Walter & Group...
Take the time to contrast the various answer sheets with respect to accuracy as well as the way in which each answer is delivered. As you do this, ask yourself :
1. Did the answer speak directly to the question asked ?
2. Did the answer contain more information than requested or needed ?
3. Would a student have understood the answer ?
4. Did the answer wander from the "meat" of the question .... or was it on target ?
5. Some MCCI candidates come up with a correct answer..... but to a different question than the one posed. (I didn't see that with any submitted here.)
6. Were the answers "crisp" ?
7. Does the answer make sense to you ?
Gordy
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I placed Mark Milkovich's answer sheet in an attachment. G.
Answers to quiz from Jim Dowd. My comments in his text in italics .
In being a bit critical, I have tried to address two issues. 1.) Short answers vs. Long answers. 2.) Being careful to read the question carefully before answering.
Gordy,
here's my reply to the leaders quiz. looking forward to the next
installment. Thanks!
1.) We have talked about mass profile as being of primary importance in
determining the turnover of the leader. Name some other factors which
have influence on leader turnover.
A) Wind; weight and/or air resistance of the fly; ratio of butt to
midsection; tippet length and/or diameter (including shock tippet, if
any); distance to target; loop size; line speed
2.) A fly fisher can purchase ready made leaders or he can tie up his
own. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each ?
A) Ready made advantages ? consistent formulas (For any given
manufacturer, each individual leader should perform the same as any
other of the same specifications); less time consuming to rig and
prepare; knotless versions of ready made leaders attract fewer weeds
than knotted leaders; widely available in a variety of sizes (most
commonly 7 ½?, 9? and 12?) and tippet diameters (0X through 7X)
Ready made disadvantages: more expensive; sometimes it is not possible
to know how they will turn over ? leader formulas rarely are provided in
the packaging (also, there seems to be no AFTMA type standardized
formulae for ready made leaders in the fishing tackle industry ? so what
the consumer gets is largely a "trial & error" experience) ; many
manufacturers do not include a perfection loop on the butt ? requiring
one to (know how to) tie is a perfection loop thus effectively
shortening the ready made leader by 3 to 5 inches; The dern things tend
to wear out too quickly and are difficult to straighten.
Hand tied leader advantages: This one is simple ? one can tie exactly
what (s)he wants (whatever dimensions, materials or combinations
thereof). A more subtle advantage is that the experienced practitioner
gets a "feel" or more nuanced understanding of what a really excellent leader is and how it enhances good presentations.
Hand Tied Disadvantages: More time consuming. The "learning curve" is
greater ? not only must one understand basics such as leader lengths,
tippet diameters, etc., but also formula dynamics, solid knot tying,
differences in material properties and so on ( personally, I think this
aspect should fall into the "advantages" side of the ledger but it does
take time & effort that is not necessarily required with ready made leaders) 279
Good LONG ANSWER. If you were a candidate taking the MCCI exam, I'd have been looking for a short answer only to be followed by the long one if you were asked.
I counted 127 words. Using your facts for a 32 word SHORT ANSWER :
Manufactured . Advantages: Consistency, quicker rigging, weedless, many available choices.
Disadvantages : Expensive. Not standardized. No butt loop. Hard to straighten. Wears quickly.
Hand tied . Advantages: Customization, unlimited combinations.
Disadvantages: Time consuming, requires expertise.
G.
3.) When (if ever) would you recommend the use of a commercially
available tapered leader combined with a segment which the angler adds ?
A) When the tippet must be lengthened, or a shock tippet is advisable.
Depending on circumstances, adding a length of heavier butt section
between the end of the fly line and the ready made leader may enhance
turnover..
4.) Describe your choice for a leader when fishing a spring creek for
wary trout on clear day.
A) Long leader (12? to 16? overall) + really long, fine diameter tippet
is the conventional wisdom. Precise fly placement, braided currents,
winds and "well educated" trout present quite a challenge. Often, a well
executed stalk will place the angler in position outside the trout?s
window to make close, accurate casts with a 9 or 10 foot leader that is
easier to control and thus potentially more effective. Choice depends on
circumstance.
5.) How would you tie up your own leader for fishing tailing bonefish ?
A) Initially, I would rig a 10? leader based on Chico Fernandes? formula
(50% butt/30% taper/20% tippet); beginning with butt diameter of .025
for 7 to 9 weight lines, with perhaps an extra long tippet. Perfection
loop at butt, and interlocking perfection loops to connect end of taper
section & beginning of tippet section. Five turn blood knots to connect
all other sections. Non-slip mono loop knot to connect tippet to fly.
