The proverb “Waste not, want not” rings true in many areas of fly fishing. We continue to add dry fly floatant in the attempt to resurrect a soggy-bottomed grasshopper pattern, “seasoned anglers” (aka. OLD anglers) will invariably get on their knees to comb through the gravel of a parking lot to search for a dropped midge larva, and everyone who has fished for any period of time has climbed at least one tree to retrieve a rig that the “wind must have caught” on their back cast! However, there is one almost universally wasted opportunity missed by most anglers, and that is the chance to fish some ultra-productive, next level rigs using the tag ends (long remnants) of leader and tippet left after joining line together or tying on a streamer.
Here are two of our favorite fishing rigs that utilize tag ends and are guaranteed to save you time on the water and help you net more fish!
Blood Knot Nymphing Rigs There are a number of different knots that can be used to join sections of leader and tippet together, but my fingers inevitably start twisting as if they have little minds of their own is the Blood Knot. Whether you are joining a leader to a section of tippet or two sections of tippet, this junction is the perfect opportunity to create a Euro-style, mid-line nymphing rig! |
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