From the Tiers Bench By Bill Brown, Membership Chair I have the distinct pleasure and opportunity to be the featured tier at this month s tying session. It s winter the season when every guy s thoughts turn to trout fishing (what else?) In the spirit of the season, I m going to tie two trout flies that are always among the best producers all over the world: The Woolly Bugger and the Deer Hair Caddis. And they re not just for trout. The Woolly Bugger is probably the best allaround fly ever designed. I have personally caught fish in every fly-fishing venue with one. My first bass on a fly and my first trout on a fly were caught on olive Woolly Buggers. This pattern is also good for beginning fly tiers to start on. The Caddis fly is the second-most duplicated aquatic insect in dry-fly fishing (the Mayfly, being the first). When Mayflies aren t hatching, usually the Caddis are. The Deer Hair Caddis pattern is a great one to learn techniques of tying with dubbing and a good initiation to tying with deer hair. For those of you who want to bring your own tying tools and materials to the session (you don t have to in order to participate), I have included the recipe for both patterns below. Please join us at the tying session on the fourth Monday of this month and get the instructions for tying these two great flies. The Woolly Bugger Hook: 1x nymph hook, Mustad 3906 or the like, size 6-12 Thread: Black Tail: Maribou, color to match Body: Chenille, sm for 10-12, med for 6-8, color to match Hackle: Color to match or dyed or natural grizzly Optional: A gold bead head or dumbbell eyes can be added. The Deer Hair Caddis Hook: Dry fly, Mustad 94840 or the like; sz 10-16 Thread: tan or light brown Body: Tan, brown or gray dubbing Hackle: Grizzly hackle, 1 size smaller than hook size, palmered over body Wings/head: Light deer body hair (or elk hair)
2009 Red Stick Conclave By Catch Cormier, Events Chair Date: Saturday, March 7 Time: 8:30am 4:00pm Location: LDWF Waddill Outdoors Center, 4142 N Flannery Road Cost: Free! Food and refreshments provided! Programs, continuous fly tying demos, casting lessons, kayak tryouts, fishing, raffles, and more! For 2009, our speakers list includes some faces, both familiar and fresh, who have either made an impact or starting to make an impact on our sport. They ve been featured at other shows, where we ve noticed a buzz after their talks. We re delighted they can come to our club for this event and share their knowledge and enthusiasm about what they do and how they do it. Our speakers cover all fish, all waters but they do have a commonality... they all fish from paddlecraft. A trend well established in our own club! About Our Speakers: Chrystal Murray - Fort Myers, FL. You may recall Chrystal was a guest speaker at our 2004 conclave and made quite an impact on our club... and on paddlecraft fishing in south Louisiana. Chrystal has been called by Kayak Angler Magazine, "The First Lady of Kayak Fishing". She was raised on a sea island off the coast of South Carolina where her father ran a deep-sea fishing charter. She moved to Florida in 1976, and shortly after, began fishing from kayaks. She has fished Panama, Cuba, and guided horseback/fly fishing trips in Wyoming and guided paddlecraft trips in southwest Florida. She was the first woman to hook and land a tarpon from a kayak. She has kayak fished from the Florida Panhandle to the Dry Tortugas. She is a member of the Florida Guides Association, the Ocean Kayak Pro Staff, and regional editor for Onshore-Offshore Magazine. Chrystal has been a featured speaker at the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show, the Southeast FFF Conclave and other major shows. Early last year, she accepted a research position with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, and is currently involved with juvenile tarpon studies. Chrystal will talk about exciting research on juvenile tarpon and what prospects it holds. She will also be available throughout the day for advise on choosing and rigging a kayak or canoe, on what puddlers elsewhere are doing with their boats, and on fishing Florida waters, especially for snook and tarpon.
