Tippet Material of Choice?

[GARYB]

Why are all these old posts coming back ?? Is somebody bumping them, some are interesting, but they are confusing, seeing the old member's posts. Remember Joe T
and Willow, there was one crazy cat.

[bkill]

Why are all these old posts coming back ?? Is somebody bumping them, some are interesting, but they are confusing, seeing the old member's posts. Remember Joe T
and Willow, there was one crazy cat.

I hear what your saying Gary...Last week I was happy to see Corndog back on the Forum, only to be disappointed with a 2 year old thread....

[eddavidson9]

And don't forget the blood knot takes a little practice but I think it's a stronger knot than the surgeons

try testing it...i think you'll be surprised. in my experience the benefits to a blood knot include a slightly smaller knot diamter (depending on line diameter), tags at 90 degrees from the line (for droppers) and a straight (rather than angled, as with surgeons) connection, but decidedly not strength.

[leakywaders]

try testing it...i think you'll be surprised. in my experience the benefits to a blood knot include a slightly smaller knot diamter (depending on line diameter), tags at 90 degrees from the line (for droppers) and a straight (rather than angled, as with surgeons) connection, but decidedly not strength.

I have tested it although not scientifically but side by side and the bloodknot always held up better. It would be good to see some more controled data on this. I do know several guides that agree the bloodknot is their go to knot for leader to tippet and that is why I started learning to tie it. But if you have trouble getting it down the surgeons knot is fine.

[gadfly]

If I had to tie blood knots on the stream, I'd never have time to actually catch fish. I just started using blood knots to tie my own leaders, but I'll stick with the surgeon's while stream side.

For the folks just learning the surgeon's knot, the knot's strength completely depends on seating it correctly when you tighten it. I've found the best method is to pull all four ends until the knot is just about seated, then pull only on the two long ends. And as with any knot, test it before you fish it.

[redietz]

If I had to tie blood knots on the stream, I'd never have time to actually catch fish. I just started using blood knots to tie my own leaders, but I'll stick with the surgeon's while stream side.

I seem to be the odd one here, I find a blood knot to much easier to tie than a surgeon's knot. I'll grant that the latter is stronger, but I can't seem to tie one in tippet material without resorting to a tool of some sort. (It's conceptually an easier knot, my fingers just don't seem to want to tie it, though)

Plus, I can re-tie a blood knot without cutting off the fly first.

[papabearoutdoors]

If I had to tie blood knots on the stream, I'd never have time to actually catch fish. I just started using blood knots to tie my own leaders, but I'll stick with the surgeon's while stream side.

For the folks just learning the surgeon's knot, the knot's strength completely depends on seating it correctly when you tighten it. I've found the best method is to pull all four ends until the knot is just about seated, then pull only on the two long ends. And as with any knot, test it before you fish it.

i agree -- the surgeons is the most practical way to go if youre mid stream. do you do twice around and one through? or once and twice through?

redietz -- if your fingers give you trouble i think the twice around method is the easiest way to go.

if you test it and take care to pull all the end thoroughly with the long strands as the last stop before nipperville...... it works just fine.

[gadfly]

I make one loop, then wrap the ends through the loop twice. I wasn't aware there was another method. Are you saying that you can make a doubled loop and then wrap the ends through once?

[chromefinder]

Dry Fly Fishing = Orvis Super Strong Nylon

Nymphing = Orvis Super Strong Nylon and if necessary Seaguar Fluorocarbon

Streamers and Big Uglies = Maxima

[LyNcH]

For flurocarbon and steelhead - handsdown - Seaguar Grandmax

For swinging streamers: Maxima ultragreen or chameleon.

[CatskillKid]

For flat out Mono leaders the Cabela's, the Rio and the Frog Hair are all good commercially available options, the best is without doubt the Frog Hair because of it's dull finish it possesses a better refraction index than the others. The most affordable is the Cabela's, it seems to be exactly the same as the Orvis for half the price.

I personally tie my own leaders though and I STRONGLY prefer and reccomend Maxima Chameleon butt sections and mid sections and front sections made of the mono of your choice, take Frog Hair if you can pay the bucks, otherwise just go with Cabela's and you'll love the darn stuff.

[Joe D]

Cabela's leader and tippet material are made by Climax. They are not the same as Orvis Super Strong.