Fly fishing tippet is often overlooked, but it’s importance cannot be overstated. It’s the vital link between your leader and your fly, influencing presentation, stealth, and possibly the difference between getting a fish to bite or turn its nose away.

I’ve had experiences where the difference between getting a fish to eat or snobbishly scoff at my fly has been bumping down my tippet size. I’ve also had tippet break off because I was using dental floss when I should have been using telephone wire. I think every angler has had their fly swim incorrectly because they had the wrong tippet tied on. All that to say, tippet is important!

In this guide, we’ll dive deep into fly fishing tippet, what it is, what all the numbers mean, and most importantly, what kind of tippet to use when targeting your favorite fish on the fly rod.

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What is Fly Fishing Tippet?

Fly fishing tippet is a thin, clear material that connects your leader to your fly. Its the terminal end of your leader and comes in several different materials and sizes, each with their own benefits and drawbacks.

Tippet serves several important roles, most important being it secures your fly to your leader and line. It also can assist in presentation, movement, depth, abrasion resistance and maintaining stealth of the fly you’re using.

Tippet is always important, though the nuances of tippet when fly fishing ranges from trivial to vital, depending on the fly you’re using, the water conditions, and the fish you are targeting. Ultimately, what the tippet must do is present the fly, allow the fly to be presented correctly, and not break off either by the conditions or by a fish’s mouth.

Why Do You Need Fly Fishing Tippet?

Taking  a quick step back, let’s look at why we need tippet in the first place. First in order to deliver a basically weightless fly, we need a fly line to cast it. Fly line is a very thick, plastic material that is visible even to three very famous mice. Because of that, we need a thinner, clearer material that won’t spook fish off.

However, we can’t simply attach a few feet of clear fishing line to the end of our fly line. Our fly would land like an asteroid on top of the water, or even break off when attempting to cast. We need a clear material that won’t spook fish and will help deliver our fly gently and effectively. That’s where tapered leaders come in- clear line that starts at about the same thickness as your fly line, tapered down to a thinner line in order to transfer energy to our fly gently and effectively.

Now we understand why we need a leader, but what if the tapered end of the leader is too thick? That’s where tippet comes in. Tippet is last several feet of your leader that serves all the purposes we need it to. Tippet solves the stealth, presentation, and visibility issues all in one short strand of fishing line.

How Much Tippet Do You Need?

You need enough tippet that allows you to present the fly appropriately and maintain the stealth of your approach. The general rule of thumb is if you have a standard 9 foot leader, the last 2 feet should be tippet.

You can shorten your leader if you are fishing hungry or active fish, but once you get down to a foot or so it will start to affect the presentation of your cast. Too much energy could be transferred to the fly and it will likely land too aggressively. If you notice this, cut and add more tippet.

You should lengthen your leader if you notice it landing too aggressively or if you are fishing to notably spooky fish. An extra foot or two of tippet can provide more stealth, as long as it doesn’t affect your presentation.

As you hook fish, retie flies, or break off when you cast into a tree (we all do it), you’ll slowly eat away at your tippet. It’s important to be conscious of when you need to add more tippet to the end of your tippet or you’ll begin to have too thick of material attached to your fly. If you’re fishing a pre-packaged knotless leader, it’s often helpful to cut off the last 2 feet (which is your tippet) so you’ll have a knot to mark when you’ve eaten too much of your material away.

To tie on your tippet, simply use a Triple Surgeon’s Knot. It’s strong and easy to tie- won’t frustrate you like some other knots out there. Check out this video on how to tie the Triple Surgeon’s Knot:

Can You Fly Fish Without Tippet?

No, you cannot fish without tippet. Well, technically you could, but you’re probably not going to catch many and for our purposes, we should always be using it.

If you’re fly fishing without tippet, you’ll probably be fishing with a short, stubby, stiff leader. It will be very difficult to tie a fly on, your presentation will be very unnatural as it drifts or swims and your fly will land like a cannonball on top of the water.

So yeah, let’s avoid that and use tippet every single time we go fishing.

Different Tippet Materials

Tippet comes in several different materials, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. The two main materials we focus on are the most common- monofilament and fluorocarbon, while copolymer tippets are another popular choice.

Sometimes, there is a specific material that we must use, other times there are materials that we think we should use. Anglers argue all the time about the necessities of certain materials, but what it comes down to is confidence. Anglers will argue all day about the benefits and necessities of certain types of tippet, though we’ll leave the debate for the court. If you believe you should be fishing with a certain type of material, then use that material!

