While we did not test Hardy Mach 1X, 3X, and 5X, we suspect this would have been on par with everyone else. In general, the materials that tested within industry average—yet had the highest breaking strengths—moved on to our knot shootout. Our own experiences with fluorocarbon in both fresh and salt water seem to confirm that fluorocarbon does make a difference, especially here on the Paradise Valley spring creeks, stillwaters, and salt water flats fishing. Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2013. Others had a very skinny tippet tender (like Hardy) while Maxima doesn’t provide one at all. Since UV rays can damage nylon tippet over time, we felt black was a better option but as long as you keep your tippet in a pocket or bag while you’re not using it, this should be a non-issue. At first glance, Hardy fluorocarbon appears to be significantly weaker than other brands. Out of 22 knots we tied and tested, this is one of the few knots you should add to your tippet-to-tippet repertoire as it is easy to tie and incredibly strong. (In many fly fishing competitions, time is more important than knot strength, as many of the anglers know how much pressure they can get away with). Seaguar 06FC25 Blue Label Fluorocarbon Monofilament Leader Material 6lb. Why and When to Use Fluorocarbon Fishing Lines; 7 Best Fluorocarbon Fishing Lines for 2021. Even the best casters in the world are bound to throw a tailing loop or an inaccurate cast at some point. This knot is basically a Triple Surgeons knot, except instead of wrapping around the formed loop three times the same direction, you weave your material in and out of the loop. The main reason to purchase TroutHunter nylon is for it’s exceptional stretch and suppleness. Manufactures that reported accurately on the actual straight pull breaking strength (without knots) got the highest scores. Seaguar‘s double structure design consistently placed them on the top for knot breaking strengths. In a way, it is an improved Davy knot, since they both start out with the same figure eight. Downsides:  not nearly as strong as other knots, more susceptible to the material being cut by fish teeth, more abrasion can occur from the eye of the hook being able to slide. Typically turle knots are typically used on up eyes, putting more pressure on the shank of the hook instead of the eye. George has been fishing this knot for about 25 years, for both saltwater and freshwater. Brands with the high scores in this category had an average or under average for the industry standard for diameter in 2X, 4X, and 6X. 5 out of 5 stars (1) Total Ratings 1, $127.78 New. Downsides:  especially difficult to tie in smaller sizes, use up more material, not as strong as other knots that are easier to tie. If you are fishing to huge, intelligent browns in the Arkansas River, and you can see the two-foot shapes underwater move away from your fly, tippet, or indicator on purpose, FX may be for you. Seaguar Grand Max Fluorocarbon Tippet; Seaguar Grand Max Fluorocarbon Tippet. Obviously those with the strongest breaks scored highest. Strongest breaking strength average of 2X, 4X, 6X  – Seaguar GrandMax / TroutHunter, Strongest knot strength average of all knots tied (tippet-to-tippet and tippet-to-fly) – Seaguar GrandMax / TroutHunter, Weakest breaking strength – Hardy Mach* (thinnest diameter), Thinnest diameter (on Average) – Hardy Mach*, Thickest diameter (on Average) – Cortland Precision Fluorocarbon, Stiffest / most accurate while casting in the wind – Seaguar GrandMAX / TroutHunter / Cortland Precision, Most supple / best drift – Seaguar GrandMAX FX, Most invisible – most fluorocarbons are about equal (we were unable to tell), Most abrasion resistant – most fluorocarbons are about equal, (perhaps Cortland Precision due to it’s thicker diameter), Best all around fluorocarbon – TroutHunter (double structure for knot strength, great spool, better price per yard than Seaguar Grandmax). At least the spools are large arbor and thin. Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Fly Line, Leaders & Tippets . Today, the best 6X tippets test nearly double that, in fact our 6X straight pull breaking strength averaged 3.78 pounds! With your support, we can continue to give you more shootouts and comparisons on tackle and equipment in the future. When we tried to duplicate this test it was difficult to tell which materials were softer or stiffer (asside from the obvious extremes). We found any tippet material (especially fluorocarbon) produced stronger knots when the tippet was tied to a small metal swivel or metal tippet ring, rather than being tied to another piece of tippet. As in our rod shootouts, we came up with a system to rate the tippet materials we tested based on our best opinions after examining each category. If you are looking for a material with slightly thicker diameters for better abrasion resistance and also slightly better casting accuracy (through a stiffer material) then Orvis Super Strong is a great option. From our own experience fishing spring creeks in the wind (Livingston provides a great enviroment for that) we’ve come to the conclusion that stiffer materials are better when it comes to casting accuracy. Fluorocarbon fishing lines are considered as one of the best fishing lines by anglers from all walks for their fishing escapes. Breaking strength was pretty much equal to all but TroutHunter and Seaguar GrandMax. We’re confident that with this video and a little practice anyone can learn to tie the best fly fishing knots in the world. 