Tom Rosenbauer - The Orvis Guide to Leaders, Knots, and Tippets: A Detailed, Streamside Field Guide To Leader Construction, Fly-Fishing Knots, Tippets and More

An imprint of Globe Pequot

Distributed by NATIONAL BOOK NETWORK

Copyright 2000, 2008, 2018 Tom Rosenbauer

Illustrations copyright 2000, 2008, 2018 Rod Walinchus and James Daley

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information available

A previous paperback edition was cataloged by the Library of Congress as follows:

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Rosenbauer, Tom, author. | Orvis Company.

Title: The Orvis guide to leaders, knots, and tippets : a detailed, streamside field guide to leader construction, fly-fishing knots, tippets, and more / Tom Rosenbauer.

Other titles: Orvis vest pocket guide to leaders, knots, and tippets

Description: Guilford, Connecticut : Lyons Press, [2018] | Revised edition of: The Orvis vest pocket guide to leaders, knots, and tippets : a detailed field guide to: leader construction, fly-fishing knots, tippets and more. 2008. | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2017051869 (print) | LCCN 2018001483 (ebook) | |

ISBN 9781493032839 (paperback) | ISBN 9781493032846 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Leaders (Fishing) | Fishing knots. | Tippets (Fishing)

Classification: LCC SH452.9.L43 (ebook) | LCC SH452.9.L43 R677 2018 (print) |

DDC 799.12028/4dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017051869

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information SciencesPermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.

Printed in the United States of America

The fly-fishing business is a close-knit community. There is often a fine line between colleagues, friends, fishing buddies, guides, editors, and publishers. Rather than trying to figure out where the following people fit in, I would like to thank them in alphabetical order for the great things theyve taught me about lines, leaders, tippets, and writing over the years: Aaron Adams, Rick Alden, Brad Befus, Bob Benson, Rich Benson, Tom Bie, Tony Biski, Jay Cassell, Frank Catino, the late Dave Chermanski, Mike Clough, Shawn Combs, Marshall Cutchin, Tim Daughton, Dan Davala, Kirk Deeter, Joe Demalderis, Joe Dion, Chris Dombrowski, Pat Dorsey, Patrick Fulkrod, Jesse Haller, John Harder, Steve Hempkens, John Herzer, Steve Huff, Patrick Keller, Jim Lepage, Nick Lyons, Tony Lyons, Dave Mangum, Jay Nichols, Miles Nolte, Sam Orvis, Dave Perkins, Perk Perkins, Timbre Pringle, Bill Reed, Rick Ruoff, John Shewey, Tom Shubat, the late Tony Stetzko, Rod Walinchus, and Jeff Walther.

Fly fishing is really pretty simple stuff. Rods havent changed that much in 100 years, reels are mostly simply a spool and an arbor with some kind of brake, and as long as you dont delve into the arcane philosophy of matching a hatching insect with an exact imitation of its species, fly selection is as simple as choosing a spinning lure. (Use what the experts recommend or go with what your gut tells you.) But leaders and tippets and knots are difficult concepts to grasp. Most knots are not your fathers Boy Scout varietythey twist both your brain and leader into a pretzeland the dynamics of leader design are best left to aeronautical engineers. Judging by the array of knot tools on the market today, these subjects mystify both novices and experts. It doesnt help that a great many fly fishers are over 40, because difficulties just seeing a 7X tippet only add to this frustration. Thus the reason for this simple, straightforward guide to the basics of tippet materials, leader design, and the basic knots youll need for both fresh and salt water.

The importance of choosing the proper leader is underestimated both in casting and in presentation. You can use a superb fly rod and a brand-new fly line, but if your leader is not properly tapered, the whole outfit feels sluggish. A difference in tippet diameter of .001' or a couple extra feet of tippet material can mean the difference between a frustrating day and a fun and productive one. In my experience as a fly-fishing instructor, I found basic leader and tippet design to be harder for students to grasp than the double-haul. And even experienced fly fishers sometimes disregard the importance of the right leader. When switching rods with experienced fly-fishing friends, I am often amazed at the state of their leaders.

The knots you see in this guide might be tied differently than the way youve been taught. I have written these instructions as clearly as I could, assuming you have never tied one of these knots before. These directions may not be the same as the ones you see in other books, because these are the way guides and other experienced fly fishers tie them.

Some of your favorite knots might be missing. Its important to note that for any given purpose in fly fishing, for instance attaching a fly to a tippet, I can show you a dozen different knots (although I may have to look some of them up). Dont go crazy trying to learn all of them. In fact, dont even learn two. Pick a knot recommended by a friend or a fly shop employee, or one you see on a blog. That knot is popular because it works. Popular knots have stood the test of time. It is much more important to learn to tie one knot correctly and consistently than it is to memorize a repertoire of knots that the muscle memory in your fingers is not comfortable with.

My only goal in writing this book was to make your days on the water easier and more fun. We dont always need to catch fish to have a good day, but broken leaders and lost fish are never positive experiences.

THE

GUIDE TO

LEADERS, KNOTS, and TIPPETS

Youve watched for the UPS delivery truck every day and finally it arrives, with one long skinny box and one square package: your new fly rod outfit! You open the rod box and all is as expected, but when you open the box that contains the reel, line, and backingsurprise! Some places attach everything for you, and if you bought your outfit in a fly shop, someone most likely set it up for you. But instead of the neatly wound reel you saw on the website, you may be faced with an empty reel, a large spool of fly line, and a smaller spool with 100 yards of backing. The leader isnt attached; its coiled up in a small plastic bag. And you thought you were going fishing this afternoon.