Rick Dillard - Gluckstadt, MS. Rick knows freshwater fish and most game animals - better than they know themselves! Rick is Fish and Wildlife Program Manager for the National Forests in Mississippi, providing oversight and coordination for the management of 1.2 million acres of wildlife habitat and over 75 public fishing lakes on six national forests in the state. Rick grew up hunting and fishing in north Mississippi and by his own admission is personally responsible for overfishing numerous farm ponds during his childhood. He received his B.S. and M.S degrees in Fisheries Management from Mississippi State University. He is also a deer hunting fanatic with a great interest in the numerous trophy deer harvested across the state. He serves on the board of directors for the Mississippi Wildlife Federation and serves as on the board of directors as 2nd Vice- President. He is also an Official Measurer for the Boone & Crockett Club, qualified to measure over 30 species of North American Big Game. His blog for the Jackson Clarion-Ledger is read by thousands of outdoorsmen each week. Rick is currently involved in transforming and creating world-class fisheries in Mississippi's National Forest area, with the crown jewel being Lake Okhissa. Rick will talk about these exciting projects, and what are the best bets for fly fishing several lakes in the National Forest area. James Buice - Tennessee. James is the Southeastern US rep for Scott Rods, Nautilus reels, Dr. Slick and Cloudveil. He is former manager of the travel department at the Fish Hawk fly shop in Atlanta. James loves dry fly fishing and has close to ten years of guiding experience on the Toccoa and Hiwassee rivers. He's a freelance writer also, with a new book on fly fishing in the Southeast coming out this year. James has done seminars at several venues, including the Atlanta Fly Fishing Show. He will give a powerpoint presentation on his favorite trout waters in the Southeast. But feel free to ask him anytime during the day about any waters you would like to fish. Captain Danny Wray - Grand Isle, LA. You may have met Danny or his lovely wife Kristen at one of our Catch and Eat or Grand Isle Weekend events where they lent their culinary skills to our feast! Or perhaps if you re a member of the Bayou Coast Kayak Fishing Club, where Danny is very active. Or perhaps you've seen him at various outdoors shows, including the FFF Gulf Coast Expo, or one of the CCA seminars. If not, then here's the 4-1-1 on Danny: he is a licensed Coast Guard Captain who has emerged as one of the premier kayak fishing guides on the northern Gulf Coast. Danny, Kristen, and their Calmwater Charters Guide Service (www.calmwatercharters.net) have been featured in numerous magazines including Field and Stream, Canoe and Kayak, Gulf Coast Fisherman, Louisiana Sportsman, and on TV shows Journey South, Louisiana Sportsman TV and Paradise Louisiana airing on Cox Sports. Danny also writes a column in Marsh and Bayou Magazine, Kayaker's Corner, and does the regional fishing reports for Kayak Angler Magazine. He
fishes from Heritage and Native Watercraft boats, and is a world of knowledge when it comes to southeast Louisiana marsh fishing, especially from a paddlecraft. Most important of all, Danny is one of the nicest guys you ll ever meet, and his passion for fishing is infectious! He will give a powerpoint presentation on opportunities for puddler and bank fishing in the "Cajun Bahamas". FAQs About Our Conclave The natives are restless. Everyone is anxiously looking forward to great presentations, great fly tying demos, great food, great camaraderie... and yes, the raffle booty. Well, we got great prizes too. The great thing about our conclave is that the programs are terrific, but there s as much to learn from just talking to our headliners on a one-on-one basis. We encourage everyone to use this opportunity to tap the great minds we ll have on hand. I was told by the board that many of you might have questions. Being a member of Psychic Fishing Hotline, I was able to anticipate your questions before you even asked them. Here were some of the frequently asked questions (FAQs): Q. What s the deal for raffle tickets this year? A. Due to the recession, we re holding the line on ticket prices from last year. Ticket donations are $1 per ticket, or $20 for 30 tickets, or the BIG BUNDLE. The BIG BUNDLE is $50 and includes 60 tickets plus a year s membership in RSFF. A savings of $15 over paying for tickets and membership seperately! Q. What is the timetable for the fundraiser? A. Here's the timetable: Noon - gambler's draw. $5 per card. 3:00 pm - daytime raffle draw. Remember to put your name on ticket. Q. Can we buy raffle tickets in advance and put them on certain prizes? A. Unless you give money to a proxy who s willing to buy the tickets and put them under your name. For some strange reason, folks who ve done this never seem to win, while their proxies always win big. Q. What are the raffle prizes? A. Let's just say it's the usual good stuff - art, accessories, collectibles, books, rods, reels, clothing, etc. But I would like to see more flies. (hint, hint). I encourage everyone to look through their stuff and consider donating anything unused or unwanted. Even tires, air compressors, and bags of charcoal will be accepted. If we get really desperate, we ll even start accepting commie tackle. But hopefully not. Q. What does the fundraiser money go for? A. Good question. Those who buy the Big Bundle, half of that money will go as dues into our general revenue to pay for recurring expenses. Most of the other money will be divided, some to pay our speakers and tiers expenses, some to capital expenses (including club rods and tying tools), some for outreach programs (Boy Scouts, Outdoors Women, etc). Last year we spent $400 on rods and reels to donate to kids who couldn t afford fly tackle. Q. The lunch when will it be served, and does it come with soft drink? A. Well, I should ve known. The only time you folks don t think about the raffle is when you re thinking about the food! Lunch is scheduled to begin about 11:30, but it could be as late as 12 noon. Please don t
