Dry fly fishing ???
- Thread starter kruggy1
- Start date
MoscaPescador
Well-known member
Whether you tie your fly directly to your leader or tie to a tippet is up to you. I almost always add tippet to my tapered leaders. I do this to keep my leader from getting too short from repeated fly changes. If my tippet gets too short from repeated fly changes, I clip off the tippet and reattach a new tippet to my leader.
MP
MP
Pocono
Moderator
You can get tapered leader in a variety of forms.
Almost all of the fishing that I do is for trout; in the 8-20" range. For that type of fishing, I generally use Rio tapered leaders. I will often times match the length of the leader to the length of the rod; nothing special about that, it's just what I do. So, on my 9'0" Z-Axis 5 wt., I'm using a 9' tapered leader; ending in ether 4x or 5x; depending on whether I'm going to be fishing streamers or weighted nymphs (4x) or dries and un-weighed nymphs (5x). If I'm fishing for smaller fish (Brookies - in the 6-10" range), then I'm usually fishing a 7'6" 3 wt. rod; graphite or glass, with a 7'6" tapered leader; almost always ending in 5x.
I add tippet to all of my leaders, to get a little more subtle presentation (for me, a longer section of something like 5x just makes the presentation softer on the water; for dries, sort of like a natural "falling" out of the sky). I usually add about 2-3' of tippet to the end of the leader. So, my effective leader/tippet length for a 9' leader is on the order of 11-12'. With a 7'6" leader, it's 9'6"-10'6" (I grab the end of the tippet, extend my left arm and cut the tippet off the spool right in front of my nose; that's the level of measuring precision that I use).
I will usually add tippet that matches the end of the leader; if the leader ends in 4x, then I'll tie on 4x tippet; if it ends in 5x, then I'll tie on 5x tippet. Sometimes, I'll mix leader and tippet. When I do this, I always add a smaller diameter tippet to the leader. For example, I'll sometimes add 5x tippet to a leader that ends in 4x; or 6x tippet to a leader that ends in 5x. I rarely fish 6x or 7x tippet, but when I do, I'm usually tying it onto a leader that ends in 5x. And if I'm mixing leader and tippet sizes, I always go a little longer with the length of of the tippet, in an effort to get away from, or minimize, any "junction" effect that may occur during the lay-out of the cast.
For tippet, I use Rio's fluorocarbon. Whether it's really more invisible to fish in the water or not is something that I haven't found a way to test yet, but I do get pretty good results hooking fish with this tippet material. I tie tippet onto leader using a double surgeon's knot.
The fact that tying tippet onto your leader also extends the life of the leader is also a good point. I'll sometimes fish the same leader almost all season, but I'm going through a couple of rolls of tippet in that same time period.
Almost all of the fishing that I do is for trout; in the 8-20" range. For that type of fishing, I generally use Rio tapered leaders. I will often times match the length of the leader to the length of the rod; nothing special about that, it's just what I do. So, on my 9'0" Z-Axis 5 wt., I'm using a 9' tapered leader; ending in ether 4x or 5x; depending on whether I'm going to be fishing streamers or weighted nymphs (4x) or dries and un-weighed nymphs (5x). If I'm fishing for smaller fish (Brookies - in the 6-10" range), then I'm usually fishing a 7'6" 3 wt. rod; graphite or glass, with a 7'6" tapered leader; almost always ending in 5x.
I add tippet to all of my leaders, to get a little more subtle presentation (for me, a longer section of something like 5x just makes the presentation softer on the water; for dries, sort of like a natural "falling" out of the sky). I usually add about 2-3' of tippet to the end of the leader. So, my effective leader/tippet length for a 9' leader is on the order of 11-12'. With a 7'6" leader, it's 9'6"-10'6" (I grab the end of the tippet, extend my left arm and cut the tippet off the spool right in front of my nose; that's the level of measuring precision that I use).
