Shock tippet

[Scruffy_Fly]

or bit tippet. What is the proper name?

What knot do you use? & why not another knot?


I hope to need to know this type of knot this summer.
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[Dryrod]

[font "Garamond"][#008000][size 4]Could be wrong but I think that it is called a Bite tippet. Haven't used it so can't offer any comments.[/size][/#008000][/font]
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[Tarponjim]

Shock tippet is mostly used for toothy critters or larger fish that can wear smaller tippets with abraision. For example, for tarpon I use a leader tapered to 20 lb test, then attach about a foot or two of 40-80 pound mono to the tippet. This is because the sandpaper mouth of a tarpon will quickly wear through anything smaller. For sharks, barracuda, northern pike, etc; many folks use wire shock tippet.

Its also used by the line-class record freaks so that they can use fine leaders, and still not get bitten off by a fish. The IGFA has standards they set for shock leader lengths.

I connect my shock tippet to my leader with a uni-to-uni knot.

For most fly fishing applications, a shock tippet is not required.
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[mojorizing]

[quote Scruffy_Fly]or bit tippet. What is the proper name?

What knot do you use? & why not another knot?


I hope to need to know this type of knot this summer.[/quote]
What species you going after, tiger muskie or muskie?
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[Scruffy_Fly]

Northern Pike.
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[lunchbox]

the Rio toothy critters leaders work better than anything for that. They dont kink or require snaps like wire leaders.
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[Scruffy_Fly]

I think I will stick with using 40 lb monofiliament tippet since I already have a spool of it. When it I use it up and have more experience I may switch. Of course if I loose several flies I may develop a different plan.

I take it that no one on here has used the slim beauty or Rite Bite knot or the bimini twist.
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[flygoddess]

I am with you Scruffy. The BIMINI is perfect for that.....that or a glass rod LOL
I have some 10" metal leaders. They more or less HOOK the eye of the hook and a loop to loop to the leader.
But I think I would go with a heavy mono or a Fluoro.
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[Tarponjim]

The Bimini twist is not a knot to connect two lines. It simply creates a double-line out of a single strand of line, which is then connected to the leader or tippet with a blood knot, double uni, or whatever your knot of choice is to connect two lines.

I tie Biminis every day in my lines here in Florida, so I know the knot well, and can tie it in less than 20 seconds. Again, its just a way to double a line so that knot strength is maintained when tying two lines of dis-similar diameters. The Bimini is tied in the smaller of lines. You can also simply fold over the smaller of the two lines and tie the connecting knot, but its not as strong as the Bimini.

As for fly leaders for pike or muskie, I always just used a 3-peice leader of about 7 or 8 feet, and then tied on a peice of coated, braided steel leader onto that. NEVER had a break off on the steel shock leader. I was guiding in Canada for several summers, catching dozens of northerns a day, up to 35 pounds. I made leaders by using some stiff 40 lb mono for a butt section (Maxima), followed by a section of 30, then a section of softer 20, and then the braided steel "tippet" of about 12 inches. I use 40lb steel. The other nice thing about the coated braided wire is that a simple figure-8 knot is used to tie on the fly. VERY EASY, and never fails with the coated wire.

I use the same stuff in Florida for big barracudas, and their speed and teeth make a pike seem like a tame goldfish. Seriously.

The heavy mono will work for most fish, but you WILL have a fish-of-a-lifetime wear through it when you're bringing it in on an extended fight. We lost several very large pike to tooth-bites in Canada the first year I worked there, and never went back to mono. Take your chances.
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[flygoddess]

Jim, I like the Bimini because it is like a BUNGIE. It does have a little give, that is what makes it so nice. I have a bunch of Orvis 4' ers.
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[Tarponjim]

Yes, I've seen the pre-packaged leaders/tippets with a Bimini on one end to facilitate a loop-to-loop connection, I've just never been a big fan of any kind of loop-to-loop connections because they often have a "hinging" effect on the whole leader. I like knot-to-knot. So when I still want a Bimini, I simply tie one in one end leaving a large loop, and then connect that looped double line to a standing line with a knot rather than looping them. I'm sure both ways work fine, as both are popular. I just find the leaders turn over better with a knotted connection, and there is no rubbing of the two lines like there is with a loop-to-loop connection.

