Tippet for Erie steelhead

[strutnstuff 0]

Suggestions needed currently using 16lb. steelhead leader & 10lb. Fluorocarbon line as tippet material. Fish sometimes break my tippet & in fast water they always seem to get unhooked. Also everyone seems to being catching fish & I have a herd time getting them to take my fly. Advice appreciated as to what I may be doing wrong

[JSzymczyk 0]

if you're consistently breaking 10lb fluoro I would first suspect your knots. I've found simple 4 turn clinch knots to work better in fluoro than anything, but they have to be lubed and seated perfectly and tightened right up to just before they break. If you're coming unhooked a LOT then either your hooks are not sharp, you're horsing the fish and not letting it run and it is tearing free, or you're just having a bad day. We all lose fish.

 

I use 4, 6, 8 lb mono usually on my trips for steelhead. I hate crowds and I catch enough fish. Almost never break off on a fish unless some a**hole doesn't clear and gets tangled. Don't make more out of steelhead fishing in the Erie tribs than it needs to be... When there are crowds of dumbasses tearing up the streams they get spooked and when the water is clear they see predators and act accordingly. When you get the rare calm day, or better with a southerly breeze, fish along the beaches at the creek mouths. That is where the real fun is, when you hook one it can RUN and you don't usually have 40 other people trying to screw you up.

[Rocco 0]

When I started steelheading I landed maybe 20% of the fish I hooked . In time I reversed those numbers as I got smarter on how to play them.

 

Forget advice to "keep your rod tip high"! Use the power in the mid section and butt of the rod to your side to tire fish out, Never let them rest. Switch sides to always press/nudge them off balance and whenever possible move their head towards you so they are fighting both you and the current. They tend to jump more when so managed and spend energy that way too. That's the best part for me.

 

I never got hooked on fluoro and have stuck with 6=8 lb Maxima Chameleon since the 70s.

 

I have lost more fish to straightened hooks than break offs. Use the best strong irons and keep them sharp and debarbed.

 

Getting them to take your fly is another, much longer, epistle and with lots of differing inputs and no good single solution. .

 

Rocco.

[fishinguy 0]

Erie PA has small streams with clear water. The fish have been averaging 4 it 6lbs or so in recent years with some up to 10 or so. I fish tippet between 3 and 6 lb and rarely break one off. If you're fishing Erie PA streams and breaking off 10 lb tippet there's either a technique or equipment problem, or your hooking them in the tail.

[Dubs 0]

I use 3x flouro most of the time, 4x if i feel the need. Tie clean knots with quality tippet and use some side pressure when fighting fish. Set the hook sharply downstream and try to keep your drifts so your not fishing too far downstream when they take. Expect to lose some, especially if they run downstream and your pulling upstream.

[whatfly 0]

Suspect JSzymczyk is correct that the knots are the most likely problem. Try the Uni-knot, especially when joining fluorocarbon to monofilament (I prefer small swivels myself). 10# should be plenty in most settings when fishing for steelhead or lake-run rainbows in this case. I very rarely use much heavier than 8# in the PNW, although in the rivers I fish the fish tend to be smaller, say 4#-10#.

[Steeldrifter 0]

Gotta agree with JS. Floro can be tricky in cold weather if the knots are not perfect. I run 4-6lb floro for steel all the time and ours average about 6-7lbs with some 8-12lb and never have much issue unless I rush the knot and mess it up.