be too anxious our cook Rob Krieg believes quality should never be rushed. We shall serve no crawfish before it s time I ve heard him say on many occasions. Oh, and yes, all soft drinks are free thru the day. Q. If a tier shows me how to a fly, can I keep it? A. Rules here are like the FFF conclaves. Ask the tier first, as that tier may have committed a few of his flies that day to the raffle. Most of the time, the tiers bring a set of flies in a box to the raffle beforehand. Q. Will we have a rod company on hand to let us test cast rods? A. We re working on that now. We hope to have a few Sage, TFO, Scott, and Orvis rods on hand for test casting. Q. Will we have canoe and kayak demo this year? A. Yes, Backpacker will be back and on hand with some demo models from their expanded lineup, which includes Old Town, Ocean Kayak, Perception, Wilderness Systems, and Wenonah. Don t walk run to Backpacker and check out all their new boats! Q. Can we fish the ponds? A. Yes. In fact, the bass should be very active in the west pond, and the zillions of small green sunfish in the east pond can be caught on wet flies every cast. Bring your one-weight! Four Things You Can Do To Make Our Conclave A Success 1. COME TO THE CONCLAVE A lot of work goes into this event, and we do it to fulfill our primary purpose of education and promoting our sport. We want everyone to have a good time as well. 2. BRING NEW PEOPLE. You don t have to bring them, just get them to come out. We re not necessarily looking for new club members, we just want more folks to discover the joy of fly fishing. As you listen to these speakers and tiers, you ll realize that Louisiana is a fly fisher s paradise. What s more, there s never been a better time to get into our sport. 3. TIE FLIES, DONATE ITEMS. Some of the biggest items in our raffle every year are the flies. Many of you tie flies, and we ask you to contribute at least one set of flies, but two or more would be better. And if you think about it, the more flies you tie, the more you help support our sponsors who carry materials, right? Instead of putting 24 saltwater flies in one box (or on a foam block), consider making them 3 sets of 8 to 10 flies. Likewise for freshwater flies. The reason for this is twofold. First, this creates more prizes and more chances for attendees to win. We d like everyone to go home with something. Second, if we get multiple sets of flies from each tier, we ll put one set in the day raffle, and one for the banquet. So start tying flies now!
4. COME TO THE BANQUET. Here s your chance to experience our famous Conclave Chefs. The price is extremely reasonable only $15 per person so we want everyone to come and bring their family. But we DO need for you to make the reservation and send your check. All banquet attendees MUST pay in advance this year. No exceptions. Incidently, our list of Bayou Chefs is by no means final. We will gladly accept anyone who wishes to kick in with their favorite menu item. The club will reimburse you for ingredients. RSFF Banquet A Cajun Feast By Catch Cormier, Events Chair Date: Friday, March 6 Place: TENTATIVE: Lamar Bistro, Lamar Advertising Building, Corporate Blvd., Baton Rouge Time: 6-9 pm Cost: $15 per person, reservations please! Menu: Assorted items prepared by club members Dress: Casual or semi-casual. But please, NO WADERS! Food prepared by the famous RSFF Cajun Chefs, awards and prizes For the last few years, our banquet food has been prepared by the RSFF Cajun Chefs and it has been a MAJOR SUCCESS. I m waiting any day now for the Food Network to give us a call. Last year we moved to the Lamar Bistro and the facility was excellent for our purpose. We had the Lamar Bistro locked up for March 6, but we got word last week that Lamar was possibly changing their policy on after-hours use. We are going to await a week or two for a decision, but if it s still in the air (or a negative decision) then we will make accomodations elsewhere. So please stay tuned. Wherever we go, look forward to some GREAT food, and Larry Offner s slide show featuring the 2008 RSFF Year in Review (photos verifying that all those fish stories were indeed true.) Again, we re asking members to email a few photos of their fishing experiences. Give your name, location, and any commentary. Also, we have a second special entertainment treat for banquet attendees this year. Let s just say the night will be magical. FFF Enters National Anglers Legacy Partnership Inclusion in affiliated clubs newsletters requested by FFF FFF has entered an exciting national partnership with the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) launching a national Anglers Legacy pledge drive. Anglers Legacy encourages avid anglers to share their passion for both fishing and our cherished aquatic resources, by taking the Anglers Legacy Pledge and becoming Anglers Legacy ambassadors. Becoming an Anglers Legacy ambassador is very easy it is free, and takes less than a minute. In taking the pledge and becoming an Anglers Legacy ambassador -- we promise to introduce at least one new person to the sport of fishing each year: http://www.takemefishing.org/community/anglers-legacy/take-the-pledge/promo/fedfly08
In this simple commitment to pass on and mentor someone new to fishing, we can do much for our sport, our home waters and conservation efforts as well as for FFF and our local clubs. We should all take time to pass on the legacy after all, someone did that for us during our lives It s time for us to share our sport with another person. FFF has set a goal of having 8,000 members and fellow anglers take the pledge to introduce someone new to fly fishing. To achieve this, we need local fly fishing clubs to step up and help with this campaign to pass along our beloved sport to the next generation of anglers. Please consider taking time to communicate this campaign -- and our Angler Legacy discount ($15) membership incentive -- to your club members, and encourage them to take the Pledge. The attached news story (below) can be readily used by fly-fishing clubs in their member communications -- and it outlines, in detail, the FFF membership incentive that can help those clubs earn additional free fly rods. If you need any additional information or materials, please feel free to contact Josset Gauley at the FFF office josset@fedflyfishers.org, or Jeff Sedor at RBFF jsedor@rbff.org. Many thanks for your support. Federation of Fly Fishers Launches National Anglers Legacy Pledge Drive FFF Sets Goal of 8,000 Members to Take Pledge; Member and Club Incentives Included In the Pledge Drive The Federation of Fly Fishers has teamed with the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) in a national campaign to introduce newcomers to fly fishing. Anglers Legacy encourages avid anglers to share their passion for fishing and "Take the Pledge" -- a promise to take at least one new person fishing during the coming year. FFF has set a goal of having 8,000 members and fellow anglers take the Anglers Legacy Pledge between now and March 2009, and has developed an incentive program to reward members and the newcomers they introduce to fly fishing. The Anglers Legacy Pledge aligns perfectly with FFF s mission of education through the sport of fly fishing, said FFF President and CEO R.P. Pete VanGytenbeek. It s fitting that we re the first national fly fishing organization to participate in this important endeavor that promotes fishing, specifically fly fishing, to future generations. According to a 2008 survey of Ambassadors, most take more than four people a year fishing and also purchase 3.2 fishing licenses. To date, the Anglers Legacy program has signed on more than 75,000 Ambassadors nationwide. Special Incentive Program Rewards Ambassadors and Newcomers To help boost the pledge drive, FFF is offering an incentive that is beneficial to current and potential members, newcomers and local clubs. Once FFF members pledge to become an ambassador, they can offer a $15 discounted FFF membership to those friends and family they introduce to the sport. FFF will also extend the $15 discount membership to all new Ambassadors (who are not currently FFF members) and the newcomers they take fishing. Becoming an Ambassador can also help increase membership in our local fly fishing clubs because FFFmember Ambassadors can use the opportunity to recruit their newcomers to join their local clubs said VanGytenbeek. This also increases their club s ability to earn additional free fly rods through the existing incentive program to have more FFF members represented in local fly clubs. In order track FFF s progress towards the 8,000 ambassador goal:
Members are encouraged to access the Anglers Legacy Pledge site directly through the FFF Web site. Visit www.fedflyfishers.org and click on the Anglers Legacy logo -- located on the home page -- which takes you directly to the Anglers Legacy Web site. To obtain the half-price membership, members must do the following: Once you take the Pledge, print the thank you message (which appears onscreen after the pledge has been submitted online) and retain it so your newcomer can receive the $15 membership. Then visit http://www.fedflyfishers.org/default.aspx?tabid=4971 and print out the membership form & attach the printed thank-you page to the newcomer s FFF membership form and a $15 check and mail it to FFF. If a newcomer decides to join your local club, be sure to record your club s name on the membership form in order to receive credit towards free fly rods. Remember when taking the Pledge directly from the AnglersLegacy.org Web site, one must enter this promo code: FEDFLY08. This way, FFF gets credit toward its goal. Becoming an Ambassador is very easy, and at the same time, can do so much for our sport, our home waters and conservation efforts as well as for FFF and our local clubs, said Van Gytenbeek. We should all take the Pledge to pass on the legacy after all, someone did that for us during our lives. It s time for us share our sport with another person.