Of course, with bamboo and "delicate" trout fishing, we don't have any of these problems anyway, do we? [cool] Just a leader, a long tippet for presentation, and a fly!

Sometimes I wonder about the sanity of fishing for tarpon, sharks, cudas, pike, and other big mean toothy critters with a fly rod, but it does have its moments, I must admit.[] Mainly because its "up close", and you usually see the "take." I haven't caught a steelhead with my fly rod in recent years, and I'm feeling that "need" again for next summer/fall somwehere. British Columbia has a nice ring to it. Or maybe I'll have to settle for Idaho or Washington.
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[flygoddess]

Me too on the Steelhead. Pokymon, my brother in-law, heads up every year. This year he caught his dream steelie. It was on a fly but fished off as spinning outfit.
Wulff did it for years so I see the need.
People don't understand how great GLASS or BAMBOO can be. It does help one perfect their cast as you really have to learn to wait for it and mistakes are unforgivable, where as FAST action is more forgiving and hides allot of mistakes.

Plus the ROD is the shock absorber and tippet. Setting a hook requires pulling the line instead of lifting rod however.
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[Tarponjim]

I have a "production" Orvis bamboo that I love to use on short outings. There's nothing like it, I love the slow action. I have to admit though, I have a couple of older, very soft "plastic" rods that I use more than any others because they are so light. I think of them as "nearly as soft as bamboo, but as "light as graphite". Best of both worlds. I don't have any fiberglass any more because I figure if I can tolerate the weight, I'll use the bamboo. I still have an Orvis 7 1/2 foot Superfine 3-weight that's like a noodle, and fun to fish on tiny creeks with a short leader.

I can't stand the newer, "IM-84,000 XLT-EXP" fast stuff though. Some of those sticks are very handy for bigger flies and bigger fish, both of which seem to usually be in windy areas and require large flies and streamers. These things we use for big Tarpon hardly even bend!

I've still never tried the spey thing either, but I guess I'm too old school. If I need one of those, I'll just break out the braided line and bait casting gear instead!

Steelies on a dry are pretty exciting, though I've only caught a few that way in my life. I remember every one of them! Wets and nymphs just work better most of the time though, and its not like you catch a bunch of them most days.
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[Scruffy_Fly]

I have only caught 3 Northern pike. All in the same day. They all were caught on 4x and 3x tippet. That is right 4x tippet. ..... They were only about 10 inches long.

Traponjim. Thanks for the info on the bimini twist. I had listened to Barry Reynolds talk about catching northern pike probably three different times. Each time he talked about using monofilament for the shock tippet or the wire and that the wire was a stronger connection of course. Each time he talked about using a bimini twist but never clarified how to apply it. Thanks for clearing up the muddy water for me.

The slim beauty looks like a reasonable knot to tie for a shock tippet connection:

[url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YsH1gJJRLw&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YsH1gJJRLw&feature=related[/url]
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[Tarponjim]

Barry was/is a pioneer in pike fishing with flies, and I too learned from him and one of his fishing buddies. He's caught a ton of them from waters all over the place, so anything he says is likely sound advice. I've never used the slim beauty, but lots of people do use it. Once you learn and like a certain connection, that's what you'll end up using.

I either use a twist-melt loop in the braided wire and connect it to the mono with a uni knot. Or, more often, I use an Albright. The Albright is pretty fast, and "old school."
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[Scruffy_Fly]

Besides trying the slim beauty I am also going to try the Rite Bite tippet knot to see what seems to work best for me. See which one I fumble around with less and get consistant results with.

On American Angler.com this knot is claimed to be 100% of knot strength with good stretch in the knot. By the tying sequence description it sounds like it will take a little longer than the slim beauty to complete.

The Albright is something I use sometimes to tie lengths of rope together It certainly is simple and straight forward to tie.

[url "http://americanangler.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=786&Itemid=0"][/url]
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[Dryrod]

[font "Garamond"][#008000][size 4]Excellent video Scruffy. Real easy to follow along without all the gobbled-gook.[/size][/#008000][/font]
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