Best Tippet Material?
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Hey Guys, what is your favorite leader/tippet material? I have been using the Rio fluro and I have not had good luck with the stuff. Maybe it’s just me and my hook set but, I have had it break off on the hook set a bunch of times. A friend and I went fishing with Mike Anderson this weekend and man did we lay into them. I used my new Zaxis 5 weight with a 6x Rio Fluro tippet. I snapped off a whole bunch of good’uns. ;D I switched over to Mike’s SLT rod (had another type of tippet material) and started landing fish. I lost a 20” or so Smallmouth on a trip to Pickwick that I hooked on a Rplxi 6 weight with a heavy Rio Fluro tippet. What gives? Anybody else had any problems with this stuff? Is it the brand/type of material or just the bone head using it?
Todd you aren’t the first to have issues with Flouro tippet material. I don’t know what happens to the stuff but some friends of mine have had a few spools go bad as well. As a lot of folks here know I use the 200 yard spools of Seaguar carbon pro or Maxima has a new 100% fluro line out (spinning gear line) in 2, 4, 6, and 8 pound test. I spool it up on regular tippet spools with a drill.
I do keep a real spool of 7x fluro tippet just in case they get really picky but I rarely if ever use the stuff.My brother has sworn to me that fluoro doesn’t hold up like regular tippet—but I disagree:
Key things that I see–which make a huge difference for me:
Don’t let the stuff get too hot—-NEVER leave it in a hot car.
If it gets dunked, take the elastics off all the spools and let them dry by a fan.Hey Dub,
I hear you guys had a great trip. I generally use any 9′ 5x leader to the point fly. After that, I drop a smaller fly off the hook bend with Frogs Hair fluoro, usually in 6x.
I am a firm believer in the Frogs Hair for fishing the places you were at this weekend. i have fewer lost fish and fewer lost flies as well.
I am also fond of those fast action Sage rods. It took some getting used to and I had to adjust my hookset. I love the way they will cast a double nymph rig with some shot and an indicator 😎
Curtis
I used the Rio fluoro for several years. But switched to the orvis fluoro a couple of years ago. It’s less expensive and seems a little more supple to me.
Greg
Rio Fluoro works for me I know a guide that swears by it! A bit pricey though. The Powerflex is really good too. When I tie my own leaders I use Maxima except for the tippet. I once heard Mike Lawson from Henry’s fork Angler say he cut the tippet off his new knotless leaders and tied on fresh tippet because he didn’t trust them. A guy with as much experience as him catching big fish makes you wonder if he knows something we don’t!
Interesting thread, and obviously lots of opinions out there.
I rarely use Fluro. Even in the Gin clear freestone rivers of NZ where we usually throw 18-22 feet of leader & tippett down to 6x.
Isn’t the idea to have the fish see the fly first NOT the tippett?I like both Rio Powerflex and Froghair in mono neither of which have ever let me down. For chucking big foam flies the stiffness of the brown Maxima is hard to beat.
Tha only application I can find for Fluro is for very fussy surface feeders in low flow, glassy conditions where it is important to have the tippet sink. Rio Fluroex plus or Frog Hair Fluro is great ( in 6 & 7x anyway)
For real heavy nymphing where a level Fluro leader helps you get down quick, and in the salt where abrasion is an issue I like Nitlon….I’m stuck on Rio FlouroFlex Plus. It’s been very, very good to me.
Using two identical nymphing rigs in all but the flouro on a spring creek a while back, the guy with mono went virtually fishless. That proved to the both of us that that stuff works.
As for Maxima, the reason it seems so strong and stiff is because it is always oversize. I’m betting most any tippet material that runs .001-.003″ over would behave the same way.
Jes sayin’…
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