President s Letter: TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER(S) by Joe Kahler I don t know about you guys, but I haven t been fishing enough lately. I had a cold/flu that kept me hacking like a one-armed lumber jack for over two weeks, and allowed me no more energy than to drag myself off the rack in the morning, put in a day s work, and then collapse again in the early hours of the evening. There were sneaux dates that had to be made up for at the office, and holiday celebratory activities that combined to make it hard to find a day when I could even consider a trip to the marsh. Add to that the exceptionally fickle whims of Mom Nature this time of year, and it s been hard to get the stars to line up right for a time when I both felt like I could go, and She wanted me to be there. I figure that between October and the end of the year, I made only one visit to the Highway 1 corridor that I normally lash at least a couple of times a month. I had to content myself with such pale substitutes as tying flies and leaders. Of course, tying can be a pleasant enough pastime if you re not doing it in response to a last-minute discovery that, Oh my God, I m out of (leaders or Charlies or Adamses) and I m going out there tomorrow, and you ve yet to pack the car and load the yak. I find that tying is best done in a relaxed state, as a form of meditation; not a mad dash. Speaking of tying leaders, at the end of the November General Membership Meeting of the RSFF, Catch Cormier conducted a short informal survey of the members in attendance on the topic of leader construction. From there, we wound up asking folks to send us a short description of their formulae so we could write them up for the Red Letter. As you can see below, there are lots of different ways of tying a graduated leader, ranging from the complex to the ridiculously simple, and they all must catch fish, or we wouldn t use em. Call me a psychologist, but the type of leader one settles on seems to be a reflection of one s personality, at least to the extent that everything a guy does is to some degree an extension who he is. Of course, we fly fishers tend to be tinkerers, so settling on a leader recipe does tend to be a temporary condition, at least until we fish enough with different leaders to find the one(s) that work best for us. My suggestion is that you look through these recipes, pick a couple that appeal to you, and try em out instead of plunkin down all that cash on fancy knotless, tapered leaders from the fly shop. I ve tied my own for years now, and I find that a well-constructed, hand tied, graduated leader turns over just as well, if not better than a knotless store-bought, and really collects remarkably little slime or grass at the knots. In all but the rarest of circumstances, gunk piling up on the knots is not something we have to worry much about dodging anyway. If you feel you must, keep one store-bought tapered leader in the box, so you can switch out if it gets to be an issue on any given day. I ve separated the contributions to this discussion into subsections listed alphabetically by the names of the RSFF members who sent them in. Ron Braud s Leader Recipes I have my leaders in a Quattro Pro Spreadsheet and can make up any length leader by changing the total length value of one cell. Basically I use the 60% Butt Section, 20% Mid Section, and 20% Tippet Section system. The Butt and Mid Sections are both made up of three sections and the tippet is one section for a seven piece leader. Butt Section pieces are:.3,.18148, &.11111 of the leader length. Mid Section pieces are:.066,.066,.066 of the leader length
Tippet is:.20941 of leader length For the Five piece leaders the sections are:.35,.24,.12,.08, &.2For Sinking leaders I use:..392,.208, 15, &.25 All sections rounded to nearest inch! * If necessary use 7X(.004"diameter) leader for tippet instead of 6X Leader Length 0X 1X 2X 3X 4X 5X 6X 7X 8X X In.025".023".021".019".017".015".013".012".011".010".009".008".007".006".005".004".003" Diams Feet 16.5 14.5 12.5 9.2 8 6 4.0 Lbs Flouro 65 60 50 40 35 25 20 18.5 15 13.5 11.5 8.5 6 4.75 3.5 2.5 1.75 Lbs Mono Bream #12, #14 9' 32" 20" 12" 7" 7" 7" 23" (Floating Line) 8' 29" 17" 11" 6" 6" 6" 20" 7' 25" 15" 9" 6" 6" 6" 18" Bream #8, #10 9' 32" 20" 12" 7" 7" 7" 23" (Floating Line) Trout(Floating Line) * 9' 32" 20" 12" 7" 7" 7" 23" Bass Wind Resist. 9' 32" 20" 12" 7" 7" 7" 23" Bass(5 piece leader) 9' 39" 26" 13" 9" 22" 8' 35" 23" 12" 8" 19" Sinking Leaders 5' 24" 12" 9" 15"
