I’ve been using Rio Powerflex tippet for years and have been pretty happy with it. So, I didn’t really feel the need to shop around for a new tippet. But then I saw the freshwater tippet from Scientific Anglers and was intrigued–not by the tippet material itself, but by the spools they came with.
The first thing that perked my ears up was the built in line cutter. In the rim of the spool, there’s a small razor blade. You slide the tippet into a groove and pull it back so the blade cuts the tippet. This is a really handy feature I wish all spools came with.
The other interesting thing is that the center hub rotates. This allows the spool to turn freely which makes a big difference if you’ve got two or more spools snapped together (I usually carry 2 spools of 5X for tenkara).
As for the tippet itself, it’s the exact same diameter as the Rio Powerflex (0.006in/0.152mm in 5X), yet is not quite as strong. The Rio is 5 lb. test, whereas the Scientific Anglers is 4.8 lb. test. That’s a difference I can live with since most of the fish I catch aren’t anywhere near 5 lbs. And price-wise, they’re the same (about $5) although you get a couple of extra yards on a spool of the Scientific Anglers tippet.
In terms of abrasion resistance and suppleness, the two lines seem about the same (though I haven’t done a scientific analysis).
These, might not seem like remarkable features, but they have special significance for me. A while back, I wrote about how I customized my Fishpond chest pack. One of the customizations was a tippet dispenser. The free rotating hub works much better with this system, and the built in line cutter allows me to cut off a length of tippet without even using my nippers. It’s almost as if Scientific Anglers designed these tippet spools just for my DIY tippet dispenser!
Even if you didn’t like this tippet material (can’t think of a reason someone wouldn’t), you could always load it with your favorite brand and still take advantage of the design features of the spools. My one complaint is that the tippet keepers the spools come with are too tight, which makes it harder to pull the line out. But I’ve found you can just stretch them out a bit to make them looser.
To learn more and see what other diameters are available, visit the Scientific Anglers Freshwater Tippet page.
This is what I use and love the handy features. I’ve not thought to stretch the tippet keeper, though! That is an excellent idea. Thanks for the tip!
Glad to see this post. I have been thinking of picking these up the next time I kill a roll of 5x. Haven’t seen it local stores yet, but I might order it now.
Jason, once again you did it to us!? Showed us some cool stuff we NOW have to go out and buy, curse you Red Baron! Thanks bud!
Jason,
Are these the same spools you blogged about June 10, 2012 or are they different. I can’t quite tell.
Tom, I think they’re the same but I didn’t have my hands on them back then. So I guess they’re not really “new”. Just new to me.
I used SA tippets and spools last season and was very pleased with them. LL Bean stuff, ships free. Your tip about stretching the holders will be useful. Jason, I gotta ask: what is the thing dangling from your pack, the gray gadget that resembles a Swiss-cheese flashlight?
Hi Paul, those are my Fishpond aluminum line clippers: http://fishpondusa.com/product/detail/pitchfork-aluminum-clippers/97
great post. i wondered upon a sport authority sale on this stuff and ended up buying them out of all sizes at $1.98 for the mono and $2.49 for the fluoro. keep y’all’s eyes out for it.
Mike, WHOA, that is a great deal on the fluorocarbon! I have a Sports Authority right around the corner and will have to check it out to see if they have the same deal. If so, I will stock up! Thanks for the tip!
I like the spool design too, but it’s what’s inside that counts for me. With that said, I haven’t used any Scientific Angler tippet for many years. I know that it’s good stuff, but similar to yourself, Jason, I’m a big fan of Rio for the last 15 or so years, and recently TroutHunter tippet as well. So like Timmy said, “curse you Red Barron”. I thought my pockets were supposed to be getting lighter with tenkara? Haha I’ll give SA another try too.
JD, I think in conventional fly fishing, more emphasis is placed on the tippet since you’re switching between different patterns and sizes. But in tenkara, if you’re not doing that and just fishing one fly, I think the tippet doesn’t matter as much. I typically only fish a #12 sakasa kebari and I feel that the movement of the reverse hackle distracts the trout’s attention away from the tippet and gets them to focus on the fly instead. Having said that, I do also like the Trout Hunter 5.5 tippet: https://www.tenkaratalk.com/2011/10/hoppers-5-5-x-tippet-and-random-stuff/
Jason, I totally agree with you when it comes to tenkara fishing with general kebari sizes of 12’s and 14’s and for average mountain trout. Tippet size really doesn’t matter much. I just want to make sure it breaks first, and not my rod, when I hook a tree fish haha. However, if the fish are in the trophy range and fully capable of breaking a rod if mishandled, I think a lot about what tippet I’m using. Of course I want to stack the deck in my favor. Just to be safe, I won’t use 4x on my tenkara rods, so I want strong 5X or lesser diameter tippet. It has to be supple to allow max movement and durable against abrasion. Using good tippet pays dividends. And just for the record and to be clear, I think all of the tippet mentioned ( Scientific Angler, TroutHunter and Rio) in this thread are great tippet. Also for the record, I still do a lot of rod and reel fly fishing.
JD! You actually “confessed”…”Also for the record, I still do a lot of rod and reel fly fishing.” Oh, the horror of it, noooooooooooooooooooo!
Hey guys, im a DYI and I think with my Dremil Tool I can notch a spool, insert a blade and some tubing into the hole and achieve the same result on any spool, yes?!
Timmy, sure you could DIY it, but for $5, I don’t think the effort is worth it. I’d rather just buy one because I’m lazy and don’t have the time.
Timmy!- Well you caught me…LOL…It’s not so much of a confession though. I’ve never tried to hide my passion of fly fishing. This year marks my 36th year of practice. June 1978 to be exact. But in comparison I started Tenkara just 4 short fishing seasons ago. April 2010 to be exact.
I agree with Jason about the DIY line spool. Maybe not worth the effort.
JD & Timmy, I’m not saying cost should prevent DIY projects. I’ve done plenty of them that were expensive just to satisfy my own curiosity. And they were well worth it beyond any financial sense. It’s just that my priorities have shifted and time has become more valuable than money, forcing me to cut some corners. But if you have the time to tinker, I fully encourage it!
Got more time than I do money!
I think my favorite thing about fly fishing is that a guy with 2 years of experience can out fish a guy with 36 years on occasion 😉 And Jason thank you for reminding my tippet has this handy cutting feature, I totally forgot!! I bought this line because it was on sale and I thought the design was cool. I have still be just using my nippers. Have to give the cutter a go again.