If the bones were extra spooky, perhaps I would extend the tippet to
"extra long" (i.e., 12 t 14? overall leader length and/or change to a
smaller fly.
I would also have a 60/20/20 leader in my tackle kit to deploy if winds
were really strong.
The perfection loop is a strong, reliable knot, granted. * My own preference is not to use it for heavy salt water butt secions because it tends to stand wide adding wind resistance. G.
6.) Name as many materials as you can for tying up fly leaders.
Horse hair, nylon/monofilament, fluorocarbon, shock tippet materials
such as braided or single strand wire
7.) Approximately what percentage (length) of the leader would you use
for the butt section when tying up most salt water fly leaders ?
A) Usually 50%, depending on the wind challenge, weight of fly relative
to line weight. Reason ? to enhance turnover. Most salt water casting
involves "straight line" presentations, so curves, mends, and other
maneuvers requiring shorter butt/longer midsection are not usually at issue.
Good LONG ANSWER. SHORT ANSWER: 50% ..
8.) Your student has heard about "bite tippets", "class tippets" and
"shock tippets". He wants to know what these are. What do you teach him ?
A) First, we would discuss the nature & characteristics of the target
species. Toothy critters such as bluefish, barracuda, pike can sever a
"normal" tippet simply by biting. Other fish such as tarpon or snook can
abrade the tippet with sharp gill plates or other body characrteristics.
Next, we would explore how to prevent these critters from severing the
line by employing a heavier tippet or wire that is less likely to break.
If a student, at this point I'd ask, "Are you talking about a bite tippet ?" G.
Class tippet s are a different consideration ? having to do with one?s
aspiration to be published in the record books at IFGA or elsewhere by
reason of landing the largest fish in a particular line strength
classification. The class tippet is located between the main leader and
the bite or shock tippet.
This last sentence tells me what the class tippet is. G.
We would also review appropriate knots such as
the Albright or Bimini, and discuss references so the student can follow
up with practice of the knot tying technique.
Student: "I still don't know what a shock tippet is." G.
9.) What leader would you favor for fishing a placid shallow lake on a
clear day for very spooky trout taking # 18 midge patterns ?
12? 6 or 7X
Good SHORT ANSWER.
10.) What leader would you consider for fishing brook trout on a very
small stream in New England ? You are fishing with your 2 wt. outfit.
7 ½ or 8? 3/4/5 X
11.) Your Florida salty guide says he's going to take you out to fly
fish for Spanish mackerel in the morning. You are rigging up your
leaders in advance. What bite tippet would you use ?
I would ask the guide, and use what (s)he advises.
Actually a good practical answer. Most would do exactly that. Now, if you were taking a Master Oral exam, your examiners might well ask : OK, but what if you had no guide? How would you think this through ? In answer to that, OK to start by admitting you had never been fishing for Spanish mackerel and ask if they had sharp teeth. Then simply use a bit of general knowledge and you would likely come up with the correct answer. G.
12.) Tomorrow has arrived. You are out with this guide. Lots of
mackerel.... but they follow your fly and won't strike. What do you do now ?
Same answer. Likely (1) change the retrieve, then (2) change the fly,
then (3) change the tippet
13.) What bite tippet would you use for large Northern Pike ?
Braided wire or 60 to 80 pound fluorocarbon
14.) How do you attach it to the rest of your leader ?
Albright knot, or Uniknots.
15.) Your student is going largemouth bass fishing using poppers on a
lake in Texas where there is lots of cover including lilly pads. He
wants to know how to rig his leader. What do you tell him ?
9 foot knotless with at least 12 pound tippet. Relatively short leader
to turn over heavy bass flies, strong tippet to deal with bass that dive
into the weeds
16.) What knots would you use when assembling and attaching a leader for
steelhead fishing ?
a. Connecting the butt section to the fly line.
A) PERFECTION LOOP TO LOOP IN END OF FLY LINE, OR NEEDLE KNOT
b. For the segments of the tapered section .
A) 5 TURN BLOOD KNOTS ON ALL BUT THE END OF THE TAPER SECTION< WHERE I
WOULD USE INTERLOCKING PERFECTION LOOPS TO CONNECT to .011 (0x) then to
TIPPET
c. To attach the fly.
A) USUALLY A NON-SLIP MONO LOOP. HOWEVER, IF SKATING OR WAKING THE FLY,
KNOT WOULD BE A RIGID CONNECTION
17.) You are using a sink tip line to fish for King salmon (Chinook
salmon) in a 10' deep pool in an Alaskan river. The fish are moving deep
near the bottom. What leader design would you consider ?
