Author Topic: Wet Fly Leaders (Read 2996 times)

Mark Hanes · « **on:** January 27, 2010, 08:56:46 PM »

I am a big fan of fishing soft hackles and wet flies. I really think it is one of the best ways to catch fish that are zoned in on Caddis flies or the emerger stage of any mayfly hatch.

I played around with leaders last year and I found that the strait 5X or 4x seemed to work ok but I am from the PA school of thought of using stiffer tapered leaders to 4x and dropper of 3x and even 2x for the top dropper. Does anyone else use wets and what kind of leader setups are you using?

Nick Naclerio · « **Reply #1 on:** January 27, 2010, 09:19:25 PM »

I too enjoy fishing them although I've only done it a handfull of times. This is the leader I use.

Oliver Edwards - Fishing Skills

Don Strandberg · « **Reply #2 on:** January 30, 2010, 12:20:12 AM »

Hi Mark.
I got tired of missing fish off the strike. I also did not like the drift I was getting with shorter hard leaders. I thought what a great idea George Harvey had with his soft leaders. Tied mostly for the dry fly game. Why not a soft wet fly leader.

13 ft, 3x Charmin

.017-16" Hard Maxima
.015-22" Hard Maxima
The first to sections are tyed with Maxima Chameleon. To help turn the leader over.
The rest of the sections are all soft.
What ever your favorite tippet material may be.
.013-24"
0x---24" First dropper tied off of tag end of the 0x
1x---16"
2x---16" Second dropper tied off of tag of 2x
3x---24"

Todd Oishi · « **Reply #3 on:** January 30, 2010, 12:34:10 AM »

Mark,

I am a huge fan and student of soft-hackle fishing. I had my first lesson on soft-hackle fishing on The River Dee in Llangollen, North Wales. It definitely has its place and time when it shines, but it is the angler's ability to recognize and employ it under the right conditions that makes it so effective.

Mark Hanes · « **Reply #4 on:** January 30, 2010, 01:35:25 AM »

Yeah wet flies have always been one of my favorite ways to catch trout. I have actually had good luck with strait 3x or even 5x.

Don I will have to try that leader formula it looks interesting are you using mono or fluro tippet?

Don Strandberg · « **Reply #5 on:** January 30, 2010, 01:45:16 AM »

Soft mono. Mostly Umpqua. If I used floro I would be broke by the end of the season.
Do you think its worth it?? I may be missing something.........

Mark Hanes · « **Reply #6 on:** January 30, 2010, 01:52:49 AM »

I was skeptical of floro for some time myself and It was mostly cost related. I can say with all confidence that is will catch you more fish. There are some good threads on here about cheap alternatives for Fluorocarbon. I personal like Seaguar Abrazx and I know Dejon has had good luck with the Invisx. For $20 you can get 300 yards and that I am almost out of the 4lb which is roughly 5X. It lasted me a season and that is fishing well over 100 trips on the water.

It really is awesome for nymphing as it sinks faster than mono.

Mark Hanes · « **Reply #7 on:** January 30, 2010, 01:56:10 AM »

http://troutlegend.com/forum/fips-mouche-gear-talk/flouro-alternatives/

Dejon Hamann · « **Reply #8 on:** January 30, 2010, 09:08:43 AM »

I'm not positive fluorocarbon catches more fish than mono, but everybody tells me it does... and I usually like to listen when everyone is telling you something.

With some of the cheaper "alternatives" on the market there's really no reason not to give it a go for a season.

Don Strandberg · « **Reply #9 on:** January 30, 2010, 04:14:42 PM »

Are you guys saying to use fluoro for the tippet. Or should I tie the entire leader out of it?? Interesting idea. I do use fluoro when fishing a nymph under a dry fly but thats about it so far.

Reid Bacon · « **Reply #10 on:** January 30, 2010, 05:48:58 PM »

I use flouro for any part of the leader intended on being sub surface. You could make the butt section flouro also but I don't see the benefit.

Dejon Hamann · « **Reply #11 on:** January 30, 2010, 05:55:38 PM »

I wouldn't waste the money on building whole leaders out of flouro. However, I no longer carry any mono tippet. Everyone has a different slant though.

Tim Barker · « **Reply #12 on:** January 31, 2010, 01:40:01 PM »

Here is a great, older article on the principles of leader design from Utah On The Fly:

http://www.utahonthefly.com/articles/leadercalc/index.htm

There are a number of excellent links at the bottom of the piece. I have been using Seaguar for years and prefer it over other brands but have also recently been using Stroft for a number of my set ups.

http://www.lostcreekflies.com/shop/index.php?itemid=24&cat=1&

When I use mono, I have not found anything that matches Puglisi's " Powerful".

http://www.waterstrider.com/fishing-gear.htm

I play around with a lot of different combinations/calculations and generally find what works best for me on waters I fish - here in the West...above and below...

