Best tippet to leader recommendation?

[saflyfish]

What is the best way to connect tippet to leader?If i do a double surgeons it works great but then when i need to change tippet ive got to cut back on the leader...any other recommendations?

[dlampert]

What is the best way to connect tippet to leader?If i do a double surgeons it works great but then when i need to change tippet ive got to cut back on the leader...any other recommendations?

Sounds like you are trying to play off one knot tier against the others in order to find the best knot ;-) I just use a Perfection Loop at the end of the leader and then use a standard clinch knot to connect the tippet to the loop. The clinch knot allows you to run your nail down the knot to easily remove it and put on fresh section of tippet. A leader normally lasts me about 18 months to 2 years but I replace tippet every time I go fishing.

[saflyfish]

haha Darryl i like the chirp...well played

[William Ewels]

If i do a double surgeons it works great but then when i need to change tippet ive got to cut back on the leader...

I don't see what the problem is? :smile: You can add a bit of heavier stuff to lengthen the leader again, or use a slightly longer tippet. For most of my fishing I make up my own leaders - a butt section, mid section, and tippet. Can be reconstructed anywhere, anytime. All tapered leaders I've ever owned have ended up becoming 3-piece leaders in the later part of their lives.

[Andre]

Have you tried the waterman knot? also called a surgeons knot i think. I know it has two name, not sure what the other name is. Its great for making droppers as well. Especially on the lighter tippets. Warning...dont try it if the diameters of the two strands you are joining, differ greatly.

[KevinE]

I use a triple surgeons know. I don't know if it is better than a double surgeons but I have a fair but of confidence in it and it hasn't let me down (recently). Some people recommend a back to back uni knot and say it is a better knot, but I'm a creature of habit so haven't managed to make the change yet. But a knot joing 2 lines is always going to be weaker than a knot joining the tippet to the fly, so you will invariably get a few break-offs at the join. I read recently on Stroft's website that they don't recommend joining 2 lines using a joining knot, for precisely this reason. They recommend using a micro ring. (It just so happens that they sell micro rings, mind you. :wink.

[William Ewels]

... But a knot joing 2 lines is always going to be weaker than a knot joining the tippet to the fly, ...

Sometimes that is true - but if you are stepping down from a bigger diameter to smaller diameter (within practical limits for snugging down) then a 2x or 3x surgeons knot will retain a very high percentage of the smaller diameter line's strength. This is because the turns in the smaller line are more gentle in radius when going round the bigger diameter line inside the knot.

Some people find the surgeons knot unreliable - but I seem to have settled on a routine for snugging them down that works well for me. So the surgeons knot wins in my book because it's so practical and quick to do in the field.

[ArcherFish]

I use one of those mini rings, easy to tie on and change tippet, and the leader doesnt get shorter.
For fine tippets it also floats when treated, and good for putting on droppers that avoid tangles.

[Andre]

I find that those rings are a pain in the @ss. They take longer to tie. think about it this way. If you are using a dropper configuration, it requires three knots, whereas the surgeons, or Waterman, with a tag, only requires one knot, and therefore so much quicker to tie. even a tippet change..... try threading the new tippet through the micro ring with wet cold hands, whereas the direct connection you can still do while keeping your eye on the rising fish, as well as quick changing of the distance between dropper and point fly. With a ring, the distance is set , and you cant change it. Also, you cant get past the kink in the line from the micro ring, especially with the light tippets that I use. They definatly restrict a small amout of energy transfer to the tippet...... perhaps it comes from my competition days, but rings to me, are a no no.

I use one of those mini rings, easy to tie on and change tippet, and the leader doesnt get shorter.
For fine tippets it also floats when treated, and good for putting on droppers that avoid tangles.