Tippet rings

I was tying on a length of tippet to the tippet ring and it broke three times in a row. First time I thought the knot pulled out. Second time I began to think I had some bad tippet material. When it happened the third time I decided to cut away the ring and tie a double overhand knot and get to fishing. The knot held fine, ruling out bad material scenario and likely the bad knot execution as well.

I don’t carry tippet rings with me as they are too small to redo on a stream. I replaced the ring when I got home and tested the knot. Good as gold.

The previous ring had been used for most of the season and it had likely developed some burrs that were cutting the tippet. I got lucky this time, now I’ll check the rings each time I retie tippet.

Tippet ring tutorial

Tim Flagler has an entertainingly informative video about tippet rings.

Here are some highlights that I found especially useful.

• Flagler recommends tying the rings on at home, something I heartily endorse

• Leave it on the keeper when attaching them to the leader; take it off when you are finished

• When adding a ring to a new leader, don’t tie the end of the leader. Find the transition point between the last two sections of material.¹ Cut the leader there and save the smaller section. Tie the ring to the leader, then tie the smaller section to the ring

• Put floatant on the ring

• Prepare a few leaders in advance

Check out the video for details.

1. A leader gauge helps find that point