[JayO]

Hi everyone,

I am brand new to fishing with a fly and have been fishing ( bait cast ) for about 17 years now. A friend of mine sold me an Albright 9'/8# with a Guide Series X3 #7/8 for a real good price so i said what the heck... Anyway, after picking up a few books and about three week's ( shadow casting, roll casting ) of an hour a day practice i picked it up good, so i thought!

My first question is with the tippet, is it normal to beat the hell out of it when you first start out? I can last about a half hour before it turns into a train wreck and i figured it was my stalling at the back cast or the knot that i used to tie the leader with ( surgeon ) ... should i try another? I am dead set and keep reminding myself of where my rod is and giving the line time to play out with my stalling but every now and then the tippet hit's my pole. I am using Lefty Kreh WF-8-F with an 8 weight tippet. I plan on using this here in the Gulf where i live for saltwater and playing around at the spring creek.

I know this is a kinda long post, but i gotta tell ya'... i tossed the bait cast rig and am not even looking at it after three week's of using a fly rig, BEAUTIFUL feeling and even though i train wreck now and then i am beside myself for discovering fly fishing!

Train wrecking my leader, can anyone help?

Wonderful forum i might add!

Jay

[tbrillinger223]

Originally Posted by JayO

Hi everyone,

I am brand new to fishing with a fly and have been fishing ( bait cast ) for about 17 years now. A friend of mine sold me an Albright 9'/8# with a Guide Series X3 #7/8 for a real good price so i said what the heck... Anyway, after picking up a few books and about three week's ( shadow casting, roll casting ) of an hour a day practice i picked it up good, so i thought!

My first question is with the tippet, is it normal to beat the hell out of it when you first start out? I can last about a half hour before it turns into a train wreck and i figured it was my stalling at the back cast or the knot that i used to tie the leader with ( surgeon ) ... should i try another? I am dead set and keep reminding myself of where my rod is and giving the line time to play out with my stalling but every now and then the tippet hit's my pole. I am using Lefty Kreh WF-8-F with an 8 weight tippet. I plan on using this here in the Gulf where i live for saltwater and playing around at the spring creek.

I know this is a kinda long post, but i gotta tell ya'... i tossed the bait cast rig and am not even looking at it after three week's of using a fly rig, BEAUTIFUL feeling and even though i train wreck now and then i am beside myself for discovering fly fishing!

Train wrecking my leader, can anyone help?

Wonderful forum i might add!

Jay

Jay,

Train wrecking seems to be a very technical term. Just kidding.try tying a piece of yarn or a smaller fly cut off at the bend to help absorb the landing of the tippet. Reminding yourself is good practice, but watch behind you... On your back cast turn and watch where your rod tip is, that will definitely help keep you from rushing the cast.You stated you are using an 8#, weight forward floating line. It has a tapered head the flows in to the shooting line,(where the line goes from fat to skinny)try pulling 2 arm lengths of line after the taper and cast with that. Remember, you are casting the line not the fly. Also the more line that you have out beyond the rod tip is more rod movement you need to get the tip of the line moving. Hope this helps you keep your leaders and tippets in good shape and catch more fish.

[Frank Whiton]

Hi Jay,

Welcome to the wonderful world of fly fishing. Your post is a little confusing to me but maybe I can sort out some of your trouble. Its great that you have some books but if you want to learn fast with no one to help you, get a casting video/DVD. Look at this post for some recommendations.

You talk about leader/tippet hitting your rod. What about the fly or are you practicing with out a fly? If you are having a problem with the fly hitting the rod I can understand that. You should not be beating up your leader. When you say you are "Train wrecking my leader", do you mean the leader or the tippet. Try to explain just what you are doing when you beat up your leader.

One thing you might try is to make your back cast in a different plane than you make your front cast. It is like a modified Belgium cast if your books cover the Belgium cast. The best way I know to practice is to do "Pick-up and Lay-downs". Do your pickup and back cast waiting for your back cast to straighten and then do a forward cast and let the forward cast land on the water like you were fishing. Look at the line and leader laying on the water. They should be straight and you leader completely turned over. Start your back cast with the rod on a slight side tilt and then make your forward cast more vertical. To make this work you have to wait for your back cast to fully extend.

If you could give a little more information I think we can help you with your problem. You may be using too short of a casting arc keeping your rod too vertical.

[Jakeway]

What do you mean by "8 weight tippet"? By chance are you using an 8X tippet?

An 8 weight rod is usually used for larger flies; if you're using larger flies or are going for larger sized fish, you probably could get by with an 0X - 3X. (Tippets have larger X numbers for thinner tippets.)

I usually use 8 lb Vanish Flourocarbon for my tippets on my 7 weight bass rod.

[Fishstick]

Humm.....Is the tippet splintering? Are you by chance cracking the whip on your cast?

When I started out, the first problem I had to overcome was applying too much power to the rod. When lawn casting, I would crack the whip and the tippet would splinter. This may not be what you are talking about, if it is, try easing back some and let the rod do what it is supposed to do. You must become one with the rod grasshopper.........

P.S. Welcome to the world of flyfishing.....