A) SHORT LENGTH (NO MORE THAN 4 FOOT) to keep fly in "strike zone".
18.) Approximately what percentage of the length of your entire leader
would you choose for the butt section for most salt water fishing ?
50%
19.) Without getting into the complexities of rigging a leader for large
tarpon, tell us what size material you would choose for the butt section.
A) The answer depends on the size of the tarpon, the size of the flies,
and thus the size of the fly line. For smaller tarpon, size 7 to 9
weight lines, I?d start with .025. Heavier than that, a thicker butt
section appropriate to the line weight.
Nothing "wrong" with that answer. My own preference would be to use heavier butt sections even for small tarpon. If taking an exam, I'd fault you for not reading the question accurately .... failing to note that I specified LARGE TARPON. That would make the first part of your answer unnecessary.
For lines used when fishing large tarpon an appropriate butt section would be 50# to 60# test mono.
G.
20.) Design a leader to use when fishing for pan fish with a 4 wt. outfit.
A) For general use, I?d want a 7 ½ foot 3X leader. Since most panfishing
involves "straight line" casting, the hand tied formula would
approximately 45/30/25.
21.) When (if ever) would you use fluorocarbon material for part or all
of your leader ?
A) Whenever the fly should sink. Also, whenever abrasion resistance is a
paramount concern
22.) If you did decide to use fluorocarbon for part of your leader, how
would you attach it to the nylon monofilament of the rest of the leader ?
A) Five turn blood knot, well moistened to avoid friction before drawing
tight, and carefully tested to make certain the knot is well seated
prior to use. Alternately, a uni to uni connection, although slightly
more time consuming, would (with same anti-friction & testing
strictures) work well.
That 5 turn blood knot would be a poor connection between Fluorocarbon and Nylon mono. no matter how well tied & seated. Some have successfully used an improved blood knot for that purpose. I don't, because I've had it fail when one segment is Fluorocarbon and the other nylon monofilament. ** G.
23.) Would you ever use a fluorocarbon tippet when dry fly fishing ?
Briefly explain.
A) Not in most cases, because fluoro?s specific gravity causes it to
sink. In some situations, such as fishing emergers in the film with fine
tippets, fluoro is excellent.
24.) Is there any advantage to using segments of the same brand of nylon
monofilament when tying up leaders ?
A) Definitely. Same chemical makeup, more compatible, less likely for
knots to fail
Jim Dowd
Jim.... Your answers to #'s 11.) - 24.) were sufficiently short. Generally very good answers with good solid thought process in coming up with them. Forgive me for being a bit hypercritical .... I only do it for teaching purposes with candidates who will soon be taking their Master exams in mind. Gordy
* PRACTICAL FISHING KNOTS by Mark Sosin & Lefty Kreh, pp. 60-61.
** TARPON ON FLY by Donald Larmouth & Bob Fordyce, pp. 29-30.
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Short answers from Tony Loader :
Brings us to a little quiz : ( Short answers. Longer answers only when needed.)
1.) We have talked about mass profile as being of primary importance in determining the turnover of the leader. Name some other factors which have influence on leader turnover. Loop shape, Loop energy, Loop trajectory, Leader stiffness, Fly aerodynamics, Fly mass, Ambient conditions e.g.wind, humidity, altitude
2.) A fly fisher can purchase ready made leaders or he can tie up his own. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each ? Ready made: smoother unrolling, no knot weakness, no weed pickup points, tuning available only via tippet section, expensive. Custom tied: more tunable, knots are potential weak points, hinge points and weed collectors, cheap to tie up
3.) When (if ever) would you recommend the use of a commercially available tapered leader combined with a segment which the angler adds ? In Peter's scenario above, when fishing in weedy locations when seeking ultimate smoothness of turnover e.g for loop demonstrations.
4.) Describe your choice for a leader when fishing a spring creek for wary trout on clear day. A "George Harvey" style long leader with fine mono tippet for dry flies. Fine fluorocarbon for nymphs.
5.) How would you tie up your own leader for fishing tailing bonefish ? 12ft long, 60/20/20 of say 0.21"/0.15"/0.10" (approx 1X). In Stroft GTM 1X tippet is rated at about 14lbs breaking strain.