PT/TB

Lou Morasco · « **Reply #13 on:** February 18, 2012, 09:00:36 AM »

You can get fluro spinning line spools of more than 100 yards, for around 10.00 or so, down to 2#,Berkly and plino are 2 that I use. I transfer it onto old tippet spools using a electric drill.

Sean Crocker · « **Reply #14 on:** February 18, 2012, 09:24:05 AM »

Thats True Lou but you need to look out for the diameter. example 6 lb berkley flouro is thicker in diameter tham 6 lb rio flouro. the thinner diameter tippets with the highest tensile strength have less drag in the water thus help to get our flies into the proper depth. That is partially why tippet is so expensive compared to those large spools of conventional flouro.

Lou Morasco · « **Reply #15 on:** February 18, 2012, 11:40:39 AM »

Sean; For an old retired guy with a fixed income it works for me. And as you know I catch my share,although not as many as you.

Dejon Hamann · « **Reply #16 on:** February 18, 2012, 06:09:16 PM »

Lou, I agree completely. There are some very acceptable floro mainlines on the market. I even dabbled with Seagur Invizx and Abrazx in competition but later moved to the finer grade Rio tippets to gain that extra edge.

Alex Argyros · « **Reply #17 on:** February 22, 2012, 09:12:41 AM »

Dejon, why did you end up abandonning Abrazx? Do you find that Rio Fluoroflex is stronger per given diameter, more flexible, has better knot holding properties, etc.?

Dejon Hamann · « **Reply #18 on:** February 22, 2012, 10:08:14 AM »

Yes. Fluoroflex Plus just has more consistent, and better diameter to breaking strength and I feel gives an edge in competition. Abrazx is good stuff though for the dime.

Davy Wotton · « **Reply #19 on:** February 23, 2012, 12:46:56 AM »

Todd, so you fished one of my home waters in Wales, the Dee, a great river for grayling and salmon.

OK here is my view on leaders and material.
In many respects its what the individual is confident with, saying that l have pretty much used at one time or the other all that is out there, much of it may be under a different brand name but is from the same source as is Rio and Orvis.

In the case of wet fly or soft hackles.

It depends on the system, a single fly rig differs from a 2 or 3 fly rig.
Neither do l bother with configurations of building leaders in amounts of reduced diameters of line.

For dry line use.
l may use either a FC, copolymer or nylon, that is related to how l wish the flies to be presented and how l am going to fish those flies, relative angle to the stream flow, and also what l see the fish are likely to respond too.
Flies more in the meniscus or just below or well below.
Or l may have the entire leader of FC.
It can make a great deal of difference for the same flies used.
Typically l would have a given length of butt section to that a straight line system of chosen diameter, as a rule 4/5x and at times 6x. Or l will use combinations of reduced diameter for the droppers to accommodate smaller flies all be it the main line leader may be 1 or 2 x factors above.

In the case of intermediate or any other sunk line technique then FC, al be it years ago l used mono as there was no FC in those days.
This would be a straight line system from the fly line of same diameter of line related to the fly size used.

The vast majority of filaments were never designed for trout fly tippet material most were developed for other freshwater species, in particular for the EU match fishing scene which is far more demanding of specialist material than used for trout fly fishing.

This is what l use, P-Line Halo FC one of the absolute best as is the regular P-line mono and copolymer. I use this in 6 and 4lb which is more or less a 5x.
Obtained in bulk spools from Cabelas or Bass pro.
Another great line is Tectan if you can get it, both for wet and nymph fishing.

I would add further that the way l set up systems for rivers is very different for stillwater fishing.

Davy

Loren Williams · « **Reply #20 on:** February 23, 2012, 09:33:44 AM »

I am not of the thinking that two flies shown to a fish, one on fluoro and one on nylon, would not get taken equally. I am fairly certain they would.

What I am convinced of is that the properties of fluoro get those flies to the fish quicker and with less hassle than those of nylon.

Steve Rudolf · « **Reply #21 on:** February 23, 2012, 06:41:54 PM »

I have used fluro from Trout Hunter for several years and like it. They sell it on 50 meter spools for $22.95

Davy Wotton · « **Reply #22 on:** February 26, 2012, 11:46:53 PM »

Loren, l would agree with you to some extent. However as you rightly say FC will sink the flies quicker and that can make a difference in my opinion, its not so much the issue of the flies used.

Example. I am casting slightly up stream and across, fish are seen to be taking emergers in the film, not so interested in the duns. l have a relative short window to get the flies in and just below the meniscus, mono will likely not allow for this in the short distance of drift l have. FC will allow for this.

Stillwater, more or less same scenario. I am drifting toward fish head and tailing to chironomids in the film. l need instant submersion of the team of flies, there will be a difference between mono and FC in so far as how quick that takes place.

Other factors of consideration are color of the material used, that l am real fussy about at times as l know for a fact that it can make a difference.

DW

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Author Topic: Wet Fly Leaders (Read 2996 times)

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