Fishing:

Getting Started in BTB Fly Fishing - Part II: Getting Connected

Getting Connected...

In "Part I: Gearing Up", we discussed selecting your first 1 - 3 outfits. Now you've gotten everything home, opened the boxes, and received some well-deserved grief from your significant other on how much you spent. What's next? Let's assemble the pieces and get ready for that first cast.

If you were fortunate enough to have purchased everything through a reputable fly shop (brick-and-mortar, or on-line), they probably offered to put everything together for you, no charge. There's nothing wrong with that, assuming that they know what they're doing.

If they supply salt water fly fishermen on a regular basis, they will probably do as good a job as anyone. Just review what we discuss below, ask some questions about how they intend to put everything together, and make sure you feel comfortable with what they're doing.

If you bought everything separately, or on-line via a "big box" or discount store, you're going to have to put the pieces together yourself. The natural inclination nowadays is to jump on-line, go to your favorite forum, and ask "what's the best way to ...". Again, nothing wrong with that, but as you probably already know, the Internet can be full of conflicting information and strong opinions. Just remember - there's almost always more than one way to do something, and no one way is better than another 100% of the time.

Our objective is to make sure you have a basic understanding of the underlying concepts, know what's important in setting up your gear, and are aware of what your options are. Like your choices in equipment, plan on upgrading or changing things later, as you gain more experience on what works for you.

To get started, let's look at how our regional moderators have their gear set up. (If you need help identifying or figuring out how to tie one of the knots mentioned, see the section "Notes for Newbies" ). We've arranged them in order of (in our opinion) simplicity, from simplest to most complex. In all cases, they work - but there are different reasons for choosing different setups.

The bottom line - it doesn't have to be complicated! If you just want to go fishing, and aren't concerned about records, you can use a very simple setup. It's only when you start to push the limits of your gear, or need to swap bits and pieces of your rigs, that you'll need to become obsessed with knots. Of course, if you're obsessed with knots anyway, have at it!

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Who Uses What - from Simple to Sublime

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Captain Robert Cooper - Sky's the Limit Guide Service

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Captain Cooper's setup is probably the simplest and most straightforward of the bunch:

Connection	Knot / Other Prep
Backing to arbor (A)	Clinch knot
Backing to fly line / shooting Line (B)	Nail knot
Shooting line / shooting head (C)	N/A (uses integrated SH)
Fly line to leader butt (D)	Nail knot 25-40 lb butt section with Perfection Loop
Typical leader (E)	Rio factory-made tapered leaders On butt end of leader: factory Perfection Loop Connect leader butt to butt section using: Loop-to-Loop Square Knot
Leader tippet to mono or fluoro shock tippet (if used) (F)	N/A
Leader tippet to wire shock tippet (if used) (G)	Use factory-made Rio Toothy Critter leaders
Tippet to fly (direct) (H)	Improved Clinch for mono
Tippet to fly (loop) (I)	Perfection Loop for mono

In this setup you only need to know 3 knots: the Improved Clinch, the Nail Knot, and the Perfection Loop. What could be simpler? Are there disadvantages to this setup? There are actually very few:

• If you want to change fly lines, you have to cut off the backing, and reconnect.
  
  
• If you change flies a lot, or break off a fish, you have to tie on a new tippet section, or change out the leader. Tying on a new tippet section will require learning an additional knot, typically either a Double or Triple Surgeon's Knot, or a Blood Knot
  
  
• If you are trying for world-record fish, you will be able to eke out 2 - 10 percent more strength by going to a more complicated setup, similar to one of the rigs described below.
  
  
• Under really heavy load with a heavy leader, the nail knot could theoretically strip the coating off the fly line, and separate. However, Captain Cooper has never had this happen to him.

If you don't fit any of these conditions, and don't mind changing out the leader periodically, you'll be fine with the above. You don't need to invest the time and effort to do a more complicated rig (unless, of course, you enjoy doing it!). Note that you could swap out the Improved Clinch knots for a Uni-Knot or Trilene Knot if you feel more comfortable tying one of those instead, and if you need to add tippet, you really only have to add a Blood Knot or a Double- or Triple- Surgeon's Knot to your arsenal to be OK.

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Captain Brian Webb - Pacific Coast Fly Fishing

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The next step up in complexity is Captain Webb's setup:

Connection	Knot / Other Prep
Backing to arbor (A)	Take 5-6 turns around the spool arbor to prevent slipping, then use an Arbor Knot to connect the backing to the spool.
Backing to fly line / shooting Line (B)	On the end of the backing: Bimini Twist; fold the doubled line back on itself and tie a Double Surgeon's Loop (leave loop big enough to pass the reel through; loop will have two strands, not one). On the end of the fly line: Fold the end over, and make a small Speed Nail-Knot Loop in the fly line Connect fly line to the backing using: Loop-to-Loop Square Knot
Shooting line / shooting head (C)	N/A (uses integrated SH)
Fly line to leader butt (D)	On the end of the fly line: Fold the fly line back on itself, then tie an Albright knot using a section of 40lb mono as the leader butt
Typical leader (E)	On the tippet end of the leader butt section: Tie a Perfection Loop 2 - 3' straight 25lb test Seaguar Fluorocarbon as a tippet. Tie Triple Surgeon's Loop in butt end of tippet Connect tippet to butt section using: Loop-to-Loop Square Knot
Leader tippet to mono or fluoro shock tippet (if used) (F)	Albright Knot to connect the shock tippet to the regular tippet
Leader tippet to wire shock tippet (if used) (G)	Albright Knot to connect the regular tippet to Tyger Wire or Surflon (knottable titanium wire)
Tippet to fly (direct) (H)	Jam knot
Tippet to fly (loop) (I)	Kreh Loop

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Captain Conway Bowman - Bowman Bluewater Guides and Outfitters

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Captain Bowman's setup is similar to Captain Webb's, the main difference being the removable leader butt section

Connection	Knot / Other Prep
Backing to arbor (A)	Flex-wrap tape around spool to act as a base to prevent the backing from slipping, Uni-Knot to tie backing to spool
Backing to fly line (or shooting Line) (B)	On the end of the backing: Bimini Twist; fold the doubled line back on itself and tie a Double Surgeon's Loop (leave loop big enough to pass the reel through; loop will have two strands, not one) On the end of the fly line: fold the end over, and make a small Speed Nail-Knot Loop in the fly line Connect the backing to the fly line using: Loop-to-Loop Square Knot
Shooting line / shooting head (C)	N/A, uses integrated shooting head
Fly line to leader butt (D)	On the end of the fly line: fold the end over, and make a small Speed Nail-Knot Loop in the fly line Leader butt: tie a Double Surgeon's Loop in the end of a section of 40lb monofilament Connect the fly line to the leader butt using: Loop-to-Loop Square Knot
Typical leader (E)	From fly line towards the fly: Leader butt section is 4' of 40lb Ande, Mason or Berkely Trilene Big Game mono, with a Surgeon's Loop on the end facing the fly line 1 - 2' of 25lb or 30lb mono, 6 turn Blood Knot to butt section Heavier tippets are Blood-Knotted to the 25lb mid-section Lighter tippets are attached by tying a Bimini Twist in the 25lb mid-section, a Bimini Twist in the light tippet, then using a Loop-to-Loop square Knot to connect the tippet to the mid-section
Leader tippet to mono or fluoro shock tippet (if used) (F)	On the end of the tippet: tie a Bimini Twist Connect the tippet to the shock tippet using: Albright Knot in the shock tippet
Leader tippet to wire shock tippet (if used) (G)	Same as (F)
Tippet to fly (direct) (H)	San Diego Knot
Tippet to fly (loop) (I)	Figure 8 Loop

 

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Captain Scott Leon - Paradigm Shift Charters

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Captain Leon is a Yellowfin Tuna addict, and as most people will tell you, a big YFT is one tough fish. His setup reflects the need for maximum strength, plus durable, smooth connections that pass through guides easily.