Monofilament/Nylon

Monofilament (aka “mono” or nylon) is the most common tippet material you will see in fly shops and online. It’s a classic material anglers have been using for decades.

Monofilament is constructed, as its name would suggest from a single fiber of plastic material made from melting and mixing a single polymer and extruded through holes of varying thicknesses.

Mono is relatively cheap to make, so its relatively cheap to buy which is a driving factor for some anglers. Large spools of tippet that will last you several fishing seasons can be purchased very economically and be extremely effective on the water.

Monofilament floats, making it a must for dry fly or other top water fishing uses. Mono is the go-to for many anglers because of this reason and you simply cannot use other types of tippet if you are fishing anything on top of the water. It is also perfectly good to use subsurface, making it an all-around choice in tippet.

Mono also stretches, a nuanced feature in fly fishing that can be useful. Because of this stretch, it gives the angler a ready-made shock tippet that is extremely useful if catching large fish that attack your fly viciously. Some anglers also find that this feature allows you to tie knots easier, which can be helpful for saving your sanity during a day on the water.

Personally, I use mono most of the time when I am trout fishing. I like the versatility of using mono to use dry flies, streamers, and nymphs, without needing to switch out the entire rig when changing tactics.

My go-to monofilament tippet is Scientific Anglers Freshwater Tippet. I’ve used this stuff for years and love it. Trusted brands like Scientific Anglers always deliver with reliable products.

Fluorocarbon

Fluorocarbon is another popular choice in fly fishing tippet. Some anglers swear it, stating that it makes all the difference in the world. When asked about the importance of fluoro, I had a guide tell me that “it (fluorocarbon tippet) has always been a part of the equation” which I thought was a good microcosm of the fluoro/mono debate. Would he have caught those same fish on mono? Who knows, but if it gives you confidence and is part of what you do, keep doin’ it.

Now, let’s look into some reasons why some anglers trust fluorocarbon.

Fluorocarbon is made from vinylidene fluoride resin and similar to mono, is extruded through different sized holes to make the line. The different type of material that fluoro is made from gives it a significantly better abrasion resistance than monofilament. This resistance to abrasion is why many anglers choose fluoro when fishing subsurface, especially around rocky, sticky structure, or fish with rough mouths.

Additionally, this added toughness allows the angler to fish the same pound test (breaking strength) on a smaller diameter, making the line less visible to the fish. Along with a smaller diameter, fluorocarbon is also less reflective of UV light than other materials. Some anglers will say that it’s invisible to the fish, but this isn’t necessarily true- while it is less visible/reflective, it’s not entirely hidden. I will say that this feature does give me a ton more confidence in fishing with fluorocarbon, especially when fishing small nymphs.

While mono floats, fluorocarbon sinks, giving it an advantage in sub-surface techniques. This helps nymphs get down to the right depth faster and streamers swimming evenly through the water column. This is highly advantageous, especially when fishing technical, fussy fish. While we’re only talking about fractional improvements to sink rates, I’ve found that those tiny adjustments can make a big difference over the course of a day of fishing.

My personal fluorocarbon favorites are Scientific Anglers Absolute Fluorocarbon for freshwater uses and Rio Fluoroflex Saltwater Tippet for saltwater or heavy duty freshwater tippets. SA’s Absolute Fluorocarbon is strong, easy to work with, and knock on wood, haven’t had any issues with it so far after fishing it for several seasons.

Copolymer

Copolymer fishing tippet is another popular material that is becoming more and more common. This material is a combination of polymers, wheres traditional mono/fluoro are typically made from a single material. It’s known for being more flexible but able to retain it’s floating characteristics and abrasion resistance.

Because copolymers float, you can use it as you would mono tippet. It’s a great all-around tippet that is applicable in any situation. I’ve noticed that the copolymers I’ve used are much more limber than mono or fluoro, making knots easier to tie and drifts a little more natural.

My personal favorite copolymer is Scientific Anglers Absolute Clear Trout Tippet. It’s supple, strong, and durable. The added polymer gives it added resistance to abrasion. It floats well, sinks fast when under weight, making it a great all around option for a day on the water. Rio Powerflex Tippet is another great choice when it comes to copolymer fishing tippet.

Choosing the Right Tippet Material

Selecting which tippet material to use does not need to be complicated.

