STUPID split shot question

[jdaddy]

JasonS wrote:
Tungsten putty

Good tungsten putty.

 

[jdaddy]

JasonS wrote:

hbgbswanson wrote:

JasonS wrote:
Tungsten putty

My disdain was after trying it about two years ago I used it on a hot summer day and had a heck of a time keeping it on the line...anyone else experience this?

I've found that you get good and bad batches even from the same company. I usually use the orvis tp and I've gotten bad batches were it's hard and not so much putty. You really have to work it hard just to get it soft enough to shape and even then it slides up and down the line.

So yeah, if the first time you bought/used it, it was a bad batch, then I could see that turning you off to it.

I find that Orvis tung does have the highest variance in quality. TungFu, from whoever (I forget) seems very consistent. If you can talk your local Hareline dealer into getting you the tung putty disk and have a container (empty orvis or tungfoo) its the best value out there and likely is identical to Tungfu (tungfu or however its spelled may likely be distributed by Hareline).

 

[Lonewolve]

Aside from using forceps or teeth, but the best gadget i have ever used is called the split shot companion. I started worrying about teeth trouble when i was trimming tags with my choppers and also crimping an uncrimping spit shot. Now I use Split shot companion to remove split shot or to get the shot open before its applied to the tippet, I also use a good set of nippers.

http://www.percysflies.com/page/LCOWS/PROD/Tools/SSCOMP

 

[Heritage-Angler]

There's another option....

Dinsmore's egg shaped shot comes in two styles - coated and uncoated. The coated stuff has a green soft plastic coating that helps grip your tippet so it won't slide.

This shot is made of tin, and is non-toxic. The egg shape helps it cast better if you put the larger end toward the fly. It also has an enlarged "slot" that enables a finger nail to be easily slid into the groove to open it, and being made from tin, you can open and close it many times.

It's expensive, but being reusable offsets the difference in cost, IMO. It actually helps to open it further than it comes from the container before you pinch it on for the first time - makes it easier to pinch shut, and open back up when you're done with it.

Good stuff!

 

[Lonewolve]

Ed,
I use this particular Dinsmore egg shaped split shot , still have trouble with opening it, The Splitshot Companion solved this trouble.
I also like using micro split shot from Le Deoux?

 

[Heritage-Angler]

Lonewolve wrote:
Ed,
I use this particular Dinsmore egg shaped split shot , still have trouble with opening it, The Splitshot Companion solved this trouble.
I also like using micro split shot from Le Deoux?

Yeah, it's still tough to open IF you don't "pre-open" it at least once before pinching it on your tippet.

Try opening it up close to "flat open" before you use it for the first time. I open and close the bigger ones several times before using it, and it's much easier to use then.

I've got a wheel of that Super Deoux stuff too - that stuff is hard to work with, and even the largest size often requires multiple shots to get down to the bottom. I like using only one shot, since I feel it helps with detecting takes. The Dinsmore stuff is available in even larger sizes than comes in the assortment wheel.

The other brand of split shot I like is Anchor brand. It's soft, dull in color, and comes in big sizes. Being soft, it tends to come off easier though. Also more expensive, and being lead, it's not enviromentally friendly. YMMV...