Your tippet is the thinnest section of your fly line system and will need replacing frequently. The Surgeon's Knot provides a strong connection between your tippet and leader (image at right).

1. Place your tippet next to your leader, overlapping the two pieces about 8 inches.
2. Treat the overlapped areas as one piece. Tie an overhand knot using the tippet side to loop through. Do this twice.
3. Moisten the knot and tighten all for ends. Trim the tag ends.

Tippet To Leader

This is the final step in your line and tackle assembly. The tippet should be approximately 30 inches long and the diameter of the tippet needs to match the fly size for a balanced system. Use the chart at the bottom of this page for reference.

Tie your fly line to your tippet using the Improved Cinch Knot (image at right). Pay particular attention to this knot because you'll use it more than any other.

1. Thread the tippet through the eye of the hook, leaving a 4- to 6-inch tag end. Wrap the tag end around the tippet five times.
2. Thread the tag end through the small loop created just above the eye of the hook. This forms another, larger loop.
3. Run the tag end through this loop, wet the knot, and pull snug. Trim the tag end.

Follow this table to match tippet and hook sizes. You can also divide the fly size by 3 to gte the approximate "X" size of the desired tippet:

The Art of Casting