First, let’s gather the tools. We quickly took out a pair of 7-weight rods with small Muddlers that imitated the size of the mud minnows and started to cast. Stephen quickly offered to rig, make sandwiches, and even drive the next morning. Knotless leaders work much better in weedy areas because weeds tend to catch on knots. Shop the right line for every fish at RIO. Our redfish aren’t very “leader shy” like in some heavily pressured, clear water fisheries, so I tend to fish heavier leaders here, on the upper end of the range of what I mentioned. Needless to say, the principles are the same for knotless leaders, where 0.025 to 0.028 inches works well for reds. Traveling pro angler Pat Ford offers tips on tackle, flies and hot spots. I don’t even remembered what I answered, and I guess it doesn’t matter. I immediately told him that I had done an exhaustive research on butt sections for bones and backcountry fishing, using 7-, 8-, and 9-weight lines. Yellowfin 54 Offshore Boat Review. But the point of the story is that basics stay the same, no matter what new leader material you get, even if it’s pink. I know it took a lot to explain, but in reality it only takes a few minutes to tie. The ideal butt section should mimic the fly line it’s attached to, in density and to some extent, in stiffness in order to have a smooth transition of the cast’s energy, from the fly line to the butt section, and later all the way down to the fly. Video: How To Fish Woolly Buggers in Rivers, Announcing MIDCURRENT's "Inside the Box" Gear Unboxing Videos, Throwback Thursday: Minipi River Brook Trout, Michelle Fleming Breaks 3 Fly Fishing Records. We've been doing it since 2003! Anyway, following the 50/30/20 formula, cut 5 feet of 40-pound-test for butt—actually a few inches longer to allow for tying the knot to the mid section. RIO's Redfish/Seatrout Leaders have been designed for the fly fisher that pursues Redfish, Sea trout and other similar saltwater species. And since the formula said the mid section should be 3 feet, you can either cut each section 11⁄2 feet, or cut 2 feet of 30 pounds and one of 20 pounds. RIO's Redfish/Seatrout leader has been designed for the fly fisher that pursues Redfish, Seatrout and other similar saltwater species. For us, water temps were around 50 degrees so we opted for a cold water line like RIO’s Winter Redfish Fly Line. And if you’re a beginner, don’t even think about it. Whatever material you choose, use the same make throughout the leader, so that stiffness and other properties remain constant, from the butt section to the tippet. Conclusion. I knew it well in those days. Updated: April 10, 2019. Your leader should be about 10 feet long, and all you need to do is tie a fly to the tippet. Fly Fishing for Redfish. Boat Reviews. The Redfish/Seatrout leader features an aggressive taper … For medium stiff mono materials, I like Maxima and Ande, but I’ve tried some saltwater RIO and some Umpqua that also work well. No matter how hard we tried, the leaders couldn’t penetrate the wind. Weight forward floating fly lines are a must along with a 10-12 foot leader for the fish that can be spooky.include, Conventional spin tackle equipment will include 7-7’6″ rods with 15-20 lb braid is what I like to use to target redfish with a plug rod. Instead of doing a short strip strike, strip the fly line until the fly comes tight in the fish’s mouth. Buy Fly-Fishing for Redfish in the MidCurrent Store. Absolute Trout 1-Pack Leader $ 6.95. Turn over big redfish flies with ease in strong winds with the Perform X HD Redfish Leader. Gear. Leader can be handmade or store bought, and they should be tapered from heavier at the rod to lighter at the fly to extend the casting loop and aid in proper fly presentation. Customer Support: ... Leader. It’s a good day for the fish, but a bad day for the minnows. However, over many years I've learned a number of things about the most effective leaders. I’m going to choose a good all-around leader for redfish— a 10-foot leader for an 8-weight line with a 16-pound-test tippet—and use the popular formula of 50/30/20. I have used this leader for most of my saltwater fishing for fifteen years. Top angler Sandy Moret tying a big redfish fly with a loop, for more action. I know it took a lot to explain, but in reality it only takes a few minutes to tie. It's fast, it's easy, and the leader never breaks at a knot as on a tapered, knotted leader. The Trail canal goes east and west, so a strong northern wind will push all the water out of the north sloughs and into the main canal, and with it, all the minnows that are living in the sloughs. So now I knew that for the 8-weight line I used for bonefish, snook, and redfish, a good butt section was something close to 0.025 of an inch or about 40-pound-test. But I had more time those days, probably because the Internet and cell phones weren’t around. REDFISH AND OTHER SPECIES PERFECTION LOOPED BUTT SECTION, TIED USING BLOOD KNOTS,PROFESSIONAL HAND TIED. Well, at this time I was late with an article assignment and didn’t have the time to rig the day before. However, the longer the leader, the harder it is to cast, so newcomers may want to keep it a bit shorter than the standard 9-foot length. Just remember that while the explanation below takes some time, when you learn to make your leader, it only takes a few minutes. Now let’s tie the 16-pound tippet to the end of the mid section, which, by the 50/30/20 formula, is going to be 2 feet long or so. So it’s like nature’s natural chumming. You also want to cast past the fish so you have some leader to play with as you close the gap between the fish and the fly. These are just the ones I mostly fish. Boats. Fine, I agreed and went back to my writing. So to make that blood knot as strong as possible, tie five to six turns. Now the mid section, which is simply a smooth transition from the fat 40-pound-test to the thin 16-pound-test tippet. Anyway, finally I came up with roughly the facts that I’m giving you here. These Perfect Fly hand tied tapered mono leaders have a large diameter butt section that transitions down Best Fishing Line Leader for Speckled Trout, Redfish, Snook, Flounder, Tarpon.....and just about any other inshore fish. It's a solid read by Chico Fernandez and it's worked well for me. Choosing the Perfect Boat. I tie my own tapered leaders using Stren High Impact leader material, but many other brands do the job well too. You’re really building the butt and mid section of leaders by diameter (which really means weight), and the tippet by pound test, that is, strength. By Louis Cahill This fly-fishing leader will out perform anything you can buy. For 90% of the scenarios you'll encounter while fly fishing for redfish, an 8-weight rod is perfect. But he swore up and down that he had used 30-pound. As for the fly reel, pick a reel designed for the weight line you are using. I generally don’t use gloves, except when I’m tying big game leaders. The pound test is another guideline. However, over many years I've learned a number of things about the most effective leaders. A Bonnier Corporation Company. To the other end tie a 2-foot piece of 20-pound line, using either a blood knot or a double surgeon's knot. Each leader is 9ft long and available in either 16lb or 20lb. To cut materials and trim the knots, pliers or forceps with scissors will work fine, but clippers are my first choice here because they usually can trim knots much closer. When casting to redfish, it’s critical to keep this in mind. On very calm days, where fish are very spooky and the fly turns over easily, I will often lengthen the tip… Since the tip end on an 8-weight line measures around 0.040 of an inch, then 60 or 66 percent of that is around 0.024 or 0.026 of an inch. But instead, Lee scratched his head slowly, while looking far into the horizon, seemingly lost in thoughts for a few seconds (Lee was an engineer), and then told me that since the 1940s, he had always thought that 0.025 inch was an ideal butt section for 7-, 8-, and 9-weight lines. It offers the angler more control over their presentation than any commercially made leader. Redfish, trout, and flounder on the flats: 20 lb to 25 lb mono leader and 10 lb braid main line is my favorite; Snook on the flats: 25lb to 30 lb mono leader and 10 lb braid main line; Snook and redfish in inlets and/or near structure: 40 lb to 60 lb mono leader and 20 lb to 30 lb braid main line depending on size of expected fish You’re not matching a mayfly hatch. It can be great fly fishing, with snook, tarpon, and occasionally redfish and bass all feeding against the shoreline as the minnows come out. The chart on the next page shows the materials I often use for butt sections. Excerpted from Fly-Fishing for Redfish (Stackpole Books, September 2015). Frustrated, I examined the butt section and found that it looked and felt like 20-pound-test, or thinner. You can stop there or add another section of 12-pound line, as you prefer. The diameter of that mono was like normal thin and light 20-pound-test. By Pat Ford. I was proud of it. New Products and Electronics for January 2021. Copyright © 2003 – 2021 MidCurrent LLC, All Rights Reserved. The RIO Redfish/Seatrout Leader was developed and designed for fly fishing redfish, seatrout and similar saltwater species. With a nine foot leader, if you want to lead the redfish with your fly by three feet, the end of your fly line should land close to 12 feet short of the target zone you are casting to. Absolute Trout 3-Pack Leader $ 16.95. That is why most good saltwater anglers, either by knowledge or experimentation, now use 40-pound-test butt section on an 8-weight. Just remember to guide yourself by the diameter (which is often on the spool label these days, and that’s nice). Well, the fish were popping on the other side, so I was not going to have a dissertation about leader diameters. On the next page, I give you some of the companies whose materials I often use to make leaders—as a guideline to you. If you don't know how to tie knots, you can purchase knotless tapered leaders, such as the Scientific Angler Mastery series tapered leaders and the Airflo Braided Tapered Leader series. As long as the fly moves in a way similar to a crab, they will crush it without hesitation. Buy Fly-Fishing for Redfish in the MidCurrent Store. Your leader should be about 10 feet long, and all you need to do is tie a fly to the tippet. And typically angler… I was playing around with leader formulas for my 8wt and came across this article: Making a Redfish Leader | MidCurrent. Until the fly reel, pick a reel designed for the minnows garden.! A tapered, knotted leader to tie, they transfer energy from the fly reel, pick reel! Changed it very little in all that time ask me what I found butt sections fisher that redfish... 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