[JayO]

Originally Posted by tbrillinger223

Jay,

Train wrecking seems to be a very technical term. Just kidding.try tying a piece of yarn or a smaller fly cut off at the bend to help absorb the landing of the tippet. Reminding yourself is good practice, but watch behind you... On your back cast turn and watch where your rod tip is, that will definitely help keep you from rushing the cast.You stated you are using an 8#, weight forward floating line. It has a tapered head the flows in to the shooting line,(where the line goes from fat to skinny)try pulling 2 arm lengths of line after the taper and cast with that. Remember, you are casting the line not the fly. Also the more line that you have out beyond the rod tip is more rod movement you need to get the tip of the line moving. Hope this helps you keep your leaders and tippets in good shape and catch more fish.

I use the term "train wrecking" due to my tippet crashing into my rod on my forward cast now and then. Tippet is the 9' foot mono i hope?

I use this term due to my watching the line pile up and collect into my rod & it remind me of a train wreck and am wondering if it's all angle?

[JayO]

Originally Posted by Frank Whiton

Hi Jay,

Welcome to the wonderful world of fly fishing. Your post is a little confusing to me but maybe I can sort out some of your trouble. Its great that you have some books but if you want to learn fast with no one to help you, get a casting video/DVD. Look at this post for some recommendations.

You talk about leader/tippet hitting your rod. What about the fly or are you practicing with out a fly? If you are having a problem with the fly hitting the rod I can understand that. You should not be beating up your leader. When you say you are "Train wrecking my leader", do you mean the leader or the tippet. Try to explain just what you are doing when you beat up your leader.

One thing you might try is to make your back cast in a different plane than you make your front cast. It is like a modified Belgium cast if your books cover the Belgium cast. The best way I know to practice is to do "Pick-up and Lay-downs". Do your pickup and back cast waiting for your back cast to straighten and then do a forward cast and let the forward cast land on the water like you were fishing. Look at the line and leader laying on the water. They should be straight and you leader completely turned over. Start your back cast with the rod on a slight side tilt and then make your forward cast more vertical. To make this work you have to wait for your back cast to fully extend.

If you could give a little more information I think we can help you with your problem. You may be using too short of a casting arc keeping your rod too vertical.

Frank,

Thank you for the link and i will pick up a CD on casting.

Bear in mind i am brand new when i ask this... Is the leader the same thing as a tippet? and i was tying on just a leader to my fly line and nothing more, just fly line and 9' 8 pound leader and feel i am missing something?

What the heck is a tippet anyway?

[JayO]

Originally Posted by Frank Whiton

Hi Jay,

Welcome to the wonderful world of fly fishing. Your post is a little confusing to me but maybe I can sort out some of your trouble. Its great that you have some books but if you want to learn fast with no one to help you, get a casting video/DVD. Look at this post for some recommendations.

You talk about leader/tippet hitting your rod. What about the fly or are you practicing with out a fly? If you are having a problem with the fly hitting the rod I can understand that. You should not be beating up your leader. When you say you are "Train wrecking my leader", do you mean the leader or the tippet. Try to explain just what you are doing when you beat up your leader.

One thing you might try is to make your back cast in a different plane than you make your front cast. It is like a modified Belgium cast if your books cover the Belgium cast. The best way I know to practice is to do "Pick-up and Lay-downs". Do your pickup and back cast waiting for your back cast to straighten and then do a forward cast and let the forward cast land on the water like you were fishing. Look at the line and leader laying on the water. They should be straight and you leader completely turned over. Start your back cast with the rod on a slight side tilt and then make your forward cast more vertical. To make this work you have to wait for your back cast to fully extend.

If you could give a little more information I think we can help you with your problem. You may be using too short of a casting arc keeping your rod too vertical.

Sorry.... i was talking about 8 pound test and was using a tapered leader that i thought was a tippet by scientific anglers. Now today at Gander mountain i picked up a small spool of tippet 2x.8.8 lb so i am not sure what to do.

Do i use the tippet on the leader?

[JayO]

Originally Posted by Fishstick

Humm.....Is the tippet splintering? Are you by chance cracking the whip on your cast?

When I started out, the first problem I had to overcome was applying too much power to the rod. When lawn casting, I would crack the whip and the tippet would splinter. This may not be what you are talking about, if it is, try easing back some and let the rod do what it is supposed to do. You must become one with the rod grasshopper.........

P.S. Welcome to the world of flyfishing.....

YES!

I am cracking the whip and it's not all the time mind me.... I think i am doing something really stupid and here is my set up,:

Fly line/ leader and that is it!

I thought i was using tippet like i told frank, but do i use tippet on the leader?

Another thing is the knots used?

I use the surgeon loop to tying into my leader and hope this is the right knot?

[lryansl]

Tippet is used for saving your tappered leader if you have one. So if you had a tappered leader you would use it till say it gets short enough that its at about 4 lbs at the end then you would tie on a tippet of slightly less size like a 3lb tippet which would be like 6x or 7x or some where around there so that way you wouldnt lose your tappered leader cause they can become costly.
I hope that makes some sense i believe im correct it what im saying unless someone says other wise.