Understanding Tippet Diameters

Been meaning to do this short explanation for a while. It's very common for customers to come into the shop and purchase 5X and 6X tippet like crazy. If it's appropriate, we will often ask where they are using these fine tippets and almost always the answer is "for regular stuff" size 6-16 flies, dries and nymphs. These same customers often complain of losing quite a number of flies during the course of fishing.

Perhaps these few points of information might be helpful (most of you will know this stuff but there are tons who don't, so bear with us).

- Leaders are designated by length, mainly 7.5', 9', and 12' and then by the diameter of the tippet. This is about the last 2' on a 9' leader.

- Tippets are also available on spools, primarily so an angler can tie on replacement tippet as it's used up so as not to cut the leader back in to the larger taper which will result in the leader not performing properly.

- Tippet diameters are based on a standardized "X" system, available in 0X to 8X. The larger the number, the smaller the diameter. You don't have to know that 4X is .007" diameter or 2X is .009" diameter. You just have to know what we refer to as the rule of 4. For proper knot strength/integrity, you divide the fly size by 4. This gives you the optimum tippet diameter for that fly. The reason for this is that, just like tippet, the wire diameter decreases on a hook as the size gets smaller.
The best knot is going to be one where the tippet diameter and hook wire size are almost identical in size. If the hook wire size is much larger than the tippet diameter, the knot will likely fail.
For instance, using 6X with a size 10 Green Drake....great for fly sales because you will lose a bunch.

Some examples, if you are using a size 12 fly, the perfect tippet diameter is 3X. If you are using a size 6 Stonefly nymph, you can use either 1X or 2X.

For those buying up all the 6X out there, it is actually appropriate for flies in the size 22-26 range. Are you actually fishing flies this small? Likely not.

For most of us in this part of the world, we're mostly fishing flies in the size 2-20 range, with 12-16 being the most common.

You can simplify your life a bunch. For leaders, if you have some 
9' 0X, 9' 3X leaders, and then some 0X, 2X, 3X, 4X, and 5X tippet you can do most anything around here.

The 9' 0X leaders will work just perfect for big streamers like you would use for Bull Trout. If you tag on a short piece of 2X this leader will then work for all your Stonefly nymphs, Stonefly dries, and Hopper patterns.

The 9" 3X leaders work great for a lot of the stuff we fish around here, sizes 10-14. And then, say you're fishing size 16 Caddis, you can add a short piece of 4X and you're set.
That same leader, with a little 5X added, will work just fine for Tricos and small BWO's.

Makes things easy and simple...and will likely lead to less flies bust off.

 

Cuba Permit

Our biggest friend, Dave, with a slab of 

Cuban Permit from last week.

Join us in Mongolia!

We're going back to Mongolia in September of 2017. 

8 anglers in one of the most remote places on earth, chasing one of the coolest fish on earth.

Drop us a note for more details.

 

Mongolia offers the best opportunity to catch taimen anywhere in the world. Historically, taimen have one of the largest ranges of any of the salmonids with their distribution stretching from Bavaria to the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. However, due to human pressures, healthy populations of this magnificent fish only remain in pristine sections of Russia and Mongolia.

Fishing Reports - May 26 Edition

Bow River Report – May 26, 2016

We finally got some rain! Conditions on the river changed somewhat during the four day rain we just had. It’s still not very high (about 131 CMS) but we’re so used to low levels everybody thinks this is big water. It’s actually at mid August average levels.

Now that it’s warmed up the caddis are back on. Big Stonefly nymphs, big ugly streamers are in vogue now that we have some color in the water.

Below the Highwood might take a little bit to have a little better visibility. Both the Sheep and Highwood got very brown on the weekend but they were a little better this morning. Above the Highwood is still very fishable and should improve unless we get big rainstorms.

If you are using Glenmore access, please do not drive upstream of the bridge. Launch downstream of the bridge. Otherwise we may lose this access permanently (the city is grumpy about it and that would suck!). That, and they are now fining people for it.

