Orvis SuperStrong Plus Tippet review

What is Orvis SuperStrong Plus Tippet?

Orvis SuperStrong Plus Tippet is the replacement for the old Orvis SuperStrong. This is a nylon monofilament tippet material aimed at use for all kinds of freshwater fly fishing. Orvis says it's got the "perfectly balanced blend of elasticity, knot strength and suppleness."

How thin and strong is this tippet material?

Compared to the old Orvis SuperStrong tippet, Orvis reckons SuperStrong Plus is stronger for the same diameter. Their tests on 4X tippet claim that both SuperStrong and SuperStrong Plus has a diameter of 0.007" and a claimed breaking strain of six pounds, but knot-tested at 5.85lb for the new version versus 4.05lb for the old one. That's above the 4.99lb and 5.17lb of the rival brand A and brand B they tested, which they reckon were also thicker than claimed.

While this isn't a like-for-like comparison, as SuperStrong Plus is a nylon monofilament tippet and not a fluorocarbon, in the 2X, 3X and 4X sizes we use, it's claimed to be stronger than Airflo Sightfree G4 tippet material of the same diameter, so you can drop down your tippet diameter without increasing the likelihood of snapping off. The downside, of course, is that mono tippet is a bit more visible to the fish than fluoro.

What sizes are available?

Orvis SuperStrong plus comes in all of the main X ratings from 0X to 8X, as well as some thicker, heavier versions designed to cope with salmon and larger freshwater fishes. These go from 18.5lb right up to 64lb, so should cover all applications in the UK, as well as anything you're likely to cover on your holidays.

X rating	Diameter	Breaking strain
8X	0.003" / 0.0762mm	1.4lb / 0.63kg
7X	0.004" / 0.1016mm	2.3lb / 1.04kg
6X	0.005" / 0.127mm	3.3lb / 1.49kg
5X	0.006" / 0.0152	4.9lb / 2.22kg
4X	0.007" / 0.177mm	6.0lb / 2.72kg
3X	0.008" / 0.203mm	8.5lb / 3.85kg
2X	0.009" / 0.228mm	9.8lb / 4.44kg
1X	0.010" / 0.254mm	12.7lb / 5.76kg
0X	0.011" / 0.279mm	14.9lb / 6.75kg

What is Orvis SuperStrong Plus like to use?

We've been using Orvis SuperStrong Plus since it first came out a year or so ago. As we are lucky enough to have an Orvis shop in our village (I swear it's why Mrs Fly&Lure picked the house), it's the stuff we tend to buy whenever we've run out and need emergency tippet for a trip, so we've been through a good dozen spools of the stuff. It's thin and strong and very reliable. It works well whether you're fishing for grayling on the river, chucking big lures at reservoir trout or fishing dries (if you de-grease with Fuller's Earth) and it rarely snaps. It's consistently reliable in every breaking strain we've tried.

The only real downside is that it can pigtail very slightly. Pig-tailing is the kinking you get near the knot which is formed by the friction heat affecting the line. It's not the worst line for this by a long way (try Greys Greylon and Greys GX Fluorocarbon if you want to experience it) and it can easily be prevented by moistening the knot very well, however, it doesn't knot as well as much expensive premium lines. On the plus side, it is very cost effective to buy.

What are the spools like?

The spools come with an elasticated retainer band with a tiny hole in the middle which helps prevent the loose material unravelling. This is very helpful if you use a lanyard or carry spools on a tippet bar and it's one of the more effective ones we've tried. There's also, I notice, a tiny embedded line cutter on the spool. How I failed to spot this I have no idea, but it's a neat feature, especially on spools of this price.

How much does it cost?

Orvis SuperStrong Plus Tippet costs £4.75 for a 30m spool or £11.95 for a 100m spool. This is pretty decent value for money for the quality. Moisten it well and it performs as well as much more expensive tippet material. It's a good choice if you're looking for a cost-effective basic tippet or leader material and comes in a very wide range of sizes to suit all fly fishing applications.