Question on Leader & Tippet

Hey Guys,

I'm new to the boards here, I'm have some newb questions to ask.  I've just gotten into fly fishing and picked up a Temple Fork Outfitters NXT 5/6 9' from BassProShops.  I spoke to one of the guys there, and he seemed helpful on finding me a moderate priced setup for the Bass fishing I was looking to do.

Now, upon opening and putting everything together, I noticed there is no leader, nor a tippet included.  It's got backing and fly line, but nothing else... which I found strange.  Also I wish he would have informed me that it was missing these so I could have picked them up while I was there. :(  Orlando's a jaunt from where I'm at.

Anyways, I went by the nearest local fly shop and picked up Climax Fluorocarbon Tippet, and  Mirage 7 1/2 ft 10lb Leader.  What I honestly don't understand (and please excuse my ignorance to this) what the difference between the two even are.  Because I see that even if my fly setup HAD come with what it was supposed to, it didn't say anything about the "Tippet" only the Leader...

So I'm basically sitting here with these and can not find a decent video or illustration for tying the leader & tippet to the fly line.  What knot to use, etc.  My Leader has a loop pre-tied on one end (fatter end) but most of the illustrations I see are how to tie differently. 

Needless to say I'm very confused as a beginner, and would just like to get started so I can start practicing on my casting consistancy, before I even get out on the water.

Any help on this question would be greatly appreciated, and I'm looking forward to getting into the FishUSA Community! :)

hi brentalous

welcome to the board.  what kind of bass fishing are you planning on doing, smallie, largemouth? open water or weeds?

now as for your question, your leader is ties to the flyline and the tippet to the leader.  the tippet is replaceable as you use small amounts as you change flies. so a leader would eventialy wear down to a point where it would be useless.  also you can alter the tippet to the conditions you face.  the fluorocarbon tippet you bought would be good for very clear water if the fish were spooky.  also depending on the size of the fly your using you may need to go up or down in thickness or stiffness to get the fly to "turn over" or play out straight.  for bass you can get away with using "regular" line instead of tippet material sold in the small spools.

when you attach the leader to the flyline with a loop-to-loop connection. first tie on a small section of mono, the same strength and stiffness as your leader, using a nail knot. http://www.animatedknots.com/nailknot/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

next cut the mono to about 6".  tie a perfection loop to the end.  the smaller the loop the better. http://www.animatedknots.com/perfection/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com

your leader should already have a loop on it, but if not, tie a loop to that and make the loop to loop connection. http://www.killroys.com/knots/looploop.htm

next tie your tippet to your leader using a blood knot or surgeons knot.  i prefer the blood knot.  although some people like to use loop to loop here also.  with light line i find this a weak point in my set-up but with heavier stuff like 10 lb or above, it's OK.

now tie on a fly and now your ready to go.  this knot can be a clinch, palomar, turle anything you can tie well.

Ok so basically all I really need to do is connect the leader to my flyline, and I should be set right?  Using the NAILKNOT?

Never before, no.

Ok, I've watched qutie a few tutorials on YouTube and different sites online, So I've got a general idea.  However i do know what you mean to have someone there, to point out what I'm doing wrong, etc.  Unfortunately, I don't know anyone who flyfishes, and the nearest place I know of that gives free lessons is @ BPS in Orlando... So we'll see.  I'm a pretty quick learner.

So I'll use that nailknot and tie on that leader to my fly line tonight and get to practicing a bit.  Will it cause me to lose a fish w/o a tippet added on?  Also how many approximate feet do i need of leader/tippet total after the fly line?

brent

not putting on a leader will not cause you to loss fish.  the leader and tippet are a delivery system.  the basic concept is you cast the flyline and because the fly is so light, it follows; as opposed to spinner/ baitcasting, you cast the lure.  so you size the rod's weight with the size fly you want to cast, so a higher wt. rod will cast larger/heavier flies.  fo bass you usually can get away with a shorter leader/tippet, anywhere from 7 - 9 ft should be good.  this also may limit you on how deep you can fish.  so as a rule of thumb, the heavier the fly the stiffer and shorter the leader, so it turns over well.  so with a 5/6 wt you will be able to throw say a size 4 streamer or a small bass popper. however to start learning, i would use a size 8 dry fly or nymph.  with setup i would use your 7.5' leader,which i believe you said was 10 lb ( did is also have a number X too ie 1X or 0X)  and about 2 ft tippet of 8 lb or 3X tippet.

also what type of water are planning on fishing?  aslo smallies or largemouth?

For you new guys to the long rod, I know its hard to swallow but spend the money on a few lessons. This will cut your learning time down. If a couple of you get together you may get a group lesson going and all learn w/ less money being spent as a whole. These lessons don't have to be how to cast the longest. Start small, give the teacher a few ideas as to what your looking for out of these lessons. This way at least you get what your looking for, nothing worse than booking a lesson and not getting what you expected. I mentioned earlier that you can hit the local book stores, pick up a few books on the beginning fly fishing. If a couple of you live close by share the books.

To cut your learning time done some, you can learn the knots and simple casting in a farm pond. The sunfish are a lot less forgiving than those steel can be. To this day i still enjoy the non-thinking end of fly fishing a small pond.

Enjoy the sport and your be hooked forever w/ the rod.

brent

lmb with a 5/6 wt, well that's ambitious.  most of the time you'll be ok but if you get into thick weeds do not try and pull the bass out with the rod, as in fighting the fish with the rod high over head, if you do you will have a few extra pieces.  point the tip towards the fish so only a small bend is on the rod and pull or reel the line in that way.  same thing when you get snagged or land a fish, do not put a sharp bend in the rod or you will be testing the warranty.

for bass fishing i use  8 and sometimes a 9 wt rod.  you also need to get a bass or bug taper floating fly line to really throw good sized bass bugs in weeds and lilypads.  a medium fast taper rod like the TFO signiture series would be a good start.  i also use these for pikeand muskie.  i'd like to use them in salt some day for stripers and reds.

brent i think that would be a wise move.  if you here in PA i'd say you may get away with the 5/6 weight but in FL you need the beef.  i would also go with a stronger leader, i mean would you use 8 or 10 lb test using a worm rig? also when you get flies make sure they have weed guards.
 
check out some of these flies http://laflyfish.com/flies/sqwirm-worm.php 
http://laflyfish.com/flies/flylist.php
this is a good selection but you may be able to find them cheaper http://members.ij.net/danscustomflys/BassFlies.htm
http://www.riverbum.com/Bass-Flies/
http://www.flyshack.com/DisplayCategory.aspx?CatID=15
 
this should be enough to give you an idea of what's out there.
 
good luck and have fun