Please forgive me if I am trying to evade the laws of physics, but has anyone found a particular brand of 3-4lb tippet that cuts through the surface film well? It does not matter which type of material.
Even well degreased, all the brands I have tried stick in the surface film in calms.
I'm not sure such a thing exists. Surface tension has to be broken in order for it to sink, some detergent will help. I use mainly Rio Powerflex and it's not too bad, a pull or two breaks the surface tension. I have read that fluorocarbon sinks more readily, but I can't say I've tried it.
I think you will struggle to find one.
Worth bearing in mind that if you switch to fluorocarbon, buy something of the same diameter rather than matching breaking strain. While fluorocarbon may be denser and sinks more readily, it also has a higher breaking strain. If you buy the same breaking strain the material is likely to be thinner, will not sink any better and be more prone to breaking.
Thanks both.
I have tried pretty much every brand and not found any significant difference. Ditto for the proprietary degreasers.
Most of my fishing now is with a single dry and I definitely get better results fishing close in on small crystal-clear waters with lighter tippets. But not on calm days when the lightest tippets wont sink through the surface film.
If a fish is feeding in roughly the same spot it usually takes the fly immediately it hits the water (fishing for me as good as it gets!) so the floating tippet is irrelevant. But if I am trying to ambush a cruising fish with a floating tippet I can often see it has ignored my offering as it swam past.
My (quite successful) workaround in flat calms has been using a light tippet to a sinking furled leader that gradually pulls the tippet under and, of course, then the fly. But timing has to be spot on to fool cruising feeders.
I remember discussing this with Bob Wyattt and he reckoned the tippet floating made no difference. His thinking was the fish see stuff floating past all the time, grass, stems etc.
I mix up Fullers Earth with Fairy Liquid to a consistency like toothpaste put it in an old toothpaste tube, treat the leader and it goes down right away.
Quote from: Moggie on February 09, 2022, 11:46:12 AM
I mix up Fullers Earth with Fairy Liquid to a consistency like toothpaste put it in an old toothpaste tube, treat the leader and it goes down right away.
I do the same and it works (except for very light tippets in calms) as well as any of the expensive degreasers :)
The kg bag of Fullers Earth I bought off ebay will see me out!
This may work................https://www.matchmansupplies.co.uk/brands/drennan/drennan-feeder-and-method-monofilament-line
The old Permasink works well I still have some left. Do not know about the "newer" stuff. Be honest with you I do not think it makes much difference if it is treated or not.
Tight Lines
Quote from: burnie on February 09, 2022, 01:16:39 PM
This may work................https://www.matchmansupplies.co.uk/brands/drennan/drennan-feeder-and-method-monofilament-line
I have not see this before, so thanks. The problem is that it is very thick for its strength so I would lose the stealth I am seeking by using fine tippets. The laws of physics are winning :(
I used to make my own sinking compound - fullers earth, fairy liquid, water and glycerine I think it was. ;)
Quote from: arawa on February 09, 2022, 02:56:48 PM
I have not see this before, so thanks. The problem is that it is very thick for its strength so I would lose the stealth I am seeking by using fine tippets. The laws of physics are winning :(
I met Pete Drennan many years ago at a game fair, he has a very analytical mind to finding solutions to problems.......................................and then makes money out of them ;D
I make up a little pot of degreaser from Fuller's Earth, washing up liquid, glycerine and diluted Surfex HD. The Surfex HD is an organic degreaser used even for cleaning car engines by garages nowadays and avoiding discharge effluent problems with other chemicals. Very effective on oils, greases and fats and diluted down quiite a lot is still effective and useful around the house too.
I was discussing this recently with a chap who knows a lot about chemistry and fishing. The leaders have surfaces which are both hydrophobic to repell water and lipophilic so they attract the lipid fats that are a micro film on the water from bird feathers, plant leaves, anglers sandwiches ... you name it there will be a molecule thick on most water. So you find that flourocarbon actually floats better than copolymer nylon even though more dense. It sinks nicely if you poke it straight into the water !
I use an old plastic film canister with a little cloth in that is wet with diluted Surfex HD to give a wipe as required as well as the degreaser mix.
Another suggestion from the person who told me about Surfex HD was to put a little in from a bottle of Finish dishwasher cleaner. This is a good cleaner of fats and oils.
Quote from: admin on February 09, 2022, 11:41:00 AM
I remember discussing this with Bob Wyattt and he reckoned the tippet floating made no difference. His thinking was the fish see stuff floating past all the time, grass, stems etc.
I dont think it makes that big a difference tbh. Have you seen some of those videos you were posting of that couple fishing for big trout. Many times they seem to "line" the fish with heavy tippet yet the fish still take the fly 🤷♂️
The "floating leader is OK" is probably more in river fishing because of surface creases and currents and surface movement. It is supposed to be more important for lochs unless there is a good ripple or wind. On a calmer surface the leader does stand out.
All I can go by is my experience over many years. On the lochs I regularly fish, floating tippets mean fewer fish.
I quite understand other anglers might have found differently. It would be a boring sport if we all had the same ideas :)
I make my own sinkant, I call it spit :) Some on the finger and thumb and run the leader and flies through it. It works about as often as all the bought stuff does, sometimes better, even after using Muclin to float the leader :)