6.) Name as many materials as you can for tying up fly leaders. Nylon, Copolymer, or Fluorocarbon monofilaments. Braided multifilament (Dyneema, Spectra)
7.) Approximately what percentage (length) of the leader would you use for the butt section when tying up most salt water fly leaders ? At least 50%
8.) Your student has heard about "bite tippets", "class tippets" and "shock tippets". He wants to know what these are. What do you teach him ? "Bite" or "Shock" tippets are short lengths of heavy, abrasion resistant material connected directly between the fly and the penultimate leader section. Used when the quarry is likely to abrade the tippet material during the fight. When fishing for records, the penultimate (or ultimate if no bite tippet is used) leader section is the "class" tippet which determines the breaking strain of the system. Length limitations apply to both bite and class tippets in respect of record claims.
9.) What leader would you favor for fishing a placid shallow lake on a clear day for very spooky trout taking # 18 midge patterns ? Long leader with long fine mono tippet, greased to suspend emergers. Fluorocarbon tippet and yarn indicator if fishing deep.
10.) What leader would you consider for fishing brook trout on a very small stream in New England ? You are fishing with your 2 wt. outfit. The shortest leader that will deceive the fish or the longest I can turn over with the likely small mass of fly line beyond the rod tip. Probably about 1 rod length and 60/20/20 taper.
11.) Your Florida salty guide says he's going to take you out to fly fish for Spanish mackerel in the morning. You are rigging up your leaders in advance. What bite tippet would you use ? 50lb hard mono
Sometimes works, but those fish can cut that off in a heartbeat. Also, that thick a leader often prevents strikes (in our waters). Short fine wire prevents cut offs, but sometimes it is impossible to get a strike when using wire. G.
12.) Tomorrow has arrived. You are out with this guide. Lots of mackerel.... but they follow your fly and won't strike. What do you do now ? Ask the guide. Change the retrieve. Change to fluorocarbon bite tippet. Change the fly.
Best to go with flies tied on long shank hooks .... or simply to have lots of easy to tie or inexpensive flies and sacrifice some of them to get a few strikes when the fish are picky. G.
13.) What bite tippet would you use for large Northern Pike ? Tieable braided stainless steel wire.
14.) How do you attach it to the rest of your leader ? Surgeons knot
15.) Your student is going largemouth bass fishing using poppers on a lake in Texas where there is lots of cover including lilly pads. He wants to know how to rig his leader. What do you tell him ? Short and heavy to transfer plenty of turnover energy to the fly. Say 5ft long, 60% butt 40% 0X tippet
16.) What knots would you use when assembling and attaching a leader for steelhead fishing ? :-
a. Connecting the butt section to the fly line. Loop to loop. Whipped or welded loop in fly line. Perfection loop in leader butt section.
b. For the segments of the tapered section . Surgeons knots
c. To attach the fly. Lefty's non-slip loop for streamers. Pitzen knot for dries.
The pitzen knot is an excellent choice. Too few know about this. (Peter Hayes of Australia ties it behind his back in the dark ! He has run many tests on it and claims it to be close to a 100% knot when used for tying fine tippets to the fly. )
I placed an attachment on tying this knot with our message. G.
17.) You are using a sink tip line to fish for King salmon (Chinook salmon) in a 10' deep pool in an Alaskan river. The fish are moving deep near the bottom. What leader design would you consider ? 4ft level mono or fluorocarbon.
18.) Approximately what percentage of the length of your entire leader would you choose for the butt section for most salt water fishing ? At least 50%
19.) Without getting into the complexities of rigging a leader for large tarpon, tell us what size material you would choose for the butt section. That which most closely mimics the turnover characteristics of the fly line's tip section. Clever testing method on Ally Gowans' site here: http://www.letsflyfish.com/fly_casting_leader.html
Ally's "loop test" is one I've used to determine whether or not the leader material is too stiff. Your first sentence is most important because it addresses not only stiffness, but the mass profile. G.
20.) Design a leader to use when fishing for pan fish with a 4 wt. outfit. 9ft. 60/20/20. 0.17"/0.11"/0.008" (3X)
21.) When (if ever) would you use fluorocarbon material for part or all of your leader ? For greater stealth or faster sink rate
22.) If you did decide to use fluorocarbon for part of your leader, how would you attach it to the nylon monofilament of the rest of the leader ? Triple turn surgeons or seaguar http://www.netknots.com/html/seaguar_knot.html
23.) Would you ever use a fluorocarbon tippet when dry fly fishing ? Briefly explain. Yes. If the fly has sufficient floatation, a short section of sunken fluorocarbon tippet is less likely to spook a fish than the refraction of floating mono.
24.) Is there any advantage to using segments of the same brand of nylon monofilament when tying up leaders ? Smoother energy transfer, optimal knot strength.