# What did I do wrong? Otter Creek



## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Ok first off I am getting more and more into fly fishing, I have been float tubing and have been using the pontoon more for the last few years.

Anyway, Saturday I went to Otter Creek Reservoir with the toon and thought I would drag some wolly buggers with the camo sink line.

I hadn't got too far from shore and thought I had a strike, it may have been a bush and gave a little jerk, nothing, then after a few minutes I checked and no fly, the 6 lb 4w tippet had broke, I retied and in just a few minutes wham, it hit so hard and fast it spun me a little and was gone. I checked and the tippet had broke again, so I thought "bad tippet". I dug out a new roll that I had just bought a couple of weeks ago. Retied started again and wham, it spun me sideways and the tippet broke again, I really reduced the drag to almost nothing and retied, a little while later wham, the tippet broke again, so I removed the tippet and leader and tied on a new tapered leader 6 lb 5w. I cut a few inches off and tied on another wolly bugger. After a few minutes wham, I had it on, it was stripping drag and I was bringing it in and then it would run, fought it for four or five minutes and then it went for a run and then the line broke again. 

I went to shore to see if I had some 8 lb fluorocarbon line but I didn't bring my spinning tackle box. Ate lunch and changed waders since my neoprene were leaking and my feet were wet, put on my Caddis waders and dry socks and went back out for an hour or so afternoon and couldn't get a hit on anything.

I have had a many fish break my lines though the years of fishing but nothing like this. I don't know what I was doing wrong other than my line was too light. But it was fun, the fish must have taken a run and got up to full speed before they hit the fly. Through the Ice a couple of months ago I was bringing in some 3 to 4 lb fish in the same area.


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

Bad luck? 

I had the very same thing happen to me at the berry some time ago but the problem went away when I changed leader material. Are you straightening your leader with anything that might be potentially nicking it before casting?


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Longgun said:


> Bad luck?
> 
> I had the very same thing happen to me at the berry some time ago but the problem went away when I changed leader material. Are you straightening your leader with anything that might be potentially nicking it before casting?


Nope, I was on the water, took the new tippet and leader out of the packages and tied on there. The first tippet was from last year so I thought that was the problem, but same problem with new tippet and new leader with no tippet.

I checked the eyelet of the fly's but it was breaking the tippet, sometimes close to the knot and sometimes midway. The second break on the old tippet was close to the knot but still about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of line was left below the union knot from leader to tippet.


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## gdog (Sep 13, 2007)

Go with straight mono (or whatever flavor your prefer) or a 0x/1x leader for streamers and you can shorten it up a little (doesn't need to be 7 or 9 ft long).


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## Packout (Nov 20, 2007)

No need for a lightweight tippet in those situations. I'd go with some 6-8lb flouro. Just buy a spool of it in the regular fishing section. 

You never know how long a mono-tippet has kicked around a store. I walked in a fly shop and noticed they hung the mono tippets in the sun, on the south side of the shop. 

.


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## willfish4food (Jul 14, 2009)

I'd agree with gdog. I used to use 4x with streamers till someone told me it really didn't matter and I should just use a regular mono leader. I switched to 5 ft of 8 lb flourocarbon and stopped breaking off so many streamers. 

I still stink at streamer fishing, but at least I don't loose as many flies. :grin:


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Thanks, that is what I was thinking, if I had my spinning box with me I would have tied on about 5 to 6 feet of 8 lb fluorocarbon.


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## torowy (Jun 19, 2008)

tapered leaders are pretty weak at the end. if you are getting breaks, tie farther up the leader.


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## Catherder (Aug 2, 2008)

Packout said:


> No need for a lightweight tippet in those situations. I'd go with some 6-8lb flouro. Just buy a spool of it in the regular fishing section.


This is what I use. Never had problems like described. Keep in mind that a 4X flouro tippet is 6 lb test. Fluoro is less reactive once made and thus doesn't break down/degrade nearly as quickly as mono does.

Just out of curiosity, what brand was the tippet?


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## wyoming2utah (Sep 12, 2007)

I never use tippets; I hate them. I usually use 8lb mono...and I have never had any problem with it. The only real benefits of using tippets are that they cast better and are really light at the end for finicky fish.

About 20 years ago, I was having similar problems at Minersville...I would get what I thought was light hit only to find my streamer was gone. At the time I usually used 6lb mono as a leader, now I usually use 8lb mono and sometimes even heavier and very rarely have the same issue.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

torowy said:


> tapered leaders are pretty weak at the end. if you are getting breaks, tie farther up the leader.


I cut the first foot to 18 inches off of a 7.5 ft tapered leader.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Catherder said:


> This is what I use. Never had problems like described. Keep in mind that a 4X flouro tippet is 6 lb test. Fluoro is less reactive once made and thus doesn't break down/degrade nearly as quickly as mono does.
> 
> Just out of curiosity, what brand was the tippet?


Cabela's brand tippet


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

wyoming2utah said:


> I never use tippets; I hate them. I usually use 8lb mono...and I have never had any problem with it. The only real benefits of using tippets are that they cast better and are really light at the end for finicky fish.
> 
> About 20 years ago, I was having similar problems at Minersville...I would get what I thought was light hit only to find my streamer was gone. At the time I usually used 6lb mono as a leader, now I usually use 8lb mono and sometimes even heavier and very rarely have the same issue.


That is what I was thinking for the bigger fish.

Never had the problem on Kolob, Panguitch, Beaver mountain lakes, etc


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## sawsman (Sep 13, 2007)

Packout said:


> No need for a lightweight tippet in those situations. I'd go with some 6-8lb flouro. Just buy a spool of it in the regular fishing section.
> .


This.

Get ya some 6 lb P-Line flouro. Not the blended stuff..


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## Longgun (Sep 7, 2007)

I agree, shortening up the tippet should have solved the problem but like Packout said, it may have been improperly stored/compromised materials. Would that be a double down on bad luck? yikes, MY luck. lol!

Truthfully tho like others have mentioned, we dropped using tippets for sink situations along time ago. We even tried really light braid but there isn't any back bone to that stuff to maintain a good loop so we switch back and forth on 6-8, and sometimes 10lb (Henrys hybrids in the lillys on the damsel hatch) mono then fluorocarbon if the water is crystal clear.


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## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

Thanks for the replies guys, I stopped by Sportsman's and picked up some Pline 8lb 100% fluorocarbon line today, I will give it another try this Saturday if all goes well.


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## BG1 (Feb 15, 2013)

Longgun said:


> I agree, shortening up the tippet should have solved the problem but like Packout said, it may have been improperly stored/compromised materials. Would that be a double down on bad luck? yikes, MY luck. lol!
> 
> Truthfully tho like others have mentioned, we dropped using tippets for sink situations along time ago. We even tried really light braid but there isn't any back bone to that stuff to maintain a good loop so we switch back and forth on 6-8, and sometimes 10lb (Henrys hybrids in the lillys on the damsel hatch) mono then fluorocarbon if the water is crystal clear.


Henry's has Lilly pads?


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