Connection	Knot / Other Prep
Backing to arbor (A)	If using GSP backing, tape around spool to prevent slipping, then ties the backing to the spool using an Arbor Knot
Backing to fly line (or shooting Line) (B)	On end of backing: Bimini Twist If GSP backing, fold end of doubled line over and tie a Double Surgeon's Loop (big enough to pass the reel through), otherwise leaves "as is" On end of fly line: Use manufacturer's pre-formed loops if present, otherwise fold the end of the fly line over and make a Speed Nail Knot Loop using 4 nail knots; use thread to whip finish over the nail knots to smooth out the junction, then coat the knot with Pliobond Connect fly line and backing using: Loop-to-Loop Square Knot
Shooting line / shooting head (C)	N/A (uses integrated SH)
Fly line to leader butt (D)	On end of fly line: For 11wt and under, form a Speed Nail Knot Loop in the fly line, using 4 nail knots; use thread to whip finish over the nail knots to smooth out the junction, then coat the knot with Pliobond On end of leader butt: For 11wt and under, tie Triple Surgeon's Loop in leader butt. Connect the fly line to butt section using: For 11wt and under, Loop-to-Loop Square Knot. For 12 wt. and over, use an Albright Knot to attach the mono butt section directly to the fly line. For 12 -13 wt lines use 2 - 3 ft heavy butt section; for 14wt and over, 3 - 4 ft butt section.
Typical leader (E)	For line weights under 12: Use pre-made tapered leaders which have loops in butt section. Connect to the fly line using a Loop-to-Loop Square Knot. If extending the pre-made leader: In lighter tippets, use a perfection loops in leader and the extra tippet, then use a Loop-to-Loop Square Knot to join the tippet extension to the tippet on the leader. In heavier leaders use Double Surgeon's Loop instead of the Perfection Loops. For heavy outfits, prepare a class tippet as follows: Tie a Bimini Twist in the fly line end of the tippet Stick a fingertip into the Bimini Twist loop, and twist the loop as tightly as possible. Keeping the loop twisted, fold the loop in half, and allow it to twist onto itself (this technique is called "furling" ). Tie a Double Surgeon's Loop in the furled section, as close to the Bimini Twist as possible. Tie a standard Bimin Twist in the fly end of the tippet Connect the furled leader to the butt section using: Loop-to-Loop Square Knot
Leader tippet to mono or fluoro shock tippet (if used) (F)	Slim Beauty for lite bite tippets (40lb test or less) Hufnagle for heavier bite tippets (80+ test)
Leader tippet to wire shock tippet (if used) (G)	For single-strand wire, uses Australian swivel (tiny) tied in using a slim beauty
Tippet to fly (direct) (H)	Improved Clinch
Tippet to fly (loop) (I)	Mono Loop

Captain Leon uses furled leader butts on his really heavy gear because of the additional shock absorption provided by this technique. Furled leader butts are not that hard to tie once you understand what needs to be done, and provide some additional protection to the leader. They do, however, add complexity to the setup, and are not really needed for most of our BTBFF fly fishing. If you would like to learn more about furled leaders, see Bill Nash's book mentioned in the "Notes for Newbies" section.

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BTBFF Staff

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Here's the setup we use. Since we still use separate shooting heads, we thought this might be of some interest.

Connection	Knot / Other Prep
Backing to arbor (A)	Two wraps of tape around the spool to prevent slipping, then tie the backing to the spool using a Uni-knot
Backing to fly line (or shooting Line) (B)	On the end of the backing: Bimini Twist, then fold the Twist over and tie a Double Surgeon's loop (big enough to pass the reel through) On the shooting line: Add a braided mono loop, secured with two Nail Knots Connect fly line and backing using: Loop-to-Loop Square Knot
Shooting line / shooting head (C)	On the end of the shooting line: Add a braided mono loop, secured with two Nail Knots On the end of the shooting head: Add a braided mono loop, secured with two Nail Knots, or use the manufacturer's welded loop Connect the shooting head and the shooting line using: Loop-to-Loop Square Knot
Fly line to leader butt (D)	On the end of the fly line: Add a braided mono loop, secured with two Nail Knots, or fold the fly line over and form a Speed Nail Knot Loop On the leader butt: If used, straight section of 30 or 40lb mono, with Perfection Loop or Double Surgeon's Loop Connect the fly line to the leader butt using: Loop-to-Loop Square Knot
Typical leader (E)	Leader butt section (if used): Add a Perfection Loop to end Main leader is just 3-6 ft mono or fluorocarbon; Bimini Twist in the side facing the butt section with Double Surgeon's Loop If a shock tippet will be used, add a Bimini Twist to the fly end of the tippet Connect the leader to the fly line or leader butt section using: Loop-to-Loop Square Knot
Leader tippet to mono or fluoro shock tippet (if used) (F)	If the shock tippet is reasonably close to the tippet material in diameter, use a Triple Surgeon's Knot. If very different in size, use a Slim Beauty, Hufnagle, or Albright
Leader tippet to wire shock tippet (if used) (G)	Double Surgeon's Knot (if Surflon or Tyger wire is used), or Albright Knot with single strand wire
Tippet to fly (direct) (H)	Trilene Knot
Tippet to fly (loop) (I)	Kreh Loop Knot

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How Long Should the Leader Be?

