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flysthatfish21

Largemouth Bass leader and tippit ?s

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I have a 9' 5 wt. fly rod that I have been using for trout fishing but I was hoping for some suggestions on a good leader and tippet setup for largemouth bass. I am wanting to fish for them on top but, I am just wanting some input on my setup.

 

Any tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks

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I've just been using 12 pound tippet (about 4 feet long) and tie it straight to the fly line. Holds up great and haven't broke off yet.

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depending on whether or not I am fishing in the weeds, I use a 12 lb leader with 10 lb tippet or a 20 pound leader with 14 lb tippet.....I like 7.5 or 9 foot leaders....I fish bass almost exclusively....

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When I fish warmwater in general, I just use a 6-8 foot piece of 8 or 10 pound mono for bass or 4 pound for bream. In my opinion, leaders and tippets cause ME too many knot failures. Every one is different though.

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i usually use a 7 1/2 ft leader tapered down to about 12lbs when fishing topwater for bass, if im in the heavy weeds i go to about a 15- 20 lb

 

 

flysthatfish21, i noticed that you plan on using a 5 wt rod, i might suggest using a heavier setup, like maby an 8 wt. it will make casting more wind resistant bass bugs a lot easier. but then again, i do use my 6 wt at times, and as long as the fly isnt too wind resistant , it casts just fine, and has no problem handling the fish . i dont think you will have any problems casting or fishing subsurface flies with the 5 wt. but if you can afford it, get an 8 wt for bass

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Heck, I've fished a 4 weight for bass before.

 

 

i never said that the 4 wt , 5 wt rods didnt have the backbone to land the bass once hooked. but if you take that 1/0 deerhair popper and try to make that 70 ft cast with the 4 wt and then try that same cast using an 8 wt ,i think you just might figure out why i said try an 8 wt, that is unless you have the casting skills of a lefty kreh, i know i dont

 

a lot of people are under the impression that heavier rods are needed to catch bigger fish, that isnt always true, the heavier rods are needed to be able to cast the heavier/ more wind resistant flies,In flyfishing, its the weighrt of the flyline that pulls the fly thru the air. in spin fishing/baitcasting, its the weight of the lure that pulls the line off the reel

 

 

heavier rods also handle the heavier tippet breaking strengthes better without testing the manufactures warrenty ( that is break). If your only going to use a 3x tipper tha breaks at 8 lbs go ahed and use the 4 wt. but can the 4 wt handle a 20 lb tippet needed to get a bass out of heavy weeds.

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Oh, yeah. I know what you meant. My main rod for bass is an 8 weight. Every once in a while though, I'll break out the 4 weight. Yeah the casting with the four weight...not so good. I can rocket my 8 weight and get them out of the thick stuff. But with the four weight. Not so much.

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I just use a roll of Maxima 12lb or 15lb leader. I use a perfection loop to connect to the fly line, then just tie on the bass bug or clouser. 7-8' usually works.

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Quite arguably, 12-17 lb Spiderwire makes the best leader/tippet of all for largemouth bass. It is very tough and can take a lot of abrasion, which leaders for largemouth bass can be subjected to. A singe strand eliminates knots, which can accumulate moss by the bucket full. Four to six feet is typically long enough, as bass aren't leader shy. It also enable you to 'put-the-brakes' on a large one that is hell-bent on wrapping you up around the trees, or taking you into the water lily beds.

 

for safety's sake, just make sure that whatever you use will break readily for you should you get wrapped around submerged tree limbs and stumps. You don't want to risk an unplanned swim in you have to try to break your fly off. This situation can arise if you use a single strand of material for both leader and tippet. Sans,tippet, you no longer have a 'weak link' in the system.

 

perchjerker

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