HOW TO BEAT THE WINTER TIME BLUES
When the long cold winter sets in and the sun doesn’t shine for days I have to go somewhere warm, and if I can’t go somewhere warm physically I go there in my mind. You should do the same. Enjoy this clip from a few years back. My wife Elise is behind the camera, my good friend Capt. Bob Burnside is at the Helm, and Geovani and Chowi are on deck making it all come together.
Last week it was tippet size, this week it is tippet type. Do I use fluorocarbon or nylon tippet? A Couple of things to think about.
First thing to think about is price. Most fluorocarbon tippet is twice as much as nylon.
Second is where are you fishing, and how. OK I guess that is 3 things to think about. Any way… If you are fishing in still water or on a flat water spring creek with smart fish, fluoro is a good choice. Fluoro is more invisible in the water, it does not leave the sheen that nylon tippet leaves, therefore you are more stealth. One problem with flouro is that it tends to sink, or sort of dissolve in the water quicker than nylon, so if you are presenting dries in still or flat water situations, you need to grease your tippet so it will float better. Do Not, however grease it too close to your fly, leave at least 18 inches of the fluoro not greased so it will dissolve or disappear in the water. If you are fishing nymphs then obviously fluoro is a good choice it is simply more invisible and sinks quicker thus allowing you to be more precise on nymphing presentations.
Does that mean fish won’t eat nylon tippet while nymphing, obviously not. If you are in pocket water, or in a feeding frenzy where fish are not shy use nylon. It works and it is cheaper. If you are throwing 2x with big dries use nylon tippet. Obviously the fish is more likely to look at the big dry itself rather than study the tippet style. Nylon also floats much better on the surface of the water. IE less drag. So my advice to you when it come to fluorocarbon vs. nylon tippet would be you better have both in your bag!
Royce Klingler
Tippet Size.
I’m not saying that you will never have to use 4,5,and6x on occasion, especially on size 18 flies and smaller. I will also admit there are some educated fish out there. Spring Creeks, and still water situations can be difficult to fool fish into eating a fly. I”m just saying you should start big and then down size.
You should assume that fish are not leader shy when you start fishing. I have witnessed several clients over the years who insisted ( against my will)on starting out the day with 4x during the Stone fly hatch and sure thing , the first take happens to be a huge 20 plus inch brown that breaks the tippet and the angler didn’t even feel the fish because the take was so aggressive they hit the fish so hard the tippet couldn’t possibly hold up. OK you should be excited when a 20 inch brown slams your Stone fly, you are probably going to over react on the hook set, that’s why you should have 2x or even 1x on at the time. More than likely you will get that first big fish of the day.
There is the assumption out their that the smaller the tippet, the longer the leader, the bigger the fish the more accomplished the angler. BS . If You fool the fish and he eats your bug, he eats your bug. Whether you are Kirk F. Gowdy , Joan Wulff, Lefty Kreigh, or Rudy the red headed freckle faced snot nosed kid from down the street the fish does not give a damn, and neither do I. And neither does 99% of the fly fishing community.
So as far as tippet size goes, go big first, then down size. You will land more fish, and you will land bigger fish.
Ok , I know casting is fun. Casting far is more fun, when you are good at it. It is like hitting a sweet drive, or like hitting the ball out of the park. Long casts have their place, but when fishing rivers and streams short precise accurate casts are way more productive. What does that mean? That means Short casts catch more fish. In my 15 year guide career I have witnessed more big fish casted over and spooked because the rock 15 ft further looked better than the huge fish feeding on the surface just off the oar blade. Don’t assume big fish always reward long casts. Stream reading and a great presentation trump long casts every time.
When you approach a stream , stop and observe what is going on before you start flailing the water. If you’re looking for rising fish, and that’s your thing, don’t cast until you find one. If you want to prospect with wets or dries, start short and then work it long. 10ft , 15ft, 20ft, 30ft, etc.. methodically dissect a piece of water then move to the next area and do the same thing again. Don’t just cast 60 ft of line into a run just because it looked better 60 ft out. You just put 20 fish down to get to one. I don’t mind missing fish. I don’t mind not catching tons of fish every day, but I don’t like spooking fish, and I do like to get what the river has to offer. So if you want to catch more fish while fishing rivers and streams, don’t cast too far!!!
Royce Klingler