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Troutslayer101

Leaders for large Streamers

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Looking for some advice I started tying up some larger streamers and I just purchased a 8wt rod. I usually use cutthroat leaders but was hoping to use something a little cheaper. What do you guys use for leaders? What I like about the cutthroat leaders is they have the quick attach loop and also has a tippet ring to attach your tippet. Thanks

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Mike, would I be able to make a loop at the end to attach to my fly line and another loop at the other end to attach my tippet? Do you think the loops would hold?

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I have only fished 8wt in saltwater, and that point my leaders are pretty much a stretch of 40lb. mono and a fluoro bite tippet.

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Mike, would I be able to make a loop at the end to attach to my fly line and another loop at the other end to attach my tippet? Do you think the loops would hold?

 

That's what I use on everything from small trout on dry flies, to steelhead, to saltwater. If you tie a good loop knot at either end it'll hold just fine. For big streamers I generally use sink tips and just a few feet of tippet, no real leader at all. If I'm tossing weighted streamers on a floating line I go a bit longer, 5-6 feet, sometimes straight 10 lb mono, sometimes 3 feet of 20 lb, then 3 feet of 10 lb. Big aggressive fish aren't picky and aren't leader shy.

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I use perfection loops at both ends for all my rods. My 8 weight (courtesy http://www.midwestcustomflyrods.com/ ... Thanks Steve) is rigged with 14# right to the fly. No tippet needed, since I'm fishing big flies through heavier cover.

 

 

PS ... and ditto SpiralSpey's comments.

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I usually use a furled leader and attach my tippet to that. When I'm fishing a streamer, like Mike, I usually go with a straight piece of fluorocarbon 6 to 8 foot long. Depending what I'm fishing for I'll use anything from 12 to 25 #.

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I use about 2.5-3 ft of 20lb mason hard mono about the same of 20 lb maxima, than 10 or 12 lb floro left over from spooling my baitcaster, I just connect the leader sections together with nail knots or similar no tippet just the three sections and replace the end then it wears out or gets to short. for the leader to line connection I bend the hard mono back creating a loop and whip it with thread and glue it to give me a loop to loop connection. this has worked well for me I primarily fish warm water from the bank so my leaders take a beating and I can build an whole bunch of them for the price of a few tapered leaders.

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I guess I've always felt I turn over big bass bugs and streamers better with a tapered leader. I don't loop to loop but nail knot 2' of 25-30#. Then blood knot or double uni a foot or so of 17# and 3' of 12#. I ordered some tippet rings this winter and I'm going to try shortening the 12# to 2' and putting a tippet ring on. Then I can go with any test I need for the situation. Even if I just put more 12# on when it gets frayed I only need to replace that part. I don't like loop to loop though I use them on furled leaders since they are so much thinner coming through the tip top. More rod tips have been broken pulling loop to loop through tip top than fish ever have broken. Oh yeah, screen doors, ceiling fans, car doors and trunks get their fair share.

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If you are talking about streamers made from materials that readily move forward w/o much air resistance, the above advice is solid.

 

If casting big air resistant streamers such as large flared bucktails for pike and musky, it's a slightly different ballgame. The heavier leader butt should be longer in proportion to the overall leader, the one tapering segment short, and , for the ttohted targets, the tippet will be either wire or fluoro of 100 lb test or more. Foe bass, reds, and stripers and hard mono or fluoro tippets work. The butt and tapered material need to be stiff and curl resistant or straightened.

 

Rocco

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Really depends on what sort of (size) streamers you are casting, as well as if you're talking trout, or bass or something with teeth like pike. So hard to give accurate suggestions without more info.

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What is a "cutthroat leader"?

 

I tie tapered leaders using Maxima Chameleon and Ultragreen and I vary the length, size and stiffness to get the turn over I want right now. Really allows more flexibility if you can tie or modify leaders stream side. Cutting out the knot joining two sections and retying it can really increase the stiffness/speed of a leader.

 

That said for large streamers my leader will be short and stiff. Maybe 5-7' long and 3x or 4x diameter. Pound ratings vary so widely that I never refer to them. Toothy fish would require some change from my normal leader.

 

The subject of leaders and tippets could take a book or two to fully discuss, and then there would be difference of opinion. Your specific streamers and target fish might get more specific answers.

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What is a "cutthroat leader"?

 

A search of "cutthroat leader" turned up "About 449,000 results (0.60 seconds)".

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Bing has 1,500,000, question is what does the OP mean? as a reference or comparison....

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