Are tippets necessary?

[sweetsdream]

I am an avid fisherman in Tampa, FL both inshore and offshore and recently my kids got me a Cabela's gift card for father's day so I could buy my first fly fishing setup. I've got my reel (Ross Momentum) on sale and a TFO 9wt rood. I'm ready to string this thing up but I have some questions that are probably basic but it's batter to ask a dumb question than make a dumb mistake. I'm going to back the reel with 20# braid then use a weight forward floating saltwater line. I almost always use fluorocarbon on my reels and I thought I would use that for my fly leader. My question is do I need to tie on a tippet or can I just tie the fly right on the fluoro?

[Shadowcast]

You can tie a straight piece of FC from the fly line to the fly, however, you may not get the fly turnover you may need. Plus you have no breaking point except at the fly and at the fly line. With a tapered tippet of mono or FC, your tippet decreases in size. There are all sorts of formulas for test length and strength and knots. My rule of thumb is to start off with 4 ft of butt section (which should be 5x the weight of the fly line....similar diameter.....and finished with a perfection loop to make for easy tippet change), 2 feet of a section half the diameter of the previous (started with a perfection loop for easy tippet change), 12-18 inches of class tippet half the diameter of the previous, then 12-18 inches for a bite tippet. This will give you the ability to turn the fly over and have a delicate presentation..............or it can be as simple as a wingspan of butt section handshaked to a wingspan tippet half the test (40# - 20#.......I do this formula for night time snook on fly because it is easy to tie up and change out after a night of rough mouths).

Classic 8 wt redfish example tippet: 40# - 20# - 12# -20#

[sweetsdream]

are you saying that you use standard leader material or line to taper from the fly line to the fly? Sorry for the stupid questions, I have a bag full of lines and leaders and I'm just wondering if I need to go out and buy a tapered leader and tippet material or If I can use what I have.

[Shadowcast]

are you saying that you use standard leader material or line to taper from the fly line to the fly? Sorry for the stupid questions, I have a bag full of lines and leaders and I'm just wondering if I need to go out and buy a tapered leader and tippet material or If I can use what I have.

I use Ande mono for floating flies and FC for subsurface flies. The line tests decrease the closer you get to the fly.....except the bite tippet at the fly. You can buy tapered leaders. I do all the time. But I usually use those during the winter with no bite tippet for reds and trout....12# to 16# tippet.