader gets cut back to the thicker portion. When this happens, one could replace the leader with a fresh one. However, this can get expensive and take lots of time on the river. Rather than replacing the leader, we use tippet to lengthen the leader down to the appropriate size for the fishing scenario. Using tippet extends the life of our leader and allows us to customize our leaders for different situations on the river.
Tippet has many uses, as anglers use it to tie dry dropper rigs or lengthen their leader for specific scenarios. Many anglers add extra tippet to their leader to catch spooky trout or achieve a unique drift. I often lengthen standard leaders out of the packaging when dry fly fishing, as I prefer a longer tippet in these scenarios.
What Tippet Size Do I Use?
Tippets vary in size, with the standard system measuring diameters in x’s. The most often used sizes in trout fishing range from 0X to 6X. The size of the tippet I use depends on a few factors.
What size of fly am I fishing?
The smaller the fly, the smaller the tippet I use. The lighter tippet on small flies allows for a more natural drift, the fly to sink faster, and it is easier to fit through the eye of the hook. In general, here are the corresponding tippet and hook sizes I use.
Hook Size #2 to #8 – Tippet size 0x to 3x
Hook Size #10 to #14 – Tippet size 3x, 4x, or 5x
Hook Size #16 to #22 – Tippet size 4x, 5x, or 6x
How pressured are the fish?
Trout in the Greater Yellowstone Region see varying amounts of pressure. Some fisheries are very busy, which makes the trout much more challenging to catch than in other lakes and streams. If I am fishing one of these pressured fisheries, I err on the lighter side when it comes to my tippet. The small tippet allows the flies to drift more naturally, which is critical when the fish see many flies a season.
Tippet size is not as big of a factor on less pressured fisheries. Rarely is it required to use light tippets on these fisheries as the trout are easier to catch and less wary of anglers trying to catch them. These are the fisheries we all dream of.
What are the stream flows?
Generally, the higher the gradient of the river and the faster the stream flows, the heavier the tippet an angler can get away with. The fish has less time to look at your offering and must make a quick decision to eat your fly or not. The heavier tippet helps when fighting fish in this fast water as well.
A lighter tippet may be required on slower streams as the trout has more time to inspect your drift. Low water also puts fish on edge and can cause them to be extra spooky, which may require a lighter tippet.
We have a variety of streams in the region that contrast in this aspect. A great example would be comparing the Ranch of the Henrys Fork to the Upper Madison—two completely different rivers with unique characteristics. On the Ranch, many anglers use light tippets (5x-6x) to fool the picky rainbows in slow, flat water. Heavier tippets like 3x and 4x are much more common on the upper Madison. The Ranch is a much slower, technical stream, while the Madison has many fast riffles that require stronger tippets to fight fish in.
What size of trout do I expect to catch?
The last factor I consider when choosing tippet size is the size of trout I suspect to be in the river. If there is a potential for a large trout, I will try to get away with the heaviest tippet I can. The stronger tippet will give me a better chance to land the fish quickly, surviving any abrasions during the fight. I’ll probably lose the fish anyway, but I like to stack the odds in my favor.
Flurocarbon or Monofilament?
Many anglers debate whether to use fluorocarbon (fluro) or monofilament (mono) tippet. The two have a few inherent differences, and the most widely accepted answer is it depends on the fishing scenario.
I prefer fluorocarbon when fishing subsurface, whether nymphing, lake fishing, or streamer fishing. I find fluorocarbon sinks faster, reflects less light, and is stronger at small diameters than monofilaments. The con of fluorocarbon is how expensive it is, often pushing $20 for a spool of 30 yards. It is worth the cost as an angler who wants to put the odds in my favor on any given day.
I will use either when fishing dry flies, though monofilament is often my first choice. Monofilament sits on the surface and does not sink my fly when using a long tippet section (3ft or longer) like fluorocarbon does. Monofilament is also much cheaper, which helps when I go through a lot of tippet dry fly fishing. I will use fluorocarbon when dry fly fishing, though, as I trust its strength in the smaller sizes. I am consistently surprised with how strong the 5x and 6x fluorocarbon tippet is.
Does brand matter?
To me, the brand does not matter when selecting a tippet. I will use whatever brand name tippet (none of the cheap stuff), especially if it is on sale. Some tippet brands have lower breaking strength compared to others, but I rarely have issues with tippet breaking. My knots often fail before the tippet breaks. The brands I use most often are Rio, Orvis, and Scientific Anglers.
Some anglers will buy conventional fishing line spools to use for their tippet. A brand I have seen somewhat often is Seaguar. These lines work well and may save you a little money in the long run, but I rarely use them for tippets. I prefer standard fly fishing tippets for their small spools as they fit easily on my tippet holders or in my pockets.
Other Thoughts and Considerations Regarding Tippet.
A few things I consider when choosing tippet include
How fast will it sink?
The smaller diameter tippets will sink flies quicker than heavier tippets when fishing subsurface. They have less density and will better sink and sit tight under indicators/dry flies. I believe this also helps with indicator sensitivity, giving your indicator (or dry fly) a better chance to move when a fish eats. In my humble opinion, considering how your tippet sinks and acts underwater makes a big difference between catching and not catching fish.
It's a balancing act
Choosing the proper tippet is a game we play each day on the river. It is a balancing act. Considering the many factors, we want to fish the heaviest tippet we can get away with (able to fool a fish on). Fishing a light tippet will fool fish and give your flies a more natural drift, but they limit your fish-fighting ability with a greater chance of breaking off or over-fighting the trout. Using a heavy tippet will help fight fish quickly and withstand abrasions during the fight, but it often hinders your drift in some way, potentially spooking fish. With practice, you figure out this equation on the river. It just takes reps.
Do not use an old tippet
I like to replace my tippet spools often, and I will not use a tippet spool much older than a year. Mono and fluro can wear down with time, and as I said before, I like all the factors I can control in my favor.
Streamer fishing
When streamer fishing, tippet does not matter as much. I use a strong tippet, often 10lb or stronger (0x-2x), that I trust to survive any abrasions throughout the day. Fish that eat streamers do not have time to see nor care about the line attached to the fly. I highly recommend not fishing small tippets when streamer fishing, as the fly will break off almost every time. Smaller tippets do not hold knots well on the big hooks many streamers are tied on.
Replace the tippet when damaged
Feel free to switch out the tippet when you find abrasions or knots in the tippet. These often result in broken tippets and lost fish when we anglers are too lazy to tie a few more knots. I tie on a fresh section of tippet as I know it can make the difference in landing the trout of my dreams or having another story about the one that got away.
Tying knots between fluorocarbon and monofilament
Some anglers do not connect fluorocarbon to monofilament tippet as they say it is a poor connection and will break. In my experience, I have not had any problems and regularly connect mono to fluro with triple surgeons knots.
Check out another article I wrote on long tippets and dry fly fishing.
Final Thoughts
I hope my thoughts on tippet help you the next time you face a large tippet wall in a fly shop. Ultimately, knowing what you want your drifts and flies to look like to the fish will help you decide which tippet to use.
Using the proper tippet is one of the significant differences between anglers catching and not catching trout. So often, a change in tippet trumps any changes made in fly selection.
Head out to your local river and try a variety of tippet sizes and types. See for yourself how different tippets perform so you can make informed decisions on the river.
Good luck out there,
Nick
2 thoughts on “My Thoughts On Tippet”
SA and Orvis is my go to leader/tippet. I’ve been using SA since I was 14 years and today I turned 57. The SA with the green tint is my go to, but I’m having a tough time finding it.
Awesome Dan! I enjoy their line and have never had any problems with it.