Fly/Tippet Questions

I know that poppers will be good flies to use once the water warms up for bass and bream, but what would be a good fly for them now in the colder part of the year?

Also, I fish one pond that is full of chain pickerel, and I intend to try and catch some of them on a fly. When I fish for them using a bait that they can get into their mouth easily (this is when I'm using a spinning or baitcasting reel, not while flyfishing), I either use a leader that is at least 20lb mono or a light wire leader. I'm wondering what should I use as far as a tippet goes. I would also like to know what a good fly to catch them would be. They mainly feed on wild shiners, bluegill, and probably other pickerel and bass. I talked to a guy that had just been flyfishing in the other end of the pond and he had caught some on some sort of streamer he tied himself, and that was all he said about it. He also said the only reason he left was that he didn't bring enough tippet because he was getting bitten off so much. He was using 15lb fluorocarbon. If you have any experience in the flyfishing for pickerel or have any advice to give, I would appreciate it.

FishinsMyLife317,
Here is a link that answers your question; http://www.dallasoutdoors.com/pickeral1.html
Doug

My advice would be to go subsurface for the warm water fish, and fish the flies sloooooow.

pike musky pickerel are basically all the same: toothy

read this regarding setting up for pike and adapt your gear to suit

http://members.shaw.ca/clives/pike_gear.html

http://members.shaw.ca/cs47/leader.html

who makes the tieable thin stainless coated leaders ? i had 1 left & donated it to some heavy weeds on my last trip to caddo....

I use just a straight 20 lb fluorocarbon leader when I fish for pike on my trip to Ontario. I would use the same set-up fishing around here for chain pickerel or muskie. If I were getting bit off I'd add about a 12 inch piece of bite tippet, 30-40 lb fluoro.
As far as flies go. I'd try an all white Deceiver or a large white wooly bugger for them. Base your retrieve on the one you use with spinning tackle.

Bugman:
There are several, but Tyger Wire is the only name that comes to mind right now.