(The Shokuryoshi Experiment)
My eyes were locked in place, staring intently at a small pocket of water swirling on the far side of the current. In that pocket, a small splash from a little trout feeding off of bugs near the surface. I couldn’t tell you what bugs they were, the current that split the banks wouldn’t allow me to get any closer than I already was. From my crouched position, I pointed the rod tip toward the top of the ridge on the other side of the canyon, pulled the line taught between my middle finger and thumb, and let loose. The rod straightened, pulling the line out and over the near side of the tumbling water. I knew this cast wouldn’t reach the eddy where I was watching the rising fish, but the intent was to set up for a cast that would. I pulled the line back as I prepared to make my forward cast, and as I accelerated my casting stroke to place the kebari into eyeshot of the rising trout, the movement was cut short as the tippet wrapped around a branch and the line tightened and the tangled tippet cinched into a knot.
The branch I had tangled on was too far up, I wouldn’t be able to reach it and try to recover my tippet or fly. I reluctantly pulled on the casting line until the tension popped and the slack fluttered down. I hate losing tippet in a spot where I can’t reach it. The frustration set in further as I reached for my line spool and I remembered that the other line on the spool didn’t have any tippet on it either. I took a few steps back away from the water, hoping the trout would still be feeding after I was able to tie on a new section of tippet - if I hadn’t already scared it off.
This scenario is one that I encounter from time to time, and is one that I always find frustrating. I’m sure most anglers do. Nobody wants to be fiddling around with knots when the bite is hot. I always carry two lines on a spool for this reason. I found it was easier, and I guess faster to switch a line than to tie on new tippet and a fly - depending on how fast you tie your knots. But when you forget to replace the tippet on your backup line, the system doesn’t work. This got me thinking…
There had to be a better way to do this. A way that was faster than tying on a new section of tippet, or replacing the line itself. I needed pre-cut and pre-rigged sections of tippet.
With some thinking and experimenting at home and on stream, I incorporated what I like to refer to as my “Emergency Tippet Reserve.” It’s a simple solution, but has saved me plenty of times when I encounter a situation similar to the one I started this post with.
You can use any spool you like for this, I prefer the small silicone ones because of the flap that keeps the line, or in this case the tippet, protected and keeps it from unraveling.
I start by tying a “one knot” after pulling a section of tippet out. Use whatever tippet you prefer, or would like to be set up with. For me, I’ve been enjoying the 5.5x Absolute Clear tippet from Scientific Anglers.
After tying the knot, I insert a small piece of fabric to keep the knot from cinching down on itself.
I then pull whatever length I want to have pre-rigged and cut it from the tippet spool. I generally like to cut about 3-4ft. after the knot.
I tie on a go-to pattern to the free end of the tippet. This can change depending on the season, but generally speaking, a confidence pattern that you feel covers the most situations is the one I would suggest.
With the fly tied onto the tippet, I then start spooling it onto the silicone spool starting with the fly first and ending with the end knotted around the fabric secured into one of the compartments before closing the flap on the spool.
I store the silicone spool with my tippet spool on my pack, so that any time I feel the tippet on my casting line is too short, or I lose it completely, I can remove the fabric from the knot, slip the open loop over the casting line (that has been cleared of old tippet), cinch the knot down, unspool the new tippet section, and get right back to fishing!