Anyone have a simple bass leader formula for a 6 or 7 wt. line?
I was wondering the same thing.
60% of toal desired leader is butt section (30lbtest) 20% of total leader lenght is mid section(20Lb test) 20% of total leader length is tippet( 12lb test)
For a 7.5 foot leader: butt would be 4.5 feet,mid section 1.5 feet & tippet 1.5 feet
For a 9 foot leader: butt would be 5.4 feet mid section would be 1.8 feet and tippet would be 1.8 feet
We fish with floating lines and fish crayfish or streamers on the bottom so we fished 9 foot leaders to help get down to the bottom .
If you are fishing on top a 7.5 leader is appropriate
Tie your flies on with a non slip mono loop to give your fly more movement
For a 4 or 5wt taper from 20lb to 12 lb to 6 or 8 lb test
Hope I am not “buttin in” on the thread too bad but what brand of line would you reccommend?
Good advice OK on the leader formula. I do something very similar using cheap Cajun mono only using 30#-20#-10#. The Cajun just seems to be abrasion resistent and stiff enough to turn over the heavy weighted stuff and popping bugs. Alot of bass fishermen I know tie leaders using various versions of P-line. It is alittle expensive but is a very good product…tough stuff!
aa
App Angler and others gave good advice. I use something similiar.
I use Berkley “Big Game” mono for tying my own bass leaders. It’s fairly stiff mono and turns over very well.
I keep my bassin leaders pretty simple and they work well for both topwater and subsurface.
3ft of 30#, 3ft or 12# and 3ft of 2X or 1X Rio tippet. Very simple and it works.
Leader material is whatever is your cup of tea. I use berkley big game because it is cheap. I bought in bulk spools and keep them in a bag in the dark in a closet in the house. It is now 4 or 5 years old with no apparent deterioration. It has already made many many leaders and caught lots of big bass and catfish
Thanks for the help, all. I’ve fly fished for trout for over 25 years, but never fished flies for smallmouth bass. This is all new to me.
I also use Berkeley Big Game mono in 10 ,12,15,20 and 30 lb test for leader sections I make myself for 6 or 7wt line. It is not too stiff and not too soft. I use the same line on my saltwater conventional reels and freshwater baitcasting reels. It is very good and inexpensive (about 1500 yards of 10 lb is around $8). For a lighter tippet section I will use Trilene XT or regular Stren clear in 6 or 8 lb test. My leaders are constructed similar to the formula already listed. Coating the knots with Loon Knot Sense can help reduce the tendency of the leader section connections to pick up debris in the water.
Most of the time though, I just use off the shelf tapered leaders. Once the built in tippet section is worn off, I tie a loop at the end of the leader and put a loop in the end of the new tippet sections and connect them loop to loop. I am still using the leaders I put on my four bass and panfish rods a year ago. They have lasted for about 50 days of fishing each and are still going strong.
Hard to believe with all that great smallie water in PA. I lived in PA for 3 yrs. When the freestone streams/rivers warmed up too much for trout, I would fish smallies almost exclusively with the long rod. You have been missing out for many a year my good man.
aa
I have been using straight leaders for warm water fish for the last few years and haven’t had any problem. The size of the leader depends on what size fly I’m fishing. Smaller fly-lighter leader. I just peel off 6 to 10 feet of mono, tie a loop on one end and attach it to the flyline. If the fly doesn’t turn over like it should I adjust the length of the leader.
This works for me.
i think leader calc has some bass formulas
Since most of my bass flies have some weight to them, even if it’s just a size 6-1/0 hook, they seem to turn over very well. I use six feet of any good quality momofilment line in the 12-20 pound test range. You get a whole spool or the stuff for 5-6 bucks, the flies turn over and the bass seem to like it. Can’t ask for more than that. I’ve got to agree with New 2. 8T 
Like I said in the other thread, I also use straight mono. Simple, cheap, works just fine.
Using Maxima because it is so stiff.
60" of 30# + 30" of 20# + 15" of 15# + 8" of 12# + 24" of your tippet.
This is a great leader for large, wind resisstent flies, somy tippet is usually 0X or 1X.
Yup…smallies are some of the most fun fish to take with the fly rod. It’s one of my favorite fish and I’ll go after everything from trout to muskies. What a ball.
Lastchance, you have some excellent advice here. It’s nice to have turnover but to toss in another opinion…my bass leaders are nothing more than a 7’ piece of typical mono.
You can get a fair sized popper (for ex.) to straighten out in mid air if you need to. I don’t, I’ll slap 'em down for bass. Seems to draw them from aways away.
I’ve fished with a friend who’s used to striper fishing and is a super caster at distance. It was fun to see his flies turn over (as when trout fishing) w/a nicely furled leader but for my bassing I just opt for that simple bit of 20lb (or ?) Berkley XT .or whatever you have lying about.
Just me though. I don’t like having goop collect on the knots for tied, stepped leaders.
Get out after those smallies. They’re super fish.
Jeremy.
what knot does everyone use to tie the different lines together?
thanks
and should the same apply to walleye leaders
Six to eight feet of 12-15lb test mono.
Think about it this way: most fishermen using commie tackle chuck out lures on 17-25lb test. Bass are not particularly line shy.
CoachBob: What is commie tackle?
Stumpy: I use a blood know to connect leader sections for trout leaders and a surgeon’s knot to connect the tippet to the leader.
The simpler the better for me as far as bass leaders are concerned. If all I need is a straight piece of 15 to 20 pound mono, that’s what I’ll use.
Thanks for the help,
Bruce