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A common question is: How long should the leader be? To be compliant with IGFA rules, you need a tippet length of at least 15". If you use a shock or bite tippet, the IGFA requires that it be no longer than 12" from the eye of the fly to the regular tippet, including knots.

Other than that, you can make it any length you want. If you are not interested in records, you can also make the shock tippet longer. Many shark fly fishermen use a 24" or 30" wire shock tippet, because it is very difficult to avoid abrading the tippet on the shark's skin when the tippet is only 12" long.

A typical length for sinking fly lines is 6 - 8 feet. But there is one school of thought that says to keep the leader long to allow better fly movement and to avoid spooking fish. Plus, for shooting heads, having a little bit longer leader will help keep the shooting head from "dumping" - a situation which occurs when the shooting head turns over before the cast is completed. On the other hand, keeping the leader short helps get and keep the fly deeper, and the fish don't care. Which one is right? Try both.

Our experience is that it doesn't have to be that long - 5 -7 feet is usually more than enough to avoid spooking offshore fish, especially if you are using fluorocarbon for the tippet. If you are having trouble with dumping on the cast, lengthen it up a bit, perhaps 6 - 9'.

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How Strong Should the Leader and Backing Be?

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The maximum IGFA tippet strength is 20lb class (not sure of the difference between "test" and "class"? See our "Facts for Fly Fishers" section). Again, if you're not interested in records, feel free to use heavier lines. Just be careful - a good rule of thumb is to set the drag to 25% of the tippet strength, off the tip of the rod. This translates to 6 - 8 lbs of drag on those heavy tippets. That's actually a LOT of drag for a fly rod, and could result in a broken rod if you don't have a heavy enough stick. And there actually very few fly rods that can pull that hard - a 14wt or heavier rod is required, plus you also need a reel with a drag system strong enough to generate that kind of pressure.

Your backing should be significantly heavier than the maximum tippet strength you think you'll be using on that rod. For example, on a 9 weight or lighter rod, 20 or 25 lb test backing should be fine. For 10 weight and heavier, 30 - 40 lb test backing would be a better choice.

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What Should the Leader Be Made Of ?

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Nylon or fluorocarbon monofilament? There are a lot of people who say that fluorocarbon is not needed to get bites from saltwater fish. That may be so, but the majority of our moderators use fluorocarbon tippets anyway. Why? Because there is the chance that it might help fool a wary fish, and since fluorocarbon has a few additional advantages over nylon (it is more abrasion resistant, and sinks more readily), it's worth using, now that smaller spools are available that are only mildly outrageous in price.

A good example of the abrasion resistance of fluorocarbon can be seen when you need a bite tippet for barracuda. We often use heavy monofilament shock tippets for barracuda, rather than wire. Typically, 40 - 60lb nylon is required to avoid a bite-off, but if you use fluorocarbon, 17 - 30 lb test will do the job.

If you decide to use fluorocarbon monofilament, keep these things in mind:

• When fluorocarbon gets nicked, its invisibility is compromised. The nicks allow the material to collect light, and it can actually become more visible underwater.
  
  
• Fluorocarbon has a harder finish than monofilament, and it can be harder to tie good knots in it. Draw knots up carefully, and be sure to test it prior to use.
  
  
• Fluorocarbon is even more resistant to degradation from the elements than nylon. Be sure that you dispose of clippings and waste material properly - don't let it get back into the water.

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Wire We Here?

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Dealing with multi-strand wire in fly gear can be problematic. Knottable wires, such as Surflon or Tyger Leader help with making connections, but a common problem is the wire's nylon coating getting frayed by a fish's teeth or a rough bottom. This makes it necessary to replace the wire, which shortens the tippet, which eventually has to be replaced.

Advisor Craig Smith passed along this tip from Lefty Kreh and Dan Blanton: Use a small, black, high quality ball-bearing swivel to connect the mono tippet with multi-strand wire.

Craig uses a size 6 Spro Power Swivel most the of the time, or a size 4 when using a heavy hard mono tippet. He connects the tippet to the swivel with a Palomar Knot, then connects the wire to the swivel using a figure 8 knot.

This connection is quick and strong and allows for wire changes without using up the tippet. The swivel does not affect casting and Craig has found that it does not put fish off any more than the wire by itself. A black swivel is preferred, since fish may sometimes strike a silver one.

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What's Next?

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Getting Started in BTBFF - Part III: Useful Extras & Your Basic Fly Patterns