What Tippet For Dry Flies Should You Use?
WouterThere are many different choices for dry fly tippet. Some fly fishers prefer nylon tippet, others use fluorocarbon. The material used for tippet can also affect the sink rate of your fly. The thinner the tippet, the lower the sink rate. Thinner tippet is also less affected by surface tension and hydraulics.
Fluorocarbon has several benefits over nylon tippet. First of all, it sinks much less than nylon. Second, it doesn’t degrade as quickly and is tougher. This makes it an excellent tippet material for fishing with dry flies. Moreover, fluorocarbon tippets can sink more deeply, which makes them ideal for fishing in still water.
Fluorocarbon tippets are generally the thinnest part of the rig, so they are almost invisible to the fish. They should also be close to the fly. If the tippet is too thick or stiff, the fish will easily see the tippet before the fly. But, longer tippet sections are good for preventing lining, which is when a fish sees the line before the fly.
The size of the tippet should be matched to the size of the fly. If you’re using a small dry fly, use 6x or 7x tippet. These are common sizes for tailwater and spring creek fisheries. Some anglers even use 8x tippet to fight bigger fish. However, they should keep in mind that this size will make catching them more difficult and will make the fish harder to land.
