----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, December 18, 2002 3:20
PM
Subject: RE: Leader, tippet preference,
blah blah
I
fish for trout on both lakes and streams.
I
use, exclusively, a 7 1/2' 3x Umpqua tapered leader. I then tie on
varying lengths of 3x, 4x, 5x and sometimes even 6x Rio FlouroFlex Plus
tippet (I think I experienced the bad batch early on... I got rid of it and
it's all better now).
3x
= streamers
4x = nymphing
5x
= standard dry fly fishing
6x
= delicate dry fly fishing (tricos/tiny midges/spring creek
conditions)
-tight lines-
Jim Speaker
I've listened to many knowledgable anglers
expound on the various merits of tapered leaders, and I've heard just as
many extol the virtues of hand-built or knotted leaders. I'd be
interested to see what preference there is in this group.
Also, there are so many different
brands of tippet available, what is your favorite brand and model, and
why? For example, for my dry fly fishing, I very much like Rio
Powerflex tippet. It is not a stiff or a limp, but something in
between, and I've had good luck being able to straighten the coils out of
it. Also, it seems to have one of the high breakage strengths
relative to diameter when compared to the other mono tippet
options.
I recall reading an article several years ago
about the different tippets; their knot strength, tensile strength, "true"
diameters, resistance to abrasion/knicks, etc. I recall the author
commenting that many anglers, particularly those fishing for anadramous
species, like Maxima because of its resistance to abrasion and
toughness. He pooh-poohed that perspective, and his test seemed to
bear that out. Notice I said "seemed"; I swear Maxima (say,
ultragreen) is much more tough than most other lines of an equivalent line
weight, and that is not based on a lab test, but on river and use
tests. Anway, other perspectives?
And, finally, what about mono vs.
fluorocarbon? How do y'all feel about fluorocarbon? I know a
couple of guys who LOVE that Rio Fluorflex Plus, but another guy who
absolutely hates it with a passion (I think he had a bad batch; broke off
a lot of fish with it, and didn't have the same scope of problem with
other brand material of the same diameter).
Now, back to work . . .
Richard
