Degreasing your tippet

[Alain Barthelemy]

I'm sure this is common knowledge on this board, but I wrote it elsewhere and thought a copy might be useful here.
-Alain



A good degreaser accomplishes much more than just removing glare from your tippet.  Degreasers are composed from three parts: clay, a sinket and a soap.  I make my own degreaser in the traditional style of the UK stillwater anglers, and I learned about how to make it from their conversations on the internet.  Some of the UK fly-fishing magazines also mention it.  Loon Snake River Mud is a good product, but I believe mine works better.  The Loon stuff is sometimes not too stable in warm temperatures, but maybe they have since improved their formulation.  I store a little tub of my degreaser in an empty Mucillin tub.  A little goes a long way.

The three components I use are Fuller's Earth, glycerine, and dishwashing liquid.

Fuller's Earth is a natural clay sometimes used in cosmetic masks.  It is a really fine abrasive that removes the shiny glare from your leader.  Old-timers often rubbed river mud on their leader for the same purpose, with the additional benefit of covering up the human scent left over on their leaders or flies (a decade ago, I saw Dave Whitlock do this on ESPN).

The glycerine I use is somewhat hard to find.  I like the vegetable-based kind.  Glycerine is a chemical that absorbs water, and in fact is a common component in many hand lotions (to prevent dry hands).  Since it absorbs water, this has the benefit of sinking your leader.

The third component is a soap.  I use some of the newer more organic dishwashing liquid.  The soap has the feature of actually removing the greasy oils from the leader.  As you know, oil is less dense than water, making it float.  If oil is on your tippet, it will not slice through the water or may even float.  Every time you touch your tippet or fly, you are reapplying oil from your skin to the rig.

You will notice the greatest benefit of a degreaser when using long, fine tippets with lighter nymphs.  You can also apply the degreaser to flies and make them sink better.  I always tell people that good degreaser has as much benefit in a nymphing rig as a No. 4 shot.

When you mix the three materials, your goal is to make a paste, about the thickness of peanut butter.  Make a little at a time, mixing the powder in to the liquids.  To apply it, just put a tiny dab on your fingertip and run the tippet through it.  You can never use too much degreaser, so reapply it often.  Since I also use Mucillin concurrently to float parts of my leader, I always apply the degreaser with my left hand and the floatant with my right.  You don't want to
mix these two things.

Consistent success on stream is the sum of many small steps.  Degreasing is one of those small steps.  I don't believe I would have landed the paddle-tail 13-in wild male brown trout you see without all these small steps from this highly-technical fishery.  This fish was landed in the last week using long, fine tippet and tiny flies.

For the proportions of the materials, try about a teaspoon of each of the liquids, along with a heaping teaspoon of the powder.  When I was a teenager, my Dad taught me how to mix wallpaper paste, and I do it the same way here...add the powder to the liquids.  Your goal is to get a peanut-butter like consistency.

I hope this discussion helps you gain success on the water!

[Dejon Hamann]

You've been a busy lad this morning Alain!  Great posts all around, thank you for sharing these tips and stories. 

Sometimes people feel we've covered everything here.  And if you use the search function there can be a pretty good case made all though we'll never have it all covered.  HOWEVER, I always keep encouraging new and old timers alike to just keep posting and sharing whatever they are working on, thinking about, or composing.  It's the collective voice which informs the group.  The way something was described previously may not work for an individual... and we all learn at different times. 

Case in point, this is a great reminder for me personally.  Degreasing is one of those "small steps" I too often get lazy about implementing. 

[Devin Olsen]

Alain,
     Do you mind sharing where you can find each of these components and maybe brands etc.?

[Loren Williams]

Devin, this is where I purchased my Fuller's (mountainroseherbs.com).  I got my Glycerin in the baking section of the grocery and I know you are sharp enough to figure out the "washing-up liquid" part   I bought it by the pound 5 years ago and still have most of a pound left....

Loon's Snake River Mud works just as well BTW....

Kick it in bend dude....

[Dejon Hamann]

On a side note: What's the current consensus on whether degreasing your leader is comp legal or not?

[Alain Barthelemy]

I sourced the same Fuller's Earth as Loren.

This is my glycerine:

that I bought at "Whole Foods" an organic grocer.  It was near the pharmacy section.

This is the dish detergent I like:


and the final product looks like this:


In the UK, Mucillin sells are product in a blue tub that looks exactly like this.

Loren: the older type of Snake River Mud is horrible, it melts out of the container on a warm day.  The newer one is ok, but when you mix your own, you can adjust the texture.

Finally, I mentioned that I store the stuff in an empty Mucillin tub.  To differentiate it from the regular floatant, I score the rim of the container with a hack saw blade, all around the rim.  This way I can see or feel the difference, even in low light.

[Paul Bourcq]

I use scent free dish soap available at the health sto re.  They also have liquid vegetable glycerine that seems to do well.  I use similar fullers earth.....from ebay.  I love it nymphing but where it shines is on a long fine dry fly leader.  your floating leader hangs in the film (even fluro) and is super visible to trout.    I have seen quadruple hookup rates on degreased dry fly leaders.  This happened on the south holston.  The east coasts pickiest rising browns.  

[Mark Ferringer]

Question-  When you degrease a long dry fly leader, is the tippet going to pull a small fly down? 

[Loren Williams]

Dejon,

I have not been to a comp where it was illegal.  If it is--it is for everyone.

Mark, it does not sink your leader..it just removes the chemical film.  I will degrease my sinking fly lines (slow-fast glass) too on occassion.  Paul is 100%--if you do not currently do it, you should try.  The difference will astound you--especially in the frog water where surface tension is at a maximum.

[Alain Barthelemy]

By the way, don't buy too much Fuller's Earth.  It only has about a 2-year shelf life.  Keep it cool and dark.

[Mark Ferringer]

Thanks loren. Im anxious to try it on some of the delawares long flat, humbling pools!

[Devin Olsen]

Thanks boys. I've been using Snake River Mud but haven't found that my leader leaves the film 100%. Some times yes others no. I've had to reapply it a fair amount when fishing a washing line last fall and midge dries recently so I'm interested in trying and comparing other options.

@Loren I'll do my best.

[Alain Barthelemy]

From Trout Fisherman Magazine, issue 407