4.4 out of 5 stars 14. Brands that have high scores here had stronger breaking strengths than their competition. Frog Hair proved to be an exceptionally strong and produced some of the loudest tippet “pops” when the material broke finally snapped. The spools clip together well, and are much thinner than other manufactures – allowing you to carry the same number of spools with less bulk. Cortland’s tippet tender is also extremely similar to Rio’s, equipped with the same brass hole for tippet to pass through. The winters in Montana are pretty cold, so we took the time. John Stiehl from TroutHunter was kind enough to lend us a micrometer from Japan, which measures from 0.01 to 10 mm. Somewhat crude, but surprisingly effective, it was groundbreaking at the time. One thing we observed was that most Palomoar knots were 100% knots, in other words, when we looked at the break, the knot was still intact almost every time. While the Fluoroflex straight pull breaks were just as strong as the TroutHunter and Seaguar, once we tied knots with Fluoroflex it was breaking 1-2 pounds weaker than the double structure fluorocarbons. While Hardy was spot on in their 6X for the industry average (advertise .127 and tested .127) their 2X and 4X actually comes in significantly under. Dai-Riki is great stuff at rock bottom prices. Stick to using this for only leaders. In freshwater, it has become a very popular knot with anglers who fish streamers often. From experience we know that fluorocarbon tippet ties well to nylon leaders. We were also surprised to see that the Davy knot, which is fast to tie and therefore popular in competitive fly-fishing circles, actually tested weaker than a wind knot! For example, 6X does not mean the tippet is 6-pound-test, it means that tippet diameter is .005 inches. Grand Max is one of the strongest fluorocarbons around and it is practically invisible in water. Dynamic’s stretch factor and suppleness was very close to TroutHunter nylon, making it an excellent choice for anglers that are looking for a very soft, flexible material to help contend with tricky currents. If you are more concerned with getting a flawless drift, either look at brands with thinner diameters in general or consider using one size smaller size X tippet than you usually would fish with Super Strong. Rio Powerflex / Stroft, Which nylon ties the strongest knots? Apparently the reason for this is that in the UK there has been a big push from both the retail side and European fishing tackle association to tidy up misrepresented sizes and breaking strengths. I have used a few other fluoro brands over the years, but when I hit on this stuff I've stuck with it. You’ll be less frustrated at the end of the day, you won’t have to anchor and let the other boat by, and you might even get a bigger tip out of it at the end of the day. Seaguar GrandMax / Trouthunter, Who makes the best nylon? Does this mean it has gone bad? $1.95 New. For example, RIO Powerflex 2X ranged anywhere between .225 mm to .230 mm. Thinnest diameter (on Average) – Hardy Marksman Some Alaska guides will even put a wind knot in the tippet on purpose to keep a split shot from sliding down. We also discovered that some brands pay more to “check” on the diameter of their tippet material more often during the process of extrusion. Simply their ability to stay sharp far, far longer than any other clippers we’ve ever used. Once we included the 2X and 6X average diameters however, it did run somewhat oversize compared to other brands. The diameter of the tippet seemed to be directly correlated with its breaking strength. We’ve also noticed if you are trying to jump gauges (say from 1X to 3X or even 1X to 4X). While we didn’t expect the clinch to be quite as strong as the improved clinch, no one thought it was going to test weaker than a wind knot. The good news is if you already know the blood knot, the double blood and Stu Apt improved blood knot will be easy to learn. The X system itself can be confusing to beginners. In the beginning, we started testing each strand with each knot ten times, but after a day or so of this (and still trying to run a fly shop) we had to narrow it down to six tests per knot. Some knots did test stronger and are easier to tie, but all and all, the Orvis knot seems very reliable and trustworthy. As you will see in the charts, Rio Fluoroflex did great with straight pull breakes, however once knots were introduced into the tippet, TroutHunter and Seaguar Grandmax held much stronger knots and were clearly the true winners of the test. Opt for the double clinch instead. Here we talked to about 25 of our close friends, (many who are outfitters or guides) and asked them what kind of tippet they are fishing for themselves. Frog Hair had the strongest 4X in our test, (while still measuring very close to the industry standard). We hope that you have enjoyed our 2012 Tippet Shootout! Learn to rig your own terminal tackle exactly the way the pro’s do. One thing’s for sure – the price is right! Here the double refers to the line being doubled over instead of two knots butted up against each other. We thought for sure all the nylons would win here, but Rio Powerflex proved to be the best nylon. Nylon Test Results. There’s not much room for improvement here except perhaps printing what “X” and pound test on their color-coded tippet tenders are, (like Rio). $19.99 $ 19. Hard-core anglers and guides will appreciate the convenience of a 110yard “Guide Spool” in addition to the regular 25 yard spool. As you’ll see in the charts, other companies came in well over the industry average – in affect giving them a strength advantage by being thicker. The perfect combination of strength, sensitivity and low memory, Seaguar's nylon tippet material is soft, supple and easy to handle for a variety of freshwater scenarios. Frog Hair proved to be an exceptionally strong and produced some of the loudest tippet “pops” when the material broke finally snapped. Almost all of them use stiff materials, whether they are fluorocarbon or nylon. To our surprise, the J knot proved to be the strongest line connection knot, at least for joining materials