Splitshot question

[Digger0038]

If you need to use splitshot to keep your fly down low how do you keep it from sliding down to your fly?

[Hairstacker]

One way is to place it above your tippet knot. Of course, if you're using a knotless tapered leader, that doesn't work. In that case, I would replace the tippet portion of the leader with tippet material so that, once again, you can place the shot above the knot. By the way, an advantage of this approach is that you'll also know when to replace your tippet after changing a number of flies -- i.e., you'll know when your tippet is getting too short.

[Digger0038]

So you would suggest I use both a leader and a tippet. I have just been tying a 9ft tapered leader to my line. Should I use something like a 5ft leader then tie on the tippet material and put ths splitshot at the leader knot right before the tippet? I'm fairly new to this so I'm still working out all the kinks. Thanks for your help.

[FISHEYE]

Another great way is to put a 4 turn nail knot with 12 pound clear mono between the fly and shot.

[Digger0038]

I'm going to search how to do a 4 turn nail not and I will have to give it a try. Thank you :D

[Digger0038]

I'm such a dummy :roll: .....I know what that knot is. I bet that would work great .

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

One way is to use a 7 1/2' leader, maybe to 3x, and then add 2 to 4 feet of 4x tippet dending on depth with a blood knot or surgeons knot.

Then you can put your shot above that knot as explained earlier.

There are dozens of ways of doing all this.

[Hairstacker]

So you would suggest I use both a leader and a tippet. I have just been tying a 9ft tapered leader to my line. Should I use something like a 5ft leader then tie on the tippet material and put ths splitshot at the leader knot right before the tippet?

Actually, your 9 ft tapered leader already has a tippet built into it. By definition, the tippet is the last part of a leader, in other words, the skinny part that attaches to the fly. Last time I checked with Orvis, for example, the tippets on their knotless tapered leaders represent the last 18" - 24" of the leaders.

Thus, if you go with the approach I suggested, I would clip 24" off of your leader and then tie on 24" of tippet material.

[peterkoistinen]

Just tie a figure 8 knot in the leader/tippet wherever you want the shot to stay. The figure 8 is very simple, takes about 15 seconds. I used to use a plain overhand knot to do this but I read somewhere that the figure 8 is stronger.

Good luck

Pete

[Hairstacker]

I don't know how much weaker your leader is when you tie a figure 8 knot into it, but a plain overhand knot will generally reduce the strength of that section of the leader by about 50%. :shock: