Bambooflyguy
Life of the Party
I cut off all loops….I don’t like the bulk and cringe if it got caught in a small snake guide on my bamboo rods. My .02
Cracking sink tips
- Thread starter coastalcutty
- Start date
Do you mean 15 lb? Max usually goes 8, 10, 12, 15, 20. I don't think they've ever made a 13. Here's the Fluoro selections-
The loop on my my barely used, new from store 5/5' T11 MOW tip pulled apart when I got hung on a rando rock using 15 lb for kings. The loop came unwelded, but somehow the perfection loop (25lb Max Ultragreen) held onto the broken loop so I got everything back except the fly. It was even a turle knot.
The rest of the tip was fine (for now) so I just clipped off the loop and nail knotted the leader onto it. The heaviest I use for steelhead is 12 lb, but prefer 10 lb specifically for ease of breaking off a hung fly.
15 lb Max is tough stuff! Also Fluoro will cut more than Ultragreen.
coastalcutty
Smolt
I meant 12# actually. 10 felt too light for whatever reason.
I've taken to tying a double spider hitch and then following that with a double surgeons to create two loops that connect to the sink tip. I think this increased surface area keeps my welded loops from splitting like in your attached second photo. I would second the nail knot method for creating loops as well. I typically tie three nail knots and secure them with super glue or UV.
Another vote for steering towards Airflo (haven't used SA). I have Rio T-11 tips made from bulk that started looking haggard after a year. I have airflo t-tips (from the custom cut) that have been around for years with little to no marks. Oddly, my Rio MOW tips are still in pretty good shape, it's just the bulk t-material that seems to crap out.
I albright a foot or two of 20 maxima to the airflo tip, then loop 12lb tippet on that. P-Line CXX is also another line that is super tough, even comes in green.
I albright a foot or two of 20 maxima to the airflo tip, then loop 12lb tippet on that. P-Line CXX is also another line that is super tough, even comes in green.
A full set of 10 and 12 foot OPST tips and a couple of MOW tips is probably all you would ever need for 2 handed fishing.
Yep. This is my current collection of tips for my 2 handed 7wts. One is a 12'6" spey (475gr Skagit line) and the other is a 11'6" switch (400gr Skagit line)
- MOW 10' Floater (110gr)
- MOW 10' 2.5' T11 sink (110gr)
- MOW 10' 5' T11 sink (110gr)
- MOW 10' T11 sink (110gr)
- OPST 12' Run (S5/S6) (132gr)
- Rio 15' Floater (135gr)
The 2.5' is a great summer tip when not sending bushy bugs on the floater. And the 10' T11 probably gets the most use when more depth is needed.
It's also caught the most fish. The OPST 12' Run will be getting more use if I can get my ass to the Skagit this year. Calendar is already filling up!
The coating cut in your first photo looks like what's happened to me sometimes, when I get hung up hard on brush. My tippet had cut into the flyline coating just like that, because the fly whips around at a very high speed, as it tangles. Tippet is much harder material than flyline coating.
I think you'll like Maxima Ultragreen 12# better than fluorocarbon 12#. It's my impression that steelheaders (at least here in B.C.) mostly use Maxima UG. I hardly ever hear of fluoro being used. Maybe that's because fluoro is unneccessarily thin, or expensive, or because it takes a zillion years to break down in the environment? Max UG 12# is 0.015" dia., fluoro 12# is 0.011" dia. Sure, thinner leader or tippet may sink a bit faster, but that mostly applies to long leaders off floating flylines; not the short leaders we put on the end of sinktip material (usually 3 or 4 feet).
The grooves into the flyline coating in your second photo is typical for loop-to-loop connections between flyline and leader, where the leader bites into the soft flyline coating, but a thicker leader wouldn't normally cut in quite so much. Note that a typical 3X tapered trout leader's butt is around 0.021" dia.; quite a bit thicker than fluoro 12# 0.011".
Wait, I guess nobody has asked if you're looping the 12# fluoro directly to the tip. Are you? If so, that will cut bad. Even 12# Ultragreen will cut.
Needs to be at least 20# Ultragreen tapered (I use blood knots) down to 12 or 10. I usually do 1-2' of 20#, 1-2' of 15# and then 2' of 12#. In fact, I've been using 6" of 40# looped to 1' of 20# and then tapered down lately to really try to give those loops a break.
And just some frank advice. That loop in the 2nd photo is not good. I would suggest either going with 30 or 40# nail knotted to the tip (and then perfection loop at 6-10") or loop the tip and secure using nail knots over the doubled tip. Both ways will cast a hell of a lot better and not get stuck in the guides.
Needs to be at least 20# Ultragreen tapered (I use blood knots) down to 12 or 10. I usually do 1-2' of 20#, 1-2' of 15# and then 2' of 12#. In fact, I've been using 6" of 40# looped to 1' of 20# and then tapered down lately to really try to give those loops a break.
And just some frank advice. That loop in the 2nd photo is not good. I would suggest either going with 30 or 40# nail knotted to the tip (and then perfection loop at 6-10") or loop the tip and secure using nail knots over the doubled tip. Both ways will cast a hell of a lot better and not get stuck in the guides.
Mike Bacca
Smolt
I couldn't agree with you more on that second loop. Very sloppy looking.
coastalcutty
Smolt
So you're talking about an up to 6 foot diy tapered leader after the sink tip?
coastalcutty
Smolt
Update - I peeled off a few inches of the coating and tied a perfection loop in the end to get rid of that big bulky knot I had. Much cleaner.
When I first found the crack I was concerned that the sink tip would sever entirely. Now that I've stripped it I know what's inside.
Btw, where is the tungsten? Is it in that small core, or the coating?
When I first found the crack I was concerned that the sink tip would sever entirely. Now that I've stripped it I know what's inside.
Btw, where is the tungsten? Is it in that small core, or the coating?
In the coating.
Yep. I'm usually at about 6' for my 10' 2.5' sink T11 tip and only about 4' when using 10' sink T11 or 12' Run tips. And about 9-10' when using the floater.
If you're looping to the core of the tip, I would just loop on some tippet, 4-6 feet. If you loop your leader onto a welded tip, I would build my leader accordingly: 50% 20# Maxima, 50% 10# Maxima. I use a no slip loop knot to loop to the tip, and a double uni knot to join the tippet to the butt section. Some folks use a double or triple surgeon knot instead of the double uni.
