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wayne offord

Tippet line vs Mono

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Tippet is drawn to more exacting specifications, and is formulated to be more limp (flexible) and less visible. This also makes it easier to tie in cold weather.

 

For what the Brits call coarse fishing, mono is fine.

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Both mono-filament tippet, and line will break down over time. The more its exposed to sunlight, the quicker the breakdown. Fluorocarbon doesn't break down nearly as fast, and that is the main reason I don't use it.

 

Tippet is manufactured to provide a supple thin line with maximum breaking strength. This thin, supple tippet will aid in giving one a "drag free" float. Many standard mono lines with the same breaking strength can be thicker and less supple.

 

If you are using very fine tippets, like 1 to 4#, then tippet will have some advantage. In the heavier sizes, you could easily use mono. I do on anything over 6# test.

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One thing you'll find is a great discrepancy in the actual O.D. of tippets versus mono of spools. By using the "x" system which some people say is archaic you really know what diameter you're putting on your tippet. If you look at tippet of 5x all tippets like that will be .006 in diameter. The # test rating will vary tho between mfger's and type of material and that will be posted. Usually around 4# test and that breaking strength will be fairly accurate since they want to meet strict standards of record breaking entries. A spool of 4# mono on the other hand will be around .009 (2x in x system) and will test well above the 4# break strength so we can be impressed by how strong the mfg'er can produce a line. If you want to use spool mono for tippet material look to the diameter, not the listed breaking strength.

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What the brits also use is match fishing mono. Lots of the mono made for competition fishing is actually copolymer and similar to tippet material but in 100m spools and half the price. The greatest b/s to dia I have found in a reliable big fish line is Trabucco T1 super elite line. Their Diamond line is also very good.

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The overall biggest reason tippet material for fly fishing is different than mono for other types of fishing is.... the manufacturers can suck more money out of fly fishermen, and they know it. Any halfway serious fisherman (of any type) is going to spend a lot of money on good equipment, including consumables such as line, but fly fishermen certainly seem more willing than most to part with excessive quantities of money.

 

Anymore, 90% or more of my fly fishing I use 4, 6, 8, and 10 lb mono for tippet, usually Trilene XL, because I also use that line in those sizes on my other gear. Last year I ended up going to Berkley Nano-Fil and Sufix 832 which don't seem to "break down" at all compared to nylons or co-polymers, so a small spool of each strength mono for leaders lasted me all year for all my fishing-- with plenty left over.

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I have been using Trilene XL for years on my spinning rods, nice low memory good knot strength, and fairly constant strength overall. I am not worried about my line breaking down, as it is all ending up in the trash can at the end of the day anyway, I NEVER discard line. I was planning on picking up a some "Berkley Nano-Fil" or perhaps Flurocarbon. I think the tippets can wait a few years until I am a bit more serious.

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I remember years and years ago (maybe fifty years....) when I was first floundering around with freshwater fly gear... having the same questions. On the freshwater side of thngs where fine leaders are a necessity, tippet sizes can be measured in such fine diameters that most will want to find a tippet brand they've had good results with and stick to it if possible. Yes, different lines (or tippets) can have not only differing diameters, but also different breaking strengths and knotting characteristics - so sticking to the same brand as you build a tapered leader can have some benefits.

 

On the saltwater side of things I've pretty much switched over to fluorocarbon leader material when not building complex leaders with bite tippets (or shock tippets as they're sometimes called). For butt sections I'm still quite happy with Ande Premium mono no matter whether it's for a 7wt or something all the way up to a 12 or 13wt... For complex leaders, particularly for big tarpon and sharks I'm still using Mason Hard mono for breaking strength leader material... To this day many tarpon tournaments provide a spool of the Mason for each angler entry to make sure we're all using the same standard tippet make and strength (usually 15lb...).

 

Hope this helps. I know the vast majority of the folks who use this site will never fish in the salt but there might be one or two...

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The spools of mono (Berkley, Stren, Trilene, etc.) do not have a uniform diameter. Standard tippets are made to exact specifications. Since spools of mono vary in diameter (even on the same spool) you will have soft and stiff parts which can affect the way your fly turns over when casting. The uniformity of tippet material gives you more control of your fly even though it costs more.

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The spools of mono (Berkley, Stren, Trilene, etc.) do not have a uniform diameter. Standard tippets are made to exact specifications. Since spools of mono vary in diameter (even on the same spool) you will have soft and stiff parts which can affect the way your fly turns over when casting. The uniformity of tippet material gives you more control of your fly even though it costs more.

 

I routinely measure all my lines with my digital micrometer scaled to 0.0000" and have not encountered the non-uniformity you mention. At least not with the Berkley lines I normally use. In fact last summer I made a conscious effort to measure diameter of Trilene XL in 4, 6, and 8 lb tests, 3 spools of each over 100 samples on each spool, and was amazed at how uniform they all were. Didn't see more than 0.0004 variance on any spool. Maybe on cheap off-brand lines the quality control sucks, but not on Berkley Trilene.

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ROTW, they definitely are, especially in the name brand lines. It really doesn't pay to use cheap line for anything. I often use a heavy 25# spool of cheap bulk line to partially fill bait casting reels before finishing them with braided lines and just the feel and memory of cheap line should convince one to leave it alone. Name brand lines are reasonable in price and since there is almost never a need to totally strip a spool and refill you can get several fills out of a 250-300 yard filler spool.

 

As for tippet material, I'm a believer in using the x factor only because you really know what diameter you're putting on. If you go to 2# standard mono and check the diameter you'll find it more closely tests as a 4x or 5x with a break strength in the area of 5#. That's so the mfg'er can brag about how much stronger his line is than a competitors by underating the line test.

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