Airflo's Supple New Nylon and Fluorocarbon Tippet

After much anticipation, Airflo has resourced its nylon copolymer and fluorocarbon tippet material, and completely redesigned the dispensing spools and the packaging for greater functionality and to prevent waste. Both the nylon copolymer and fluorocarbon monofilament come in 10 sizes from 1X to 7X and include half sizes 4.5X, 5.5X, and 6.5X. Half sizes you say? 1X tippet is .010" and each smaller full step is 1/100th of an inch, so 2X is .009" and all the way down to 7X which is .004". The half sizes are .0045" (6.5X), .0055" (5.5X), and .0045" (4.5X).

The nylon is very supple and has a bit of stretch to it, so it knots easily and has high tensile strength. It’s the best choice for dry-fly presentations when the fish are cautious and you need to beat micro-currents and seams for absolute dead drifts the first time. I used it in complex currents in New Zealand to fool wary trout up to about 6 pounds in late-fall, clear-water conditions. The nylon is $19.99 for 100M spools, and $12.99 for 50M spools. The fluorocarbon comes in 30M spools ($29.99) and is better for stealthy subsurface presentations, as it doesn’t shine or refract light the same way nylon does. The spools are made from post-consumer recycled waste and they lock together (and unlock) quickly and efficiently. The rubber keeper bands are brightly color coded, so for instance you know that fluorescent green is 5X when you reach for it. The bands have both an inner and an outer diameter so they keep your tippet under control, but also dispense smoothly and easily without scraping or curling the tippet.

Both the nylon and fluorocarbon are manufactured in Japan.

Various prices | airflousa.com