If you want your fly to float, use mono or copolymer. This goes for dry flies, terrestrials, poppers- anything that you want to remain on top of the surface, use the floating characteristics of mono to your advantage.

If you want your fly to sink, use fluorocarbon. Nymphs, streamers, wet flies all benefit from the sinking traits of fluorocarbon. You can still fish these with monofilament or copolymer, though fluoro gets your flies under the surface and to the targeted depth more efficiently.

Mono is the most all-purpose tippet material, capable of handling any situation. Unless I know I am exclusively fishing subsurface, I use mono for this reason. If I’m out trout fishing and know that I’ll be fishing dries, streamers, and nymphs, mono is the go-to. If I’m bass fishing and fishing almost exclusively subsurface, I’m taking fluorocarbon all day.

Tippet Size, Diameter, and Breaking Strength

We know which tippet material to use given the situation, now we must choose the right size, or diameter, to use. This also does not need to be complicated, but knowing how tippet sizes are labeled will help us understand the correct size to use.

What does the X mean on Tippet?

If you’ve ever walked into a fly shop, you’ve likely seen a wall of hockey puck sized spools of tippet with numbers and letters on them. In the fly fishing world, the somewhat antiquated “X” system is used to denote the diameter of the tippet, usually smaller sizes. For larger tippet, the approximate pound breaking strength is listed.

A number followed by an X denotes the diameter of the material. In general, the larger the number, the smaller the diameter and lower breaking strength and vice versa.

The following chart is a reference for the X system with approximate diameter and breaking strengths for smaller monofilament tippets. Each manufacturer’s diameter and breaking strength may be slightly different, though this is a general guideline for monofilament tippets.

Fluorocarbon tippets will provide the same breaking strength at a slightly smaller diameter, but they’ll be around these numbers.

Because there are several numbers involved when talking about tippet, the X system is meant to be the all-encompassing reference that captures it all. So instead of saying, “I had to go down to .005 inch, 4 lb breaking strength tippet,” you can just say “I switched over to 6X.”

Choosing the Right Tippet Size

When choosing which tippet size to use, there is a simple formula to use:

Using the X system, simply take the size of the fly you are using and divide it by 3 or 4. So a size 16 Pheasant Tail nymph calls for a 4x or 5x tippet. A size 12  pattern will call for 3X or 4X. That size 4 streamer you’ve got tied on will need a 1X or 0X tippet tied to it.

This rule of thumb will get put you in the right direction. You can certainly go up or down in tippet size depending on the conditions and the fish, though this system is a great starting point when determining which size to throw on the end of your line.

But what if you’re fishing larger patterns that don’t divide into 3 or 4? What tippet would you use for a size 1/0 streamer? This is when the pound breaking strength comes into play. The X system is meant for smaller flies but once we get into larger flies, we switch over to simply listing tippet by their pound breaking strengths.

In general, 12 lb or 16 lb breaking strength for larger flies is a good place to start. There are some specialty tippets to use in certain situations like in the salt or fishing toothy fish like pike and musky, though for your standard day of bass or trout fishing, this 12 or 16 lb tippet will be great.

For big flies and heavy cover, I like to bump it up to 25 lb tippet. That way, I know I’ll stay hooked up to anything in freshwater (maybe not toothy fish like pike or musky) that takes a bite of my fly. In cases like this, I’m not too worried about fish being leader shy- I’ll fish flies big enough that that’s all they’ll be able to focus on.

Conclusion

So there you have it. Understanding fly fishing tippet and its role in your setup is crucial for success and can be the difference between catching fish and going home empty handed. Tippet serves as the vital link between your leader and fly, influencing presentation, stealth, and ultimately, getting the fish to bite.

Monofilament, fluorocarbon, and copolymer are the three main tippet materials, each offering unique advantages depending on the situation. Mono and copolymers are versatile and float, while fluorocarbon sinks and provides enhanced abrasion resistance.

Understanding the X system for tippet sizing allows you to match the size of your tippet to the size of your fly effectively. Whether you’re fishing dry flies, nymphs, or streamers, selecting the appropriate tippet size ensures proper presentation and strength.

Ultimately, confidence in your tippet choice is key. Whether your prefer the versatility of mono or the sinking properties of fluoro, choosing the right tippet material and size based on your conditions and target species will greatly increase your chances of getting hooked. Next time you’re rigging up, pay attention to your tippet- it might just be the difference between a day of frustration or a day of tight lines!

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