Hatches:  Caddis, Skwalas.

Dry Flies:  Bloom’s Parachute Caddis, Yeager Foam caddis, Chubby Chernobyl

Nymphs:   Reese’s Pieces, Tiger Worm, Muskrat Golden Stone,
                   Rock ‘n’ Roller Stone.

                

Streamers:  Silvey’s Sculpin Leech, Circus Peanut, Ice Pick Streamer,

                   ¼ Lb. Bugger.

Crowsnest River Report – May 26, 2016

Water clarity on the Crow is still really good and flow is only at about 8.4 CMS.

Visibility was still about 2.5 feet at East Hillcrest yesterday.

Salmonflies have showed up on the lower stretches of the river!!!

Don’t be afraid of the Crow at this time of year if it’s a little dirty. If there isn’t anything happening on top, use a big stonefly nymph. It can be very good.

Sectional closures now in place until June 16, 2016. Check your regs.

Hatches:  Salmonflies, March Browns, BWOs

Dries: Floater In The Pool, Chubby Chernobyl, Parachute Adams,

           March Brown Parachute.

    

Nymphs:  WMD-dark Stone, Lexy’s Sexy Stone, Jimmy Legs.
  
Streamers:  Skookum, Rubber Bugger, C/H R/L Bow River Bugger,
                    ¼ lb. Bugger.

High Country River Report – May 26, 2016

The high country streams are now closed until June 16, 2016.

New Flood Tide Shirts

New Paul Puckett images. Bad Brown Trout, Bad Tarpon, and Bad Permit T-Shirts. Cool Rainbow trout Sunshirt. Now in stock!

Fishing reports - Long Weekend Edition

Bow River Report – May 19, 2016

Water conditions on the Bow are unusually great for this time of year. Flow rates, for the most part are between 80 and 90 CMS.

Caddis have come on in a big way!! Lots of them around, with the most consistent dry fly action right at the end of the day.

There are still a good number of Skwalas kicking around as well. Stonefly nymphs have been working really well.

The long range forecast calls for cool and wet, which may bring on a last fling with BWO’s and March Browns next week. Golden Stones should start to show in the next 2-3 weeks based on everything else being early.

Streamer fishing has been really quite good.

If you are using Glenmore access, please do not drive upstream of the bridge. Launch downstream of the bridge. Otherwise we may lose this access permanently (the city is grumpy about it and that would suck!).

Hatches:  Caddis, Skwalas, March Browns?, BWO?

Dry Flies:  Bloom’s Parachute Caddis, Better Foam Caddis, Film Critic-BWO,  

                 March Brown Parachute, Chubby Chernobyl

Nymphs:   Atomic Worm, Reese’s Pieces, Conestone, Lexy’s Sexy Stone,
                 Jimmy Legs, B/H Pheasant Tail

Streamers:  Geek Leech, Gartside Leech, Clouser Minnows.

Crowsnest River Report – May 19, 2016

Water clarity on the Crow is still really good and flow is only at about 6 CMS.

On the really warm days you’ll likely find visibility degrades in the afternoons. Salmonflies have showed up on the lower stretches of the river!!!

Don’t be afraid of the Crow at this time of year if it’s a little dirty. If there isn’t anything happening on top, use a big stonefly nymph. It can be very good.

Sectional closures now in place until June 16, 2016. Check your regs.

Hatches:  Salmonflies, March Browns, BWOs

Dries: Fluttering Stone, Chubby Chernobyl, X Body Parachute-BWO,

         Trinas Etha wing Emerger-BWO, March Brown parachute

               

Nymphs:  Conestone, Lexy’s Sexy Stone, Jimmy Legs, Atomic Worm,
                B/H Pheasant Tail
  
Streamers:  Gartside Leech, C/H R/L Bow River Bugger

High Country River Report – May 19, 2016

The high country streams are now closed until June 16, 2016.