I will usually add tippet that matches the end of the leader; if the leader ends in 4x, then I'll tie on 4x tippet; if it ends in 5x, then I'll tie on 5x tippet. Sometimes, I'll mix leader and tippet. When I do this, I always add a smaller diameter tippet to the leader. For example, I'll sometimes add 5x tippet to a leader that ends in 4x; or 6x tippet to a leader that ends in 5x. I rarely fish 6x or 7x tippet, but when I do, I'm usually tying it onto a leader that ends in 5x. And if I'm mixing leader and tippet sizes, I always go a little longer with the length of of the tippet, in an effort to get away from, or minimize, any "junction" effect that may occur during the lay-out of the cast.
For tippet, I use Rio's fluorocarbon. Whether it's really more invisible to fish in the water or not is something that I haven't found a way to test yet, but I do get pretty good results hooking fish with this tippet material. I tie tippet onto leader using a double surgeon's knot.
The fact that tying tippet onto your leader also extends the life of the leader is also a good point. I'll sometimes fish the same leader almost all season, but I'm going through a couple of rolls of tippet in that same time period.
peregrines
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Yup, I add about 2' of tippet to the end of the leader.
You'd want to use tippet that roughly corresponds to the size of your fly. Thinner tippet for smaller flies and thicker tippet for larger flies. The diameter is important to match up for better presentation. One way to do it is to divide hook size by 3 to get X size tippet, so a size 18 fly, divided by 3 = 6X tippet.
I use mono for tippets, and when tying on a length of tippet will try to keep the sections within two "X sizes" of each other to tranfer energy properly on the cast-- So for example if you have a leader that ends in 4X you could tie on a section of either 4X, 5X or 6X. But if you needed to go down to 7X for some reason, you might tie in a short 6" section of 5X or 6X in between.
You will also probably want some dry fly floatant. You can get a paste type floatant like DAB or Ghink for a couple bucks. Put a little bit on a finger, rub it with your thumb until it melts and then mush it into the hackle and body of the fly. Use it on any dry fly except those tied with CDC.
mark
You'd want to use tippet that roughly corresponds to the size of your fly. Thinner tippet for smaller flies and thicker tippet for larger flies. The diameter is important to match up for better presentation. One way to do it is to divide hook size by 3 to get X size tippet, so a size 18 fly, divided by 3 = 6X tippet.
I use mono for tippets, and when tying on a length of tippet will try to keep the sections within two "X sizes" of each other to tranfer energy properly on the cast-- So for example if you have a leader that ends in 4X you could tie on a section of either 4X, 5X or 6X. But if you needed to go down to 7X for some reason, you might tie in a short 6" section of 5X or 6X in between.
You will also probably want some dry fly floatant. You can get a paste type floatant like DAB or Ghink for a couple bucks. Put a little bit on a finger, rub it with your thumb until it melts and then mush it into the hackle and body of the fly. Use it on any dry fly except those tied with CDC.
mark
kruggy1
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Thanks everyone that helps out alot, hopefuly now i can just catch a trout!!!
Peregrines, I like the formula about dividing the hook size by 3, easy to remember and make sense. I do have dry fly floatent, I got gink gell and frog fanny powder, so how do you use the frog fanny, do you just brush/dip your moist fly or does your fly got to be dry(not moist).
Peregrines, I like the formula about dividing the hook size by 3, easy to remember and make sense. I do have dry fly floatent, I got gink gell and frog fanny powder, so how do you use the frog fanny, do you just brush/dip your moist fly or does your fly got to be dry(not moist).
peregrines
Super Moderator/Fly Swap Coordinator
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You put the Frogs Fanny on with the brush-- kind of poke it into the fly. You can use it on flies before you fish them, or to fluff them up after they've become slimed or water logged. It's great stuff.
Unlike the paste type flotants, Frogs Fanny also works with CDC, and you can even use it on wet flies and nymphs to trap air bubbles which gives them a very realistic sheen underwater.
mark
Unlike the paste type flotants, Frogs Fanny also works with CDC, and you can even use it on wet flies and nymphs to trap air bubbles which gives them a very realistic sheen underwater.
mark
Jimmie
Well-known member
Just don't walk up to the sales girl in the fishing department at Sports Chalet and ask if she's got "Frogs Fanny", like I did. She said "WHAT!", LOL. Took me 10 minutes to explain (dig out of the hole I made). She never heard of it. Guess what. They had it.
BigCliff
Well-known member
My wife had a similar experience a while back when she was trying to find these as a gift for me.