[TyreeUM]

Originally Posted by smitty9

Hmmm. Gotta say I disagree with the replies about not needing tippet. Here are the reasons to use tippet:

1) As you stated, the leader keeps getting cut back due to changing flies etc, so you may use tippet to restore the original length of the leader. Typically, but not always, 9 feet. To just use a new leader is unnecessary and expensive, if you are buying knotless tapered leaders. Plus, I can fix my leader faster than fart around with putting a new on one, even having a loop to loop connection.

2) You may be in a clear water situation, low water situation, spooky trout situation, and you may wish to add tippet to your leader thereby increasing the distance between the fly and the thicker part of the leader/fly line.

3) Adding finer tippet may also be appropriate in consideration of the size of fly you are using. Most people I talk to or articles of I have read generally follow the "rule of 3" or the "rule of 4" (depends who you talk to and your own judgment/experience). Divide your fly size by 3 or 4 and you have the ideal sized tippet you can use to "turn over" your fly. Example a size 12 fly would usually be most suitable for a 3x or 4x tippet. When possible, I use the heavier tippet to play the trout a bit faster.

4) Adding tippet correctly will help you overcome drag when presenting a dry fly.

5) Adding tippet also allows you to reach deeper depths when fishing chironomids in lakes. I am talking 15+ feet.

6) Some fellows use the knot tags from adding tippet to have multi-fly rigs.

Anyways, those are just some of the reasons to have tippet handy. Not to mention all the times I snap a fly off in trees, lol!

Oh, and let me say, the double / triple surgeons knot has failed me maybe a handful of times in 20+ years of flyfishing, and usually because I tied the knot poorly or my tippet was "old" (more than a couple of years, or prolonged exposure to UV). So don't be afraid of introducing a knot in your leader. You should not lose fish because of knots themselves; question the manner in which it was tied or the quality of the line!

Just a different perspective.

Smitty

well said...