Getting back into flyfishing after about a 30 yr. lay off. Long story…
Anyway, as a kid when I fly fished, I used straight mono for a leader, no tippets.
I fished small ponds and streams, for bass, rainbows and panfish in central Missouri. I had no instruction, no one to ask. (When I asked my father for a fly rod for my 13th birthday, he looked sad, but got me one:lol:)
I’ve moved back to central Missouri, and want to fish the Meramec, Meramec Springs, and small creeks. Was toying with buying some leaders and adding tippets. Going to get a 4 or 5 wt. rod.
I was thinking, from what I’ve read on this forum, that I’d get about a 7’ tapered leader.
For a tippet, I was wondering if anyone’s tried spiderwire. Supposedly, the 6 lb. spiderwire is the same diameter as 2 lb. mono.
What do you think? Any advice would be greatly appreciated…
Just wanted to extend greetings and a welcome from SE Idaho.
Don’t have any experience with spiderwire, so I really can’t help you on your question. But given the quality of today’s range of mono and floro tippet material, I wonder why you would consider a smaller diameter important ??
Also, for the kind of fishing you plan to do, have you considered furled leaders ?? Some folks on this BB are very knowledgeable about furled leaders, and have been known to offer a couple up to a newbie who expresses interest.
as for a smaller diameter, I just thought that if I could have a 6 lb. leader that was the same diameter as a 2 lb., then it would give me more strength without sacrificing stealth.
Cottenmouth;
PM your mailing address and I’ll send you a couple of 7’ furled leaders. One that will float for dry fly’s and one that will sink for wet flys. They can last for a season or more.
You’ll want a little streatch to act as a shock absorber when a fish hits.
I can really relate. I too returned to flyfishing and flytying after a 30 year hiatus and am information needy. The products now available is truly amazing . The science of flyfishing and flytying grows exponentially. Thank goodness for sites like this one :D. Jay (Trout 5 Jay 0) :rolleyes:
If you have not yet PMed Jack Hise on his offer of a couple of furled leaders I would do it asap. After trying furled leaders I will use nothing else. Jack makes them right on.
Jack Hise is known for his furled leaders indeed – he’s doing a demo on making furled leaders at Nabours and Friends benefit this coming weekend, http://naboursandfriends.blogspot.com/
I had pretty much the same story. I tied flies and fly fished from my early teens through my mid-twenties but I then got into big-lake bassing with hardware and plastic for the next 25 years. Came back to fly fishing in 2001 and never picked up another spinning or bait casting rod again. Getting back to fly fishing has tripled my fishing pleasure and enjoyment. Anyway, welcome back to the long rod and welcome to the best fly fishing site on the web. You are not going to believe the improvement in the new equipment.
In answer to your question, many of the warm water guys and some of the cold water guys use just plain mono line for a leader. Give it a try and see if the Spiderwire straightens out and delivers the fly. If it does that, the material is good. If the fly and the leader land in a mess of coils, it’s no good. Hope that helps. Let us hear from you on a regular basis. 8T
There are not any rules try what you like that is what we call experience.
In my warm water fly fishing here in OK I generally fish weighted flies on 6wt to 8wt rods. I use a 3 section hand tied leader out of cheap spooled mono,60%(of the desired total length) is the butt section, 20% middle and 20% is the tippet. In this heavy leader case it steps down in lb test from 30 to 20 to 12. Each step down in leader strength(lb-test) should be in the range of 50% to 67%
A warm water leader for a 4wt or 5 wt rod might step down from 20(lb test) to 12 to 6 .
With weighted flies you can get by with just a straight section of mono as a leader,but I feel you have better control to hit tight spots with a tapered leader.
Air resistant bugs will cast better on a tapered leader,and may be near impossible with straight spider wire because it is so soft.
If the Spider Wire you are talking about is a true braid, you have to be very careful with any knots to mono. It will cut through it like a knife through butter. Same with your finger if it gets wrapped around it and then pulled. Be very careful with the small diameter Spider Wire.
Thanks George, don’t think I’ll be messing with the Spiderwire in light of all I’ve heard.
I did get a rod (7’, 5/6 wt.) and a pfluger reel. Getting it lined and ready, and picking up some other stuff. Raining today, so not going to try to fish…
I make my own mono leaders and have played with floro tippets but have had trouble with knots. Getting the floro to the mono and then a knot that doesn’t slip on the fly. Any suggestions?
It is blinding fast and strong. I make a bigger loop, hold the loop with my left hand, twist the loop with my right hand index finger. Then I slip my right hands index ,middle and thumb through the loop and catch the the tag end and leader and pull them through loop
it is a 1 & 1/2 second knot.
. The science of flyfishing and flytying grows exponentially. Thank goodness for sites like this one :D. Jay (Trout 5 Jay 0) :rolleyes: