ULTIMATE ANGLING - the Ultimate SA Fishing website
FRESHWATER ANGLING => Fly fishing => Topic started by: Ziggy on July 17, 2013, 10:19:16 PM
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This is useful information - especially the "3 times rule" coupled with the "4 times rule"
From http://www.activeangler.com/flyfishing-articles/macnair-tippets1.shtml (http://www.activeangler.com/flyfishing-articles/macnair-tippets1.shtml)
To help you in the decision-making process of matching tippet to fly, a couple of aides are available. But before going further, nothing in fly fishing is absolute except for the AFTMA standards. Any "how-to-do-it" guide is just that -- a guide. Since I believe something is better than nothing, try the 4-Rule.
The 4-Rule: The 4-Rule works this way: let’s say the fly you’ve selected is a #12 Royal Coachman. To apply the 4-Rule to tippet selection, divide 12 (the size of the fly hook) by 4. The product, 3, suggests the right tippet to use is 3X. It’s the same thing as saying, "tie a #12 dry fly to a 3X tippet." Don’t, however, become confused. If logic suggests a 5X tippet is bigger or heavier than a 3X tippet, you are dead wrong! The larger the "X" number, the smaller the tippet. If you remember my tongue-in-cheek story about Hermann Smuck and the giant trout, recall that Herm’s #64 Black Wasp was attached to a "gossamer" leader. Apply the 4-Rule and his tippet is 16X. Unfortunately, a 16X is not for us common folk. It doesn’t exist! Most fly fishers will never use anything with a number above 6X. I can barely see a #24 fly, much less thread a tippet through the hook’s eye. Even when I succeed, I need a magnifying glass to tie it off.
One other thought, what works going one way is apt to go the other when the lanes are reversed. If you happen to have a 3X tippet on the end of your leader and wonder what size fly might be the best, apply the 4-Rule: multiply 3, the tippet size, by 4. The suggested fly size is a #12.
You should understand that the 4-Rule is highly criticized by a number of fly fishers. Many prefer the 3-Rule. It works the same way. For that matter, you might want to use both -- the 4-Rule for bulky flies and the 3-Rule for slender flies. Whichever you prefer, be aware the numbers will not always come out even. When you apply the 4-Rule to a #10 fly, don’t expect to tie-on a 2.5X tippet. Half-sizes don’t exist! What to do? If the fly is slender, go with a 3X; if it’s bulky try a 2X. The odds are, one of the two will properly tip over the fly before it settles to the water.
From http://www.orvis.com/intro.aspx?subject=2202 (http://www.orvis.com/intro.aspx?subject=2202)
Most tippet sizes will support three or four fly sizes before they either get too stiff for a lifelike presentation or too thin to straighten a fly. In general, choose the heavier size if the water is dirty or turbulent, choose the finer size if the water is very clear and the fish are spooky. For average conditions choose the middle size.
Tippet Size
| Tippet Diameter
| Fly sizes:
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8X
| .003"
| 22, 24, 26, 28
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7X
| .004"
| 18, 20, 22, 24
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6X
| .005"
| 16, 18, 20, 22
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5X
| .006"
| 14, 16, 18
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4X
| .007"
| 12, 14, 16
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3X
| .008"
| 6, 8, 10
|
2X
| .009"
| 4, 6, 8
|
1X
| .010"
| 2, 4, 6
|
0X
| .011"
| 1/0, 2, 4
|
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Interesting stuff! Will mark this as a sticky, normally use 6x or 7x...
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very helpfull Ziggy, still holds true today.
i would like to add a very important tip for tippet length, for me it is imperitve that i have a drag free drift when dry flying, once the tippet thickness is established the length will always be the next step. once you have a length of tippet on the leader with fly, test it before fishing. a few short cast will show if the fly lands correctly and with the tell tale "s" shapes on the tippet length, if not adjust by lengthening or shortening the tippet to compensate for the density of the fly.
ps - if it's too much, it's easier to ignore this biscuit w;k