Tip of the Weelk: One Rig. Multiple Options. Use of a Tippet Ring.

One Rig. More Options.

Rivers change. Light shifts. Flows rise and fall. Fish behavior evolves throughout the day.
If your setup can’t adapt, you spend more time re-rigging than fishing.

One of the simplest tools we use to help anglers stay adaptable is the tippet ring.

The Problem With One-Off Rigs

Many anglers build leaders fly-by-fly, knot-by-knot, until eventually the leader shortens, turnover suffers, and the whole system has to be rebuilt.

That approach creates three common issues:

• Leaders get shorter and stiffer as the day goes on

• Adjustments feel costly, so anglers hesitate to make them

• Valuable fishing time is lost re-rigging instead of reading water

A good system removes friction from decision-making.

The Tippet Ring: A Simple System Upgrade

When we teach students to build their leader to a tippet ring, everything downstream becomes modular.

The ring creates a clean, durable breakpoint between your leader and your working tippet. From that point on, adjustments are fast, intentional, and repeatable.

With a tippet ring, you can:

• Change depth by lengthening or shortening tippet—without touching your leader

• Switch from nymphs to dries or a dry-dropper without rebuilding

• Protect your leader while maintaining consistent turnover all day

Instead of tearing down your rig, you’re simply tuning it.

Why This Matters on the Water

The best anglers aren’t constantly re-rigging.
They’re observing, adjusting, and responding.

A tippet ring allows you to:

• Respond quickly to changing light

• Adjust to water speed and depth changes

• Match fly size without compromising presentation

• Fish longer with less mental and physical fatigue

This is especially important on rivers like the Yakima, where conditions can shift dramatically over a single float or walk-and-wade session.

How We Teach This in Our Fly Fishing Classes

In our fly fishing classes at Red’s, we don’t just explain what to tie—we teach why the system works.

Students learn:

• How to build leaders that support multiple techniques

• When to adjust tippet length vs. fly weight

• How to transition between streamer, indicator, and dry presentations efficiently

• How small rigging decisions affect drift, depth, and detection

Whether you’re new to fly fishing or refining advanced techniques, understanding systems like this helps you fish with confidence and intention.

Stay tuned for more fly fishing insights, and get ready for some exciting fall dry-fly fishing days ahead!

We teach these techniques and more through our various courses in our University of Fly Fishing.

UPCOMING COURSES TO HIGHLIGHT 

Winter classes to focus on include, Yakima River Fishalong, Trout Spey and Euro nymphing courses.  For those anglers who are wanting to put newly acquired skills to practice, we offer our Trout Taxi that puts you on the water for 6 hours.  You can view the course calendar anytime to find a class that works for you. 

• Wednesday, January 7th, Trout Spey Fishalong, 9am 
• Thursday, January 8th, Boat Rowing Course, 10 am 
• Friday, January 9th, Trout Taxi, 10am (Canyon)
• Sunday, January 11th, Fly Fishing 201, 12pm 
  
• Tuesday, January 13th, Yakima River Fishalong, 12pm
• Wednesday, January 14th, Trout Spey Fishalong, 10am 
• Thursday, January 15th, Trout Taxi, 10am (Canyon)
• Sunday, January 18th, Yakima River Fishalong, 12pm

ENTIRE COURSE CALENDAR HERE 

Our University of Fly Fishing is the most unique, comprehensive fly fishing education available.