good point packrat.  I as well always use straight fluro when nymphing, any where from 4x-2x depending upon the time of year and river, then i normally go down one size to my dropper.  I deffinately can attest to its durability. Not that i would recommend it, but i have had fly set ups in my dropper box pre tied up for months, that i dont hesitate to use again without re-tying.  I use these same set ups over and over again until i get snagged up and can honestly say that ive never had a problem breaking off any fish due to my lazy set up system (except for the occassional bruiser that breaks me off to fight another day).  truly amazing with what they have done with fluoro these days, not like the cheep fluoro coated stuff people use for bass, but then again at 12 bucks a pop it better be good stuff. 

I think its really a matter of personal preference/confidence, but i prefer frog-hair when it comes to fluoro, with rio a close second.

when it comes to dries, i personally havn't had better success when fishing with a fluro leader as opposed to a regular one, but maybe other people have?

you can take it one step further when your chasing big steelhead.straight maxima to the bead or first fly....

I always put the weight about 12-15 inches above the first fly.

Yeah, I can keep the tips coming and maybe they won't all be nymphing tips

Have you experienced the 4x tippet cutting the fly line loop? A few years back, I noticed after a nasty, frustrating tangle, that my line coating was partially sliced by the 5x tippet. In a rig like this where your are not concerned about the perfect roll-over (as with dry flies), I've joined my long tippet to a short, heavier line (old leader or mono) looped to the fly line...worried about cutting another line with a small diameter tippet/loop.

Never cut the line as I don't tie the leader/tippet directly to the fly line. I use a butt section of 20lb maxima from the fly line that is about 18 inches long or so. All my knots are tied to the butt section and when it gets too short I clip off about 1/4 inch of fly line and tie on a new one. I use a reverse nail knot I learned a long time ago. You actually thread the maxima through the middle core of the flyline for about 1/4 inch then exit the flyline and do the nail knot. It makes a sweet and smooth flowing line. I don't use loop to loop connections as they hang up on the guides. I'll post a photo of the connection later in another thread and maybe do a photo instruction step by step if I can explain it clearly enough.

So where are you tying the dropper to? do you use the eye of the main fly, or off of the bend of the hook?

For those that have stiff fingers like me, especially during cold weather, I use a small square of 1/16" fly foam to help with attaching the dropper fly. Run the point of the first fly through foam to middle of the bend. Wrap the dropper tippet around the hook above the foam and proceed with the knot. I use a improved clinch and the foam keeps the loop from falling off the bend while making the wraps and while running the tag end through the loops. Cinch the knot down and remove the foam.

I also pre-tie 6X and 7X tippet to size 20 and smaller flies and carry them in 3 X 5" plastic bags-you can buy them online or just save the ones all your gear comes in-good way to recycle. Your vise holds the fly while you tie the knot. Gret time and frustration saver.

-- Edited by SK60 at 10:36, 2009-01-23