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Tippet Tip: Step Down in Size Gradually
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September 02, 2010
Tippet Tip: Step Down in Size Gradually
By Kirk Deeter
The reason there's no giant rainbow trout photo here, and instead a video on how to tie a double surgeon's knot is simple:
Because I was too lazy yesterday to tie an extra double surgeon's knot (which takes about 15 seconds), so the 20-plus inch rainbow trout that ate my grasshopper fly along the river bank, broke me clean off.
I was stupid, and thought that I could splice a new strand of 4X tippet straight onto a shortened leader, that had to be about 2X in diameter. The result was an awkward, mismatched knot, that broke easily. The lesson: Step down in tippet sizes. Instead of going from 2x to 4X, take the time to tie on a strand of 3X in the middle.
The transition tippet can spell the difference between success and failure, especially when you tangle with big fish.
Deeter
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Comments (7)
What? Deeter make a rookie mistake? lol
The double surgeons knot was taught to me many years ago by a then very old man named Gene. Since that time I have called it the Gene Knot. I have begun rigging my leaders with blood knots but on the stream the Gene Knot is much easier to tie.
Surgeons knots are especially difficult to tie with hard leader and tippet material such as Masons but the stiff material turns flies over soooooooo well.
Don't like it! the reason you get diameter disparity in the first place is because you used those surgeons knots!! I would have no problem trusting 4x to 2x using a blood knot...just make another wrap, or two with the 4x than you do with the 2x. I have far less leader to trim off on the upstream end of my leader not reducing its diameter.
Blood knot....always. It's easier to me than the Surgeons knot.
Did you see how much leader the demonstrator had to trim off on the upside portion of the leader?..I don't care about the tippet portion. I can just use 3-4 inches more of it to come out the length I want, but I do not want to use up my leader diameter above the tippet. If that guy tied on 3 new tippets he'd use up a foot of his leader above the tippet! Deeter is right about blood knots not being good for too great of difference in the diameters being joined, but I don't consider going from 2x to 4x being that great...if it were 0x to 4x I'd include another section, but not that. You can just make more turns with the smaller diameter, and compensate for the disparity if it isn't too great. If you believe you have to drop down no more than .001 ea. time than a guy tying his own leaders will have lots, and lots of knots to get a tapered leader...6" of X, and 6" of y, and 6" of z, and on, and on. I've seen those formulas, and don't think it is necessary.
Deet ~ Hate to piss in your Cheerios but I'll tie a variation of the blood knot taught me by Lefty Kreh and his buddy Mark Sosin. It's the "Simple Blood Knot" and makes life in the middle of the stream so much easier. Rookie! But you're man enough to cop to it so a tip of my Tom Horn hat to you...
how many trout now?
Rookie! But you're man enough to cop to it so a tip of my Tom Horn hat to you
More explanation from my flyfishing point of view on knots. I use that surgeons knot on leaders for wet tip flylines, sinking tips. The leader is shorter, and no need for a perfect taper. My steelhead wet tip leader would be 5-6ft long going from 20 lb test to 15 lb test to an 8 lb tippet. No need to know the diameters, just taper down fast with big differences in diameters, and that surgeons knot is a good one...the best for uneven diameters which is Deeter's message, and a good one.
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Don't like it! the reason you get diameter disparity in the first place is because you used those surgeons knots!! I would have no problem trusting 4x to 2x using a blood knot...just make another wrap, or two with the 4x than you do with the 2x. I have far less leader to trim off on the upstream end of my leader not reducing its diameter.
What? Deeter make a rookie mistake? lol
The double surgeons knot was taught to me many years ago by a then very old man named Gene. Since that time I have called it the Gene Knot. I have begun rigging my leaders with blood knots but on the stream the Gene Knot is much easier to tie.
Surgeons knots are especially difficult to tie with hard leader and tippet material such as Masons but the stiff material turns flies over soooooooo well.
Blood knot....always. It's easier to me than the Surgeons knot.
Did you see how much leader the demonstrator had to trim off on the upside portion of the leader?..I don't care about the tippet portion. I can just use 3-4 inches more of it to come out the length I want, but I do not want to use up my leader diameter above the tippet. If that guy tied on 3 new tippets he'd use up a foot of his leader above the tippet! Deeter is right about blood knots not being good for too great of difference in the diameters being joined, but I don't consider going from 2x to 4x being that great...if it were 0x to 4x I'd include another section, but not that. You can just make more turns with the smaller diameter, and compensate for the disparity if it isn't too great. If you believe you have to drop down no more than .001 ea. time than a guy tying his own leaders will have lots, and lots of knots to get a tapered leader...6" of X, and 6" of y, and 6" of z, and on, and on. I've seen those formulas, and don't think it is necessary.
Deet ~ Hate to piss in your Cheerios but I'll tie a variation of the blood knot taught me by Lefty Kreh and his buddy Mark Sosin. It's the "Simple Blood Knot" and makes life in the middle of the stream so much easier. Rookie! But you're man enough to cop to it so a tip of my Tom Horn hat to you...
how many trout now?
Rookie! But you're man enough to cop to it so a tip of my Tom Horn hat to you
More explanation from my flyfishing point of view on knots. I use that surgeons knot on leaders for wet tip flylines, sinking tips. The leader is shorter, and no need for a perfect taper. My steelhead wet tip leader would be 5-6ft long going from 20 lb test to 15 lb test to an 8 lb tippet. No need to know the diameters, just taper down fast with big differences in diameters, and that surgeons knot is a good one...the best for uneven diameters which is Deeter's message, and a good one.
Post a Comment