Morning,

I want to talk about tippet.

I know. Hardly the most glamorous subject. But hear me out, because I think most anglers - including some very good ones - are overlooking something quite important in their setup.

We're heading into the heart of Blue-Winged Olive (BWO) season now (see the very end of this email for some stunning new BWO patterns).

The BWO hatch typically runs from the first couple of weeks in June right through to the end of August, and if you fish in running water or indeed almost anywhere with clean, well-oxygenated water, you'll know that when fish get preoccupied with BWOs, they can become remarkably selective - ignoring other offerings entirely. We're talking size 14s and 16s, often fished on a clear, low summer water to fish that have had several months to become thoroughly educated.

In those conditions, your choice of fly obviously matters, but I believe your presentation matters more.

And your tippet?

Your tippet matters most of all.

You May Already Have Heard Of STROFT

Stroft is a German company - Waku - the name is a contraction of Stark und Soft (strong and soft). They make arguably the most technically advanced monofilament tippet materials on the market.

If you've tried Stroft before and had knot failures, you're not alone, I did at first - and I'd rather address it directly than brush it under the carpet.

The material itself has exceptional knot strength, independently tested and confirmed by the TÜV in Munich. But because Stroft is harder and slightly stiffer than most nylons, it is less forgiving of a poorly chosen (or poorly executed) knot. The most common culprit is the clinch or Grinner knot - fine on supple mono, but unreliable on a stiffer material if not seated perfectly.

The fix is simple: use a Double Davy knot for dry flies (less bulk at the eye of the hook) or a Uni knot for nymphs (a loop knot that allows the nymph to move), wet it thoroughly, and draw it down slowly. Anglers who've written Stroft off have almost universally been using the wrong knot, or the right knot tied in a hurry.

I promise you will not look back once switching to Stroft - it really is that good!

Why the LS in Stroft LS actually matters

The variant we stock is the LS variant - and there's a specific reason for that. LS stands for Low Stretch, and it's the one I'd reach for when fishing a dry fly without hesitation.

Stroft LS was developed on the basis of a new polyamide alloy, with a single goal: reduce stretch without sacrificing tensile strength. Why does that matter for dry fly fishing? Three reasons.

1. Turnover - The LS's relative stiffness aids leader turnover at the fine tippet end. When you're casting a size 16 BWO Parachute into the head of a pool on an early evening rise, you need that fly to turn over cleanly and land where you intend. A limp, high-stretch tippet can pile up, especially in any wind. The LS variant gives you just enough backbone to deliver the fly without being so stiff it causes problems once it's on the water.

2. Strike Conversion - The moment a trout takes a dry fly, the window to set the hook is tiny. A high-stretch tippet absorbs a significant portion of that energy before it travels down the line - and by the time the hook actually moves, the fish has already rejected it. Low stretch means the strike travels more directly and more immediately. Where fish are taking smaller flies with deliberate sips and ejecting them just as quickly, that fraction of a second matters.

3. Strength at Fine Diameters - Stroft's multi-level tempering process produces a tippet measurably stronger than competing monofilaments at the same diameter, around 30% stronger than some popular high-strength nylons. For BWO fishing at 0.10mm to 0.14mm, that's not trivial when you hook a decent trout in heavy water.

Here's the specifications:

• 0.10mm Diameter (3.0lb Breaking Strain)

• 0.12mm Diameter (4.0lb Breaking Strain)

• 0.14mm Diameter (5.0lb Breaking Strain)

• 0.20mm Diameter (9.5lb Breaking Strain)

A Word On Summer Nymphing

The low-stretch properties that make Stroft LS so good for dry fly also make it an excellent choice when you're fishing nymphs - particularly in the low, clear conditions that define UK rivers in July & August. Less stretch means you feel the take sooner and convert more of those tentative, barely-there plucks into fish. If you're running a single nymph on a long leader through a glide, or fishing a duo setup with a dry fly indicator, LS gives you a direct connection that softer materials simply can't match.

One tippet material, two techniques. That's no bad thing when you're trying to travel light.

Pair It With A Tapered Leader & You've Got A Proper System

Our 'White Label' Mono Tapered Leaders are available in 9ft, 12ft, and 15ft. For summer fishing on most UK rivers (and stillwaters), I'd be reaching for the 12ft as a starting point - and adding 18 inches to two feet of Stroft LS to the tip.

The taper does the heavy lifting of energy transfer through the cast. The mono construction means it floats well, sits naturally on the surface, and doesn't introduce the problems that fluorocarbon tippet-to-mono leader connections can sometimes create. The LS tippet then gives you that precise, controlled final delivery, sitting in the surface film rather than sinking through it, which matters when you want everything above the water.

It's a straightforward system, but it works because each component is doing exactly what it's designed to do.

And Finally ... Our NEW for 2026 Blue-Winged Olive Selection

We've put together a NEW for 2026 Blue-Winged Olive Selection specifically for this time of year. It covers the dry fly lifecycle: emerger, dun & spinner (including parachute variants).

Anytime around now, the hatching Blue-Winged Olive (BWO) nymphs swim to the surface to emerge into duns - and at each stage of that process, trout (and grayling) can feed with real selectivity.

BWOs are primarily a summer fly, with peak hatches running from mid-June through to the end of August, often on warm evenings when duns can emerge in considerable numbers. Our new selection is sized and designed for our UK rivers, usually the further north you fish in the UK, the smaller the BWO tends to run - that's why our selection contains the below patterns in size 14 & 16:

Our Blue-Winged Olive Selection is now in stock and ready for immediate delivery - you may need to be quick as we only have 30 of these selections available.

It contains 18 flies - 6 each of the above 3 different patterns (3 x size 14 & 3 x size 16):

• Duck's Dun - 3 x Size 14 & 3 x Size 16

• Indicator Blue-Winged Olive - 3 x Size 14 & 3 x Size 16

• BWO V-Wing Emerger - 3 x Size 14 & 3 x Size 16

We've also made this selection available in one of our Slimline Silicone Fly Boxes for an additional £10:

Each of the flies in our NEW for 2026 Blue-Winged Olive Selection are also available individually (for £1.75 each), links are below:

• BWO V-Wing Emerger

• Ducks Dun

• Indicator Blue Winged Olive

Remember: Think about your tippet. Apart from the fly, it's the only thing connecting you to the fish.

Tight lines.

P.S. At some point today we will use the last of our green boxes, so you may receive your flies in our snazzy new black ones - and, no you don't win a £50 voucher if you receive one!

P.P.S. If you want to get really technical, have a read of our Learning Centre article on Leader Mechanics and Dry Fly Fishing: