A couple fly fishing q’s?
Posted by admin on Saturday, March 6th, 2010
Okay, i’m getting my first fly rod for xmas, a field and stream 6 wt 9 ft with WF line. i’m going to be fishing poppers and streamers and woolly buggers. how do i attach my fly line to a leader, could i just use like 8lb stren mono or do i have to use a leader designed for fly fishing like for example “frog hair”. thanks alot, tips are appreciated
Filed in Fly Fishing Rods | 6 responses so far
kingofstreet619on 06 Mar 2010 at 5:53 am 1a loop to loop knot will work for a line to leader conection. i prefer 12lb mono for leader but 8lb should work fine.
hope this helps
good luck and good fishing
pheasant tailon 06 Mar 2010 at 6:08 am 2Congrats on your first fly rod !!
For that type of fishing (buggers, poppers and such ) I believe a 7 1/2 foot 3x tapered leader would be appropriate – readily available in just about any sporting good store, fly shop or bait shop.
Here’s how you attach it to your fly line (butt, or heavy end to fly line)
http://www.animatedknots.com/nailknot/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com
you may add a drop of superglue to it when completed
bassplayer_1313on 06 Mar 2010 at 6:24 am 3pheasant tail gives you a good answer. you might give your knot a coating of contact cement though. put it on nice and smoothly to give your connection a smooth finish and tag ends won’t get hung in bits of surface litter while fishing or in your guides. putting a small loop at the end of your tapered leader will simplify changing tippets (the shorter 2′ to 3′ section of level mono line). you can keep changing pound test with a loop to loop connection due to conditions and fish size. and you don’t have to worry about shortening your leader every time you retie. just put a new tippet. stren mono is an excellent tippet material. get an assortment of sizes from 2lb to 8lb. it’s available in little 25 yard spools.
AIRFLOWon 06 Mar 2010 at 6:58 am 4Hmmm a tapered leader for popper-perfectly suited to them, but i will give you another other option.
Since your just starting out i would imagine that your casting will still need to be improved. The problem that most beginners face are wind knots in their leaders-(overhand knots that form in the line and in turn weaken it, they are very difficult to remove)
This would mean constantly changing your tapered leaders as very often they will form too high up to just add a length of tippet.
What i suggest is this, buy some braided loops-they can be bought in various densities(sinking, floating etc).
Once attached you can connect either a length of tippet that is around 9ft long- a fluorocarbon will suit as its stiff enough to aid turnover- frog hair or airflo g3
It reduces the need for knots since either a tapered leader or straight length of tippet can be attached by a simple loop to loop connection, meaning if you get a wind knot it can be easily removed and replaced.
Braided loops
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20431-cat20507_TGP&id=0003291320244a&navCount=2&podId=0003291&parentId=cat20507&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20507&hasJS=true
Leader material-can actually be used straight through with out the need for it to taper since its not small dries your fishing with but weighted streamers etc- you might want to use a tapered leader for poppers
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/subcategory/subcategory.jsp?id=cat20439&navCount=0&parentId=cat20431&navAction=jump
Good brands to try- Airflo g3, RIO, Frog Hair.
Buying leaders specifically designed for fly fishing is your best option they often have a finer diameter than any others available.
Tapered leaders
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0062732320794a&navCount=6&podId=0062732&parentId=cat601301&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=MainCatcat20431-cat20439-cat601301&catalogCode=UJ&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601301&hasJS=true
Information on fly casting-dont let the name stop you it is fly fishing
http://www.sexyloops.com/beginners/index.shtml
Brook Eon 06 Mar 2010 at 7:25 am 5Welcome to the wonderfull world of flyfishing. One caution: it can be addictive; not as dangerous as herioin but just as habit forming.
The traditional way of attaching leaders to flylines is with a nail knot. This is not an easy knot to tie, particularly for beginners. Even worse is the needle nail knot.
A better bet is to buy some of those braided loop connectors, which work similar to the old Chinese finger traps. You feed the flyline into the braided material. Pulling it out contracts the braid and locks it in place. For a smoother finish, small heat-melt tubes are placed over the connection.
This gives you a permanent loop at the end of the line. You then connect the leader with a simple loop-to-loop connection.
One thing to keep in mind as you learn to cast: Poppers are difficult, because they are very air resistent. Don’t let that frustrate you. Practice casting out on the lawn, with just a small piece of yarn tied to the leader (no fly or hook, in other words). Then, as necessary, you’ll learn to adjust your timing based on the kind of fly you’re casting.
Have fun!
Here are some tips and techniques for beginning flyfishers:
Dennis Ton 06 Mar 2010 at 7:42 am 6DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT use Mono go to Dick’s Cabela’s or Bass Pro and get 3x tapered or 3x Weight forward tippets. To be honest I use the Tapered even dry-fly. If you use Mono you will not be able to cast nearly as far with it