Avoiding the “Long-Line Release”
This brief treatise is about leaders, tippets, and knots--three critical aspects of angling. Its purpose is none other than that of avoiding the dreaded “long-line release.” It is spurred by the recollection of an unfortunate (but instructive) experience on the Pere Marquette River in Michigan years ago.
For an entire summer I had stalked a particular brown trout. I knew his lair by heart, as well as his epic proportions. One day on the way to the river, I stopped at a tackle store and, low and behold, they had a precious few knotless leaders I had coveted over the years. I bought the last of their stock, marveling at my good fortune at being able to still find them. It did not bother me in the slightest that the packaging on the leaders had yellowed from lengthy exposure to the sun.
It was a bright sunny day with no wind. The PM was never in better condition. I waded carefully into the river to the spot needed to get a good drift to the big brown I knew was under a particular log jam. (I had crawled up on him a couple of times previously, watched him finning idly in the current…orange spots larger than the size of a pencil eraser). The size #10 hopper landed precisely where I wanted it. It drifted lazily into his “window,” and he rose to the fly exactly as I had dreamed he would. I raised my rod tip gently to set the hook, felt a good set…and the leader parted!
I never did catch that fish…but he taught me a good lesson: pay particular attention to such things as leaders, tippets, and knots. What follows are some of my own observations on those vital subjects.
With what I consider to be the outrageous cost of knotless leaders, I have taken to making my own. I make it easy. I use 10, 8, and 6 lb. Maxima leader material. The ten lb. section I make three feet long, the eight lb. section two and a half feet long, and the six lb. section two feet long. I tie the sections together with barrel knots (blood knots); making sure I snug them down tightly, and trim the ends so that no excess material protrudes. These leaders turn over well, and not one has ever broken on me.
If I refuse to pay excessive sums for leaders, I will pay whatever the going rate is to get quality tippet material. I always buy Orvis Super Strength Tippet Material, and have never been disappointed with it. I keep the spools for two full years of angling…then throw them away! That’s right…throw them away…for time has a way of weakening everything--not just this angler. (I have learned not to tempt the fates any oftener than absolutely necessary!)
As for knots, I only use two--the aforementioned barrel knot, and the “clinch knot” to link fly to tippet. I avoid the widely-used “nail knot” because it doesn’t allow the leader to come off the fly line directly, and may twist the end of the fly line…causing the fly to drift unnaturally.
When the loop provided on most quality fly lines wears out, I epoxy a short piece of 20 lb. Amnesia to the hollow fly line, and then tie that to the end of the leader, once again using a barrel know. I also use a piece of Amnesia to join the fly line to the backing using “Super Glue” to make the joint secure (that way there is no knot to catch on a rod guide when a good fish takes you into your backing). I wrap the splices with thread and coat them with “Hard As Nails” clear nail polish. (Women at cosmetic counters do give me quizzical looks, but I just explain: “brittle nails.”)
So there you have it--a basic short course on leaders, tippets, and knots. If it all sounds “pretty simple” to you, then I have achieved what was intended!