To the Dry or die guys

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Brooks
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Re: To the Dry or die guys

#21

Post by Brooks »

DaveNJ wrote:
Bill Moschler wrote:I never seem to have the choice of sinking or floating tippet. I am working hard just to keep the fly floating. Beyond that, if the fly is drifting well, I do not pay much attention. I use Rio leaders and a piece of Rio tippet. Not flurocarbon for drys.

I am not a dry or die, but dry is now I fish most of the time. Anything else is too hard.
Use a Gink type solution to grease your tippet.
An interesting thing about Gink and floatants on your leader. They work good at first. But then after a while they will attract the micro-dirt and scum in the water and will cause your leader to break through the surface film quicker. So keep on them, wiping them clean, and re-applying.
Try a squeaky clean brand new mono leader and tippet and watch how well they float without any floatant on them (providing you've straightened all the coils out).

Same thing happens to your floating flyline tip. It starts to sink, so you gink it up, and it works again for a bit, but then sinks after awhile. Try scouring it clean and it will float again (unless it's a cracked line, or has water in the hollow core, or it's just a crappy floater).

If you're bored during quarantini time at night, set up a glass of water next to your cocktail and mess around with some little chunks of mono and flouro, and greased up, etc. Mono really hangs in the surface film really well. Then poke at the pieces and see what it takes to sink them.
It's quite revealing.

Don't mix up your drinks. I need to put on my mask and go buy some more gin.

DaveNJ
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Re: To the Dry or die guys

#22

Post by DaveNJ »

Brooks wrote:
DaveNJ wrote:
Bill Moschler wrote:I never seem to have the choice of sinking or floating tippet. I am working hard just to keep the fly floating. Beyond that, if the fly is drifting well, I do not pay much attention. I use Rio leaders and a piece of Rio tippet. Not flurocarbon for drys.

I am not a dry or die, but dry is now I fish most of the time. Anything else is too hard.
Use a Gink type solution to grease your tippet.
An interesting thing about Gink and floatants on your leader. They work good at first. But then after a while they will attract the micro-dirt and scum in the water and will cause your leader to break through the surface film quicker. So keep on them, wiping them clean, and re-applying.
Try a squeaky clean brand new mono leader and tippet and watch how well they float without any tippet (providing you've straightened all the coils out).

Same thing happens to your floating flyline tip. It starts to sink, so you gink it up, and it works again for a bit, but then sinks after awhile. Try scouring it clean and it will float again (unless it's a cracked line, or has water in the hollow core, or it's just a crappy floater).

If you're bored during quarantini time at night, set up a glass of water next to your cocktail and mess around with some little chunks of mono and flouro, and greased up, etc. Mono really hangs in the surface film really well. Then poke at the pieces and see what it takes to sink them.
It's quite revealing.

Don't mix up your drinks. I need to put on my mask and go buy some more gin.
This makes sense, thank you! I've noticed some of this when using a certain setup for an extended period of time.

Bee
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Re: To the Dry or die guys

#23

Post by Bee »

I dont recall when I started using flouro for tippets, actually. But once I started I never stopped. You do know the leading worldwide sales on flouro tippets is out of two shops in Last Chance? (joke).
I use a 15 foot basic mono leader to 3 X /4X and will add another 4-5 feet plus of 5x and X flouro . I' m fishing larger pieces of water on highly highly educated and technical fish on most days. Much of it is crystal clear. Long long downstream floats to picky fish. More of it back east these days than out west.

I will edit to say on the larger rivers Im using a 10 ft (plastic ;.) ) rod. Gulp
Last edited by Bee on 05/24/20 11:19, edited 2 times in total.

caddisman4
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Re: To the Dry or die guys

#24

Post by caddisman4 »

Wow Bee,turning over a 20ft leader would be a tough proposition for me,12-14 max for me.

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Brooks
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Re: To the Dry or die guys

#25

Post by Brooks »

Bee wrote:I dont recall when I started using flouro for tippets, actually. But once I started I never stopped. You do know the leading worldwide sales on flouro tippets is out of two shops in Last Chance? (joke). Like the Seagur but cannot seem to find the Grand Max anymore.

I use a 15 foot basic mono leader to 3 X /4X and will add another 4-5 feet plus of 5x and X flouro . I' m fishing larger pieces of water on highly highly educated and technical fish on most days. Much of it is crystal clear. Long long downstream floats to picky fish. More of it back east these days than out west.
I would tend to agree with you on all points. Leaders and tippets are kind of like flies. You get confidence in a certain one, you fish it more, and viole'!, you're catching more fish!
(Bee I was responding to your post before you edited out the 'funny' "pre 91" parts ;-)

DUCKMANNM
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Re: To the Dry or die guys

#26

Post by DUCKMANNM »

I'm still partial to the old Daiwa Maxima chameleon, but the trout keep hitting the knots in the leader instead of my fly! If I could figure out how to tie a small hook into the knots that would be the bomb! I wouldn't even have to look for a fly, just the rises!

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Caneghost
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Re: To the Dry or die guys

#27

Post by Caneghost »

DUCKMANNM's post reminds me of tying mono bodied midges for stubborn fish on the Falling Spring a couple of decades ago, so I did have a hook in my knots. They worked!

I have used Flouroflex Plus since it came out, and I have confidence in it. I don't treat it with anything as I know that presentation is the key: controlled slack in the tippet, the proper angle, etc.

My more or less standard anymore is a 12' 3X Rio leader, 20" or so of 4X Flouroflex and then 3 1/2 to 5 feet of 5X Flouroflex unless it is big fly time, then the 4X grows to 4 to 5 feet and is the tippet. When I have to fish 6X I either build that leader out or start with a 12' 4X. I try to avoid 6X as I prefer to play fish hard and land them as quickly and in as good shape as possible. The leader and tippet must be balanced to the fly, and that means minor adjustments to cope with wind, change of fly, etc.
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upstate
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Re: To the Dry or die guys

#28

Post by upstate »

I don't worry too much whether the tippet sinks or floats. The trout sees what it wants to see(the trigger) and pretty much ignores the rest. After all why would a trout eat a bug with a hook sticking out of it's tail!

Tom

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CDCdun
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Re: To the Dry or die guys

#29

Post by CDCdun »

Dry fly only guy here. I also don’t pay much attention to my leader/tippet other than how long it is and final diameter. I use nylon, so I suspect it’s floating most of the time, which I suppose I prefer. Currents on top of the water and currents below the water aren’t necessarily the same. I usually want the tippet in the same current as the fly, so I want it to float, but I don’t treat it and I don’t typically watch to see if it’s floating. If my fly is floating well, that’s what matters. Far more important is how long your tippet, followed by diameter.

Jake

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