from 2X to 4X and 4X to 6X. To really reveal solid data, we would have liked to test each break off simulation 50 or 100 times. Ideal usage:  Larger sizes (10 pound and up) for building mid and butt sections for leaders. The only fluorocarbon material guides trust to do this with is Seaguar GrandMax. (The specific gravity of water is 1.0, nylon has a specific gravity of 1.05 to1.10, fluorocarbon is denser and runs 1.75 to 1.90.) TroutHunter, GrandMax, Stroft (due to their inherent stiffness), Which tippet gets the best drift? Frog Hair had the strongest 4X in our test, (while still measuring very close to the industry standard). Last updated January 5, 2021. The major down side to Hardy Mach is the spool design needs work. Below you’ll find the additional information which we weren’t able to publish in Fly Fisherman due to limited space. Here we take a look at how consistent each brand is at keeping their tippet at or under the industry average for 2X, 4X, and 6X. After all, a guide’s tip after landing a 30 inch rainbow can be significantly different than an average day or a day of loosing fish after fish. The Double blood is tied by doubling over both sides before you tie your blood knot. “The expanded program allows Seaguar to serve as a better resource to both retailers and anglers,” added Benedicto. We tested a handful of other knots (see below) but they didn’t make the cut. Rio Powerflex offers anglers the best bang for their buck out of any of the tippets we tested. We were somewhat relieved to see that it didn’t test as strong as the top knots. 5. and 30 lb. Weakest breaking strength for 2X, 4X, 6X – Maxima clear* Most stretch – TroutHunter Nylon. Instead we had to rely primarily on numerical data. A true classic and one of our favorites for decades…  It is easy to tie and as it turns out it tested very strong. While 2X was still significantly over sized, our tested diameters in both 4X and 6X came in under the industry average, which means Umpqua nylon is a good choice for technical nymph fisherman that are looking for the perfect drift since it is softer and more supple than other nylons. Click on each of the Net Knots diagrams to take you to the corresponding animation. All we can say to that is to each his own…. If you accidently pull ½ of the knot together before the other ½ your knot could be 10-15% weaker than when the knot is seated evenly. Umpqua’s spools are well thought out with black, UV resistant large arbor spools. These will easily last you two full seasons of 100 days of tarpon fishing and still stay sharp! There’s not much room for improvement here except perhaps printing what “X” and pound test on their color-coded tippet tenders are, (like Rio). While it was difficult to tell the differece between each brand of Fluoro and Nylon, it was clear that the more dense Fluorocarbon was indeed more resistant to breaking when rubbed against the sand paper. Although this knot has the same name as the tippet-to-tippet knot, it is different. In 4X it was .172, .006 mm, (under the industry standard). Nylon 3-packs are $24.95 and flouro 3-packs are $39.95. We wish we could have tested knot strength for all brands of nylon and fluorocarbon; we simply didn’t have the time. Experienced anglers feel that fluorocarbon’s increased abrasion resistance leads to fewer lost fish, and the decreased visibility underwater leads to more takes, especially in critical conditions where the fish are getting a very clear look at your fly. If you are in the market for a micrometer, try to find one that reads in mm as they are slightly more accurate. From our own fishing experiences, especially in salt water, it seems that fluorocarbon is slightly more abrasion resistant. Seaguar’s Freshwater Collection has grouped all of our freshwater products into five basic categories based on type or specialty, including a New Lines category. With practice, one can pretty much tie this knot while looking at the rising trout, which is also an advantage. TroutHunter fluorocarbon pulls of the spool perfectly smooth with no line memory or damage to the tippet. The extra couple wraps seem to do a much better job at holding the knot. While the $22.95 price per spool may produce sticker shock, at .46 cents per meter it is still a great value. 97 Seaguar, on its website, says it has introduced its Gold Label leader material in new sizes down to 2lb test with at diameter of .104mm which makes it equal to in diameter to 7x Cortland Ultra Premium fluro tippet. This is more expensive but it ensures better consistency for the diameter. For these reasons, we feel stiffer materials are better. Overall, TroutHunter finished first, although scores were very close. Their waterproof, color-coded tippet tenders have no brass holes or hard plastic to pass through, hence the material comes off completely undamaged with little memory coil. 2X (8 pound test) still ran large, but they came under in 4X (4 pound test) and just over in 6X (2 pound test) compared to the fly fishing’s industry average. Many good fly fishers have found the stiffness of fluorocarbon to be an advantage in obtaining casting accuracy, especially with fine tippets like 5X, 6X, and 7X. Those who scored the highest points had spools that clip together, that were not bulky, that had easy to read tippet tenders, and that had spools which the material was able to come off smoothly without damaging it in anyway. Under our Final Results chart, you’ll see which materials we feel are the best and why. We found out about this knot on netknots.com. We found that the diameter of the tippet on any given spool frequently varied enough to affect our test results. We tried to simulate this kind of abrasion resistance by rubbing materials back and forth (with equal pressure) over different grits of sandpaper. 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