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throwinflys

having a hell of a time with my leaders!

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OK, so i haven't experienced this problem before this last weekend. my leader keeps wrapping itself into the worst knots and snagging on my flyline. I broke my 4wt rod so i'm using an l.l. bean fiberglass 5/6 wt and when i watch my cast, everything appears to be good. i dont flail my arms and my loops are nice and tight, but i always see my leader waving around and twisting through the air. what are some common errors that would cause this. i've tried new leaders and different sizes and i just cant keep them from knotting up!

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without seeing you cast I can only guess but I would put my money on the fibreglass rod being slower than your 4wt and you are forcing it too much to achieve a tight loop, this is not allowing the back cast to develop fully and then you snag yourself on the fore cast. Slow it all down. Count an extra second or two in the back cast to allow the rod to load and then when you bring it forward, if the bean is a slower blank, your loop is going to be a bit more open and thats fine.

 

Other idea is you are using a leader that suited your 4wt and the dia might be toward the lower end of a 5/6wt limit. So the fly line is pushing harder than the leader can match. Try stepping up your leader Dia .2 or .4 and see if that helps.

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Have you tried straightening your leaders with a leader straightener to get all the coils out? (if you do not have a straightener then a piece of old inner tube will also work).

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i was wondering if my backcast was the culprit. i'll throw some line later and try to pay attention. i have a size 6 leader on its a brand new yesterday rio leader. and YES i do use an old piece of innertube! HAHAHAHA!

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Spin ... your flies might be spinning in the air as you dry cast. The leader gets twisted enough that if you slack the line for a fraction of a second, it can coil up on itself.

I noticed this last weekend, casting poppers in a bad wind. Sometimes, the twist was so bad, the leader would start coiling after I placed the fly on the water. I missed a couple of hits before realizing that I was just pulling the twist out while trying to set the hook.

I changed the mono from 8 lb. test to 10 lb. test and the problem ceased.

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There is only one way I know of to put a knot in the leader while casting and that is with a "tailing loop". To put a super knot in your leader combine a tailing loop with a "swinging loop". Google or read up on these two faults and your leader problems will go away.

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There is only one way I know of to put a knot in the leader while casting and that is with a "tailing loop". To put a super knot in your leader combine a tailing loop with a "swinging loop". Google or read up on these two faults and your leader problems will go away.

NAILED IT! watched some videos. going to practice tonight. THANK YOU!

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