if you have a 9ft 5x monofilament leader for trout, can you use 6x tippet?

Question

I ve gotten different answers from different people on this matter. And I know you chose a different tippet size due to your leader and due to the conditions(how clear the water is). But say if I tie a brand new 9ft 5x leader on my fly line. And after removing and tying new flys on and it s time for tippet, should I replace it with 5x since that is what my leader is? Or with 6x or 7x? One guide I ran into at a fly shop said that I should take the brand new 5x leader, cut the tippet portion off and replace it with 6x flurocarbon. So what do you think??

Scott · Accepted Answer

There's nothing wrong with that.  6X is a bit lighter (smaller diameter), and fluorocarbon sinks.  No rule says you have to match them.

Ghost of society · Answer

Well, tapered leaders are constructed with heavier line at the top and turns into lighter line as you go on down to the bottom part, so using a lighter tippet would be okay, There are many things you can do on this because they sell different sizes of tapered leaders and you can buy one that is not quite as long as you would normally use, then put a loop at the end or tie on a tippet ring at the end of it, so you can add some tippet to it and this way you will save on cutting into the tapered leader.

if you have a 9ft 5x monofilament leader for trout, can you use 6x tippet?

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