Do Leader and Tippet Brands “Matter?”

For the previous few years I’ve fished Scientific Anglers leaders and their Absolute Trout tippet. I’ve used them on fish in all places from Wyoming to Alaska, and I haven’t had any dangerous experiences with the chief or tippet breaking when it shouldn’t.

My greatest fishing buddy, Alex Stulce, has been utilizing the tippet and leaders we promote at Ventures Fly Co. They’re considerably cheaper than something you should purchase from Scientific Anglers, and most different manufacturers, as nicely. Alex hasn’t had any points together with his chief or tippet breaking when it shouldn’t, both.

So, that received me pondering: does the model of tippet and chief we use truly matter? We like to develop model loyalty within the fishing world, however it may simply be misplaced. On the subject of terminal sort out like chief, although, we would like one thing we are able to belief, as a result of there are few issues as irritating as shedding a giant fish as a result of your chief snaps.

Earlier than I made the change to Scientific Anglers, I used Stroft and RIO. I solely switched to SA as a result of it’s what I made a decision to hold when working a guiding outfit a couple of years in the past, and I’ve simply fished it ever since. And in pondering again on it now, I can’t recall any occasion once I used any tippet or chief from these corporations and thought “I want I had a unique model proper now.”

I additionally keep in mind a chat I had with a fly store proprietor, years in the past, who instructed me that every one the tippet on the earth comes from the identical two factories. In line with him, there wasn’t any distinction between the manufacturers besides worth and packaging. I don’t know if that’s true, nevertheless it sounds prefer it might be.

Anyhow, I do know that is all anecdotal, however I’d be curious to listen to if anybody else feels this fashion. Does the model of your chief and tippet matter, or will you utilize something?