Tiny Baetis mayflies are perhaps the most commonly encountered and imitated by anglers on all American trout streams due to their great abundance, widespread distribution, and trout-friendly emergence habits.
As far as tippet goes, I am full-on in love with Trouthunter's stuff. Not just because they make them in 1/2 sizes (5.5X, 4.5X, etc) but because the stuff is as strong as the flyline!
No kidding, here is what happened...I get hung up on the bottom like I have a million times, I try the upstream jiggle, the slack mend, the sharp tug... it is stuck for good. I never just start "setting the hook" on a hung up fly, but rather I point the tip at it and walk backwards pinching the line against the grip. I finally end up playing tug of war with this hung up fly, and when it finally lets go it straightened the hook out, on 5.5X!
Its just super tough. I keep going down in size to see when it will finally break, and haven't experienced it yet. CJ
I must have gotten old Trout Hunter tippet. My 5x constantly snapped and the 4x didn't seem much better. JMO
The thing I do with tippet is [5X and smaller] retire it at the years end. Its cheap enough to throw away, and just not worth losing a good trout over because its old or sun damaged. I kill at least 4 spools of the good sizes every year anyway and use the rest for ribbing or lawn casting.
Its true, some fly shops have the same spools hanging on the wall for years...you cant trust it. CJ