Greg Brignac s Saltwater Leaders Approximately 6 ft of 25 lb test for butt section. Approximately 3 ft of 17 lb test for mid section. Approximately 3 ft 12 lb test for tippet. These are the lengths PRIOR to knotting them together, finished length is probably 10.5-11 feet. I use a Nail Knot between fly line and butt, Blood Knots between leader sections, and a Berkley Knot to connect fly to tippet. This works for me, but I mainly settled on those weights because that's what I had in my box when I started saltwater fly fishing. When I run out or decide to buy new line, I'll probably move to a 30# 20# 12# recipe like Mike LaFleur, just to make the fly turn over a little better (not quite brave enough to drop down to 10# tippet like he does, though). Catch Cormier s Saltwater Leaders When it comes to beer and leaders, I prefer lite. For salt, a lot depends on the flies I'm using and the spots I'm fishing. For wind-resistant flies like poppers, hair bugs, Rattle Rousers, and large Deceivers, my leader is typically 6 to 8 feet, and constructed in approximate relative lengths of 60%-20%-20% of 30# butt, 22# midsection, and 15# tippet. For nearly everything else, I use about 8 to 10 foot leader of 40%- 30%-30% lengths of 22# butt, 17# midsection, and 12# tippet. My leader material is Rio. For fishing Clousers or other weighted baitfish flies under a VOSI, I use about a 3-foot tippet. To "match the commie hatch", that is, to best simulate the action that comes when fishing a jig under popping cork, the monofilament or fluorocarbon between the VOSI and the fly should be fairly light and fairly limp. That s why my tippet is so long. Also, a light tippet insures that the fly drops relatively fast and "dances" well when the VOSI is popped. The Rio saltwater mono is a little stiff for this application, so I use Orvis Superstrong instead. My longtime favorite fly for reds is the Coma Spoon, a fly that spins when stripped. You may have read on the internet that a heavy tippet is needed for spinning spoonflies because it stresses the tippet material. That's not entirely true. Yes, the constant twisting can stress the tippet. But I've found that with certain brands like Rio, or with fluorocarbon, you don't need to go heavier. A 12# tippet will work fine. Flourocarbon has other advantages. The Coma Spoon sinks fairly fast, but if I want it to sink even faster, I either use a leader of all fluoro, or a mono leader with just a fluoro tippet. The latter is better if you think you might switch to a VOSI/Clouser, or a popper. Having just the tippet made of fluoro won't sink the VOSI or the popper; in fact, I've noticed I get better popping action under choppy water when I have flouro tippet as opposed to mono. An entire leader of fluoro is all I use when fishing Florida, especially the clear waters around Pensacola, Sanibel, and the Keys. Only certain knots hold on fluoro. The one I use most often is the Uni-knot. I use a double Uni for inter-leader connections, and the Duncan's Loop (a variation of the Uni) for tippet to fly. A word about shock or bite tippets: I enjoy going after Spanish, Kings, Jacks, Bonito, Tarpon, Snook, and other species that rip line off when hooked. These bad boys have teeth or gill plates that cut through a
leader like a hot knife through butter. I've tried various wire leaders, but the success ratio tends to drop off. I'm convinced that you could fish a bare hook and catch a bluefish, but tie a wire leader on and he won't bite! So I've gone to using a double line bite tippet using 40# fluoro. Even that heavy, a nice King will cut it off fairly easily, but cutting both lines rarely happens. Joe Kahler s Leaders Saltwater: Over the years, I ve come to settle on Left Kreh s recipe for saltwater leaders: 4 feet of 40# + 2 feet of 30# + 1-1/2 feet of 20# + 1-1/2 (or more) feet of 12# or 10# test line. More often than not, I m fishing weighted flies in salt (Charlies, Clousers, etc.), so I lean toward fluorocarbon, which sinks faster than monofilament to get em down there in a hurry. For poppers and Seaducers over grass beds, I ll use mono, cause I don t want em to sink. Cheap mono or fluorocarbon from Wal-Mart is all I use, but I ve heard it s important to use the same brand and type of material for all sections. It s also very important to keep these materials cool, and out of direct sunlight. I keep the spools at home in the A/C, and tie up a handful of leaders at a time that I put in a zip lock bag to carry with me into the fray. I use blood knots (see www.killroys.com/knots/barrel.htm) for the inter-section connects, because they re smaller knots and the standing lines come straight out of the knot (not crimped or hinged to one side of the knot or the other.) This makes the knot more slippery when passing through the guides. For the heavy salt water leaders, I make only 3 or 4 wraps on each side of the blood knot (rather than the 5 you typically see in the formal instructions) because I find that the knots close better that way. I ve never had a blood knot tied this way fail on me. Blood knots are a little more challenging to tie than, say, a surgeon s knot, but I find em well worth the effort; and with a little practice, they become an almost automatic tie. Be sure to wet the knots with spittle right before you close them up frictiongenerated heat is the enemy of all leader knots. For the flyline to leader connection, I tie an 18 inch section of 40# test mono to the fly line with a nail knot (see www.killroys.com/knots/nail.htm), and put a Perfection Loop (see www.killroys.com/knots/perfecti.htm) at the other end. This becomes a semi-permanent connector. Another Perfection Loop is put into the butt section of my leader, and leaders can then be changed simply and quickly via loop-to-loop connections (see www.killroys.com/knots/looploop.htm ). There s a right way and a wrong way to make a loop-to-loop, so be sure you know and use the former. Freshwater: These formulae come from the famous Gary Borger, author of Presenting the Fly, a book I highly recommend for any fly fisher. I ve used them for years and they ve always served me well. For dry fly or nymph fishing with a 4-wt through 7-wt rod, the connections remain the same as above, but the formulae change to the following: 4 of 25# 1 of 12# 4 of 8#... to which I add... 6-8 of 3X to 5X tippet material for Nymphs... or... 2-4 of 4X to 7X tippet material for Dry Flies. I use Maxima Ultra-Green leader material, and whatever tippet material is handy. For streamers, the last (8#) section can be cut back to as short as 2, with a 1 section of 3X or 4X tippet. For a 1-wt through 3-wt rod, I use the same formulae as above, but I use 20# test in place of the 25# butt section. Connectors are always the same weight/diameter as the butt section of the leader being used.
Mike LaFleur s Saltwater Leaders My saltwater fly fishing began in 1990, fishing for bonefish at Turneffe Flats in Belize. One of the big concerns there was coral. It could nick your leader and you d never know it until the leader snapped and you lost that nice bonefish that had just screamed about 100 feet of line off your reel in a heartbeat. We did a lot of experimenting to find leader material that was strong enough not to nick, but was still thin enough that the fish wouldn t be spooked by it. We tried all of the newest leader materials, fluorocarbon, super strong, hard mono, etc., and what we settled on was Maxima s Ultragreen. It has a larger diameter at any pound test than most other brands, making it more abrasion resistant. We then worked on the pound test of the sections, making up the leaders so that the leader would efficiently transmit the power from the flyline to the tippet. We tried all the published leader construction formulas that we could find and ended up using a very simple three section formula. Because we were using eight weight flylines, we needed a stout butt section, so we went with a 30# test butt. We then dropped down to a 20# test for the middle section. For bonefish, which usually ran between 4 and 10 pounds, we used 10# test for the tippet. For permit, which are bigger, we used 15# test for the tippet. Bite tippets weren t needed for these fish. In order to properly turn over flies of various weights, and for simplicity, we settled on using equal lengths for each section. Therefore, for a 9 foot leader, we used three feet of 30#, three feet of 20#, and three feet of 10#. After going to this setup, we never lost a bonefish or permit because of a failed leader. As for knots, again we kept it simple. We used a nail knot to attach the butt section to the flyline, and surgeon s knots to attach the next two sections. To attach the fly, some used the improved clinch knot, but most of us used the Duncan loop knot because it gave a more natural look when stripped, but would tighten down as the fish took off. I ve never lost a fish due to failure of any of these knots. When I started fly fishing in the Louisiana marsh, I didn t have a boat or a kayak, so I learned how to wade fish. As it turned out, I learned where the hard bottoms were and how to walk on marsh grass. Since I was wading, I carried only one rod with a floating line. The 9 foot leader designed for bonefish worked just great for reds, which are in the same weight range, and for specks, which are not particularly leader shy. If I found a deep hole with the fish down deep, I just used a 12 foot or 15 foot leader with the same three equal sections of 30#, 20# and 10# Maxima, and a heavy fly. I d cast, then count the fly down until I found the level of the fish.
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