Fly Line Help

[Jd>Fernie]

What is the point of having a leader? i normally just use 9 feet of 4 lb tippet, berkley xt, and it seems to work fine. are there advantages? also how much leader and tippet do you use?

[COelkhunter]

Originally Posted by Jd>Fernie

What is the point of having a leader? i normally just use 9 feet of 4 lb tippet, berkley xt, and it seems to work fine. are there advantages? also how much leader and tippet do you use?

I'm just starting out in the fly fishing world, but my understanding of the tapered leader is it transfers the energy from the line to the tippet in a more controlled manner.... Allows for more delicate presentations and more control of your fly... Of course I could and probably am wrong, but that's my understanding.....

As for your other questions- as for leader length- depends on the situation, but I typically use either a 7 1/2' or a 9' leader. To the end of that I usually tie on 2-3' of tippet material.

[Jd>Fernie]

if i really whip my rod, if i want to dry my fly off or something, i sometimes will knot the tippet up on my fly line, do you think a leader will help that?

[mainedeersniper]

Originally Posted by COelkhunter

I'm just starting out in the fly fishing world, but my understanding of the tapered leader is it transfers the energy from the line to the tippet in a more controlled manner.... Allows for more delicate presentations and more control of your fly... Of course I could and probably am wrong, but that's my understanding.....

As for your other questions- as for leader length- depends on the situation, but I typically use either a 7 1/2' or a 9' leader. To the end of that I usually tie on 2-3' of tippet material.

Your not wrong!?! your exactly correct. Its just a matter of the transfer of energy from the line to the tippet. It also gives a better presentation to the fish so they dont look up see fly line and just some tippet tied to the end. It gets finner as it goes down the leader so the fish dont notice as much.

[featherbender]

Originally Posted by Jd>Fernie

if i really whip my rod, if i want to dry my fly off or something, i sometimes will knot the tippet up on my fly line, do you think a leader will help that?

First, what you are describing here is a casting fault and a leader will not help that. It is usually caused by rushing your backcast, you are not letting it extend fully before beginning your forward cast, or you are not putting enough energy into your backcast.
The leader serves several important functions; in casting it allows for the controlled dissipation of energy so that your fly does not crash down onto the surface of the water, on a related note it also permits separation of the fly from the fly line, it cushions the shock of the strike and playing of the fish by stretching, it contributes to obtaining a drag free drift and finally it makes it possible to attach that infernally tiny size 22 BWO to that big fat fly line.
If you have a fly shop convenient to you or a fly fishing club they are usually good sources of casting instruction, even a brief session with an experienced instructor can greatly shorten the learning curve and help you to put more fish on your line.

[Jd>Fernie]

i know how to cast, i will only whip it if i'm not using floatant and the fly is a little submerged. one thing i hate is having alot of leader tho. i like to keep it about 8' to 9' just so when your walking and wading you don't have to pull out all that line everytime you can hang on to the fly and your fly line is still out the last guide.

can you guys maybe give me your best tips on rod set up?

[mainedeersniper]

try braided leaders....

they work miracles for me. I used to have the same problem but braided leaders roll over better and can handle a faster casting speed.

[GnuBee]

Originally Posted by Jd>Fernie

if i really whip my rod, if i want to dry my fly off or something, i sometimes will knot the tippet up on my fly line, do you think a leader will help that?

Jd Fernie . you are causing a Wind knot. Only proper instruction and practice practice practice can cure a wind knot. A leader change will not help that problem in the slightest. Every knot in your line weakens it immensely. Proper false casting will dry your fly and will not cause wind knots.

Any good instructor should be easily able to show you how to correct the problem in no time at all.
Members of Your local fly fishing club probably will be able to show you for free.

Its a common problem and one of the most easily fixed.

I actually cured my own wind knot phase by watching Joan Wulffs video a couple of times.

[Cliffjumper]

Featherbender is right about controlling the cast and GnuBee is right about the wind knot.

The taper in a tapered leader is stiff at the butt and graduates to a soft, fine tippet. This "rolls" your cast out smoothly, allowing the typically and most importantly dry, fly to land with a delicate presentation, as is desired. Your preference is to not spook your quarry with a big splash.

You can make your own "tippets" by starting with a stiffer or thicker mono. say 15# test, say hi viz, then tie on 10#, then 2#-4# test in a limp soft mono. Many promote the use of flourocarbon in this construct, but it is very hard to straighten before the casting begins. I suggest 4# TripleFish Spinning Rx as a very soft, fine, mono in clear as a tippet and Trilene XL, Gamma Co-Poly or Excalibre as your butt & second section as they are easy to straighten.

For nymphs or streamers, you could use flourocarbon as both tippet and mid-section as flourocarbon sinks with your flyline sink tip in a fairly even fashion which can allow a better drift. Do not use flourocarbon for dry flies, because it sinks.

Wind knots are directly caused by you. As you back & forward cast, you're crossing your path rather than keeping a nice straight back & fro path, causing the line to tangle into itself, and creates a nicely tied knot quicker and more easily than you can do yourself by hand.

You further increase the incidence of wind knots by not allowing your back cast to be more or less fully extended before hitting your forward stroke.

This also causes the dreaded "snap" and the wasted time in tying on a new, increasingly in short supply, fly... The bullwhip-effect.

A good method of practise, at a park or school ground is to wrap some lead wire to a broken hook, zap glue or crazy glue it, with a piece of bright flourescent floss (to find your snap-offs easier) which imitates the bulk of a streamer.

What this helps you with is to start developing a feel for the extension at the end of your tippet on your back casts. It also helps you develope the neccessary skill of roll-casting for those times you'll be in tight quarters. Poll casts are an essential cast to learn. You can easili get the idea from the many spey-casting videos out there. Here you allow your drift to end, then roll the line back upstream to renew or alter your drift path. But, you are still not crossing your line's path.

To dry your fly, just one false cast should do the trick, so you don't need to dry the fly before you attempt your cast, it happens while you're working it out to the landing area.

Casting flies is easy to start, adicting and frusterating in the initial learning curve, and regrettably does take some time, patience, timing and experience through practise and fishing time.

Keep it up!... Cheers!