# Tips for tips



## erik55 (Apr 19, 2015)

There's not many places near me that sell fly fishing supplies. Anyone ever just use standard floro or mono instead? What's the downside?


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## Bwana J (Sep 12, 2010)

I've always just used regular mono for fishing warm water. If you fish for trout in small streams you can use Flourocarbon. Not really any need to buy tipit material, much more expensive than mono.


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## lunker23 (Jun 28, 2013)

For Steelhead I throw straight mono 10 pound test. Less points of failure when playing one of these fish. I've lost many to shotty knots. 
If conditions require a leader and tippet, I have it in my bag just in case.
Oh, I do the same thing for Carp fishing....
The only downside is the clarity of the water. When it's clear and gin colored, that's when I change out to the leader and tippet.


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## Gator Kayser (Aug 2, 2015)

Trust me there is no down side. I guide fly fisherman between 90 and 100 days a year on a very large ranch that is in both New Mexico and Colorado. I also fish 100 + days each year myself. I've done this since 2000.
In 2002 or 2003 I guided a guy on an elk hunt who at the time was one of the top 10 all time money winners on the Bass Master tour. Since that week I've used nothing but Fluorocarbon for tippet, for both guiding and fishing myself.
I guide on the Vermejo Park Ranch, it's over 580,000 acres and my house on the ranch is 45 miles from the nearest town ( Raton ). The closest fly shop is 3+ hours away so when I get to the ranch I try to have everything I need when I get there.
I use 800 to 900 yards of fluro every year. I know this because each winter I buy ten, 110 yard spools of Berkley Trilene Professional Grade fluorocarbon ( Gold Box ). This also comes in 200 yard spools, but the 100 yard spools fit better in my vest or pack.
I try to support the local fly shops as much as I can, but I use so much tippet that its not feasible for me to buy it for what it costs at fly shops.
I order from Berkley direct. I moved to Mt Vernon Ohio from Oregon in November. If you live any where close to me I would be happy to get you some next winter for my cost. The other thing is I don't believe the Berkley Vanish in the blue box is as good as the Professional Grade.


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## JPH (Oct 27, 2011)

My condolences on the move Gator Kayser at least you got the Kokosing River there


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## Yakphisher (Jul 9, 2013)

drove by Koko last evening on the way back home from Hocking area . Gonna make my way back down to fish it as looked really good.


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## trekker (Feb 18, 2013)

Maxima Ultra is good stuff.


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## The Fishing Addict (Mar 19, 2014)

I use 8lb trilene mono for fly fishing for steelhead!


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

The diameter is all that matters. The only easy thing with tippet material is that it is based on diameter, not lb test. I use standard spools of floro or nylon depending on what stiffness I need. I still use mono tippet for dries because it is more supple, that's about it.


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

Mono floats while Fluoro sinks. So I use Mono for dries and Fluoro for underwater.


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## TheCream (Mar 19, 2009)

I use standard fluoro like Berkley or Stren for bass fishing, a lot of times for carp, also. When I use tippet material is for trout fishing when I feel I need a smaller diameter line. There are a lot of places it doesn't seem to matter much, but I can say from nearly two weeks of experience last year fishing the South Holston River in TN, the tippet diameter did seem to make a big difference. I got more strikes with 6X than I did with 4X, and for a while I even dropped to 8X. There's nothing I hate more than light tippet, but when it ups your strikes, it's a roll of the dice I'll take. 

For a fun comparison, Berkley Vanish 8lb Fluorocarbon has a diameter of .010". The same diameter in Orvis Super Strong nylon tippet is 13.5lb breaking strength. In the Mirage tippet, the same diameter is 14.5lb breaking strength. Tippet tends to be stronger for its diameter than standard fluorocarbon or mono line.


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## worth8 (May 29, 2016)

This message is for theCream. I tried to send it as a private message, but the forum platform kept giving me an error message that my pm was spamlike or inappropriate. (The only reason I can think of was that I just created my account and, until now, have never posted.) Hopefully, you follow threads to which you've replied and will get this message:

Hello - I've seen some of your postings about wading the Hocking and fly fishing for smallmouths. I would like to do the same. I'm relatively new to the Athens area and would like some advice (mostly about decent spots with public access for wading). Since moving to Athens from Alaska, I've mostly been driving to the Monongahela to fish little backcountry streams for trout with my super slow action, fiberglass 3wt., but I've got a fast, carbon 6wt that I used in AK for big trout on big waters. It's perfect for smallmouths. I used it today on the Bluestone National Scenic River in WV and now I've really got the itch to do more smallmouth fishing locally... and more generally, I'm just looking for any fly fishing opportunity that I can pursue after work on weeknights or weekends that are too busy to get into the mountains. I think I also saw a post that said you were an OU employee. I am too. Any advice would be so greatly appreciated. Not asking for you to give away any super secret spots, but this online community seems pretty generous about sharing information. If you are willing to share good spots, it might help to know that I am a very conservation minded, catch and release angler. Thank you.

Also, if any other forum users want to chime in, I'd be grateful. I'm going to try to start a thread seeking this information from anyone. Maybe you'd prefer to respond there as I've committed some pretty serious thread-jacking here. (My apologies... not being able to send a private message put me in a bind.)


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## Yakphisher (Jul 9, 2013)

Worth8 if you were on Bluestone then you drove past a bunch of wonderful rivers for smallies actions that you will not encounter in the Hocking region. Namely the Greenbrier, Tygart and few others.

I will be in Nelsonville soon for a couple weeks but have to wait to see what the foot doctor says
.


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