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largemouthTLOCD

Redfish leaders

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Hey everybody just wondering what yall think the best leader for redfish is. Been really busy but gonna start going out for redfish again and would like to have a better leader setup.

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I usually tie up about 9 foot leaders with 4.5 ft 40lb, 2.5 ft 30 lb, 2.5 ft 20 lb and 20-30 lb tippet. Sometimes I'll go lighter and do 4.5 40lb, 2.5 ft 20lb, 2.5 ft 15 or 12 lb, 20 lb tippet

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I agree with above. Nothing fancy. Taper down as you like. I will go down to 12lb flouro in calm, clear water conditions. Otherwise 20lb should be fine.

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3 ft of 40lb, 3 ft of 30lb, then 2 ft tippet section of 20 or 14lb flouro. Short leader. More accurate. I haven't seen a difference in response from the fish.

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We use a simple "Poor Boy" leader for most of our reds in water that's more than a foot deep. All of my fly lines have a permanent butt section spliced to the fly line with a surgeon's loop at the bitter end. Here's the size/length for the butt.... 7wt-3.5 to 4' of 30lb mono, 8wt-4' of 40lb, 9wt- 4.5' of 40lb. The actual leader portion is just four or five feet of straight 20lb fluorocarbon looped onto the butt section. If we're working lots of downed trees along wild mangrove shorelines we'll have the "Poor Boy" tippet of 30lb fluoro since you never know when a snook or small grouper will be what bites while you're actually looking for reds. The Everglades is really hard on leaders in mangrove country...

 

Tight lines

Bob LeMay

(954) 435-5666

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thanks for all your replies that helps me alot. what knots do you use to connect each section. I usually use loop to loop connections so I can change out each section. Also is standard mono fine for the leader? Thanks again for the help.

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I use regular mono except for the tippet where I use flourocarbon. I use loop to loop to connect the tippet on one end and the same on the other where I attach the leader to a short butt section attached to my fly line. I use uni-knots to join the leader sections. Of course there are a ton of other line to line knots to choose from

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it's been a long night.... that Poor Boy leader system I just described was used to catch and release a monster snook earlier tonight. My own personal best snook on fly is 22lbs.... this fish looked to be nearly 30lbs and my angler was using a 10wt with no shock tippet at all.... I'll post a report later today once I've had some sleep - I have pictures! The report will be on the general fly fishing board.

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Bob, that Poor Boy leader sounds like a schmancy one compared to a captain friend of mine whose Poor Boy leader consists of an 8 ft. piece of straight 20 lb looped to the end of the fly line.

Personally, I prefer something more like you describe. I use 40 - 30 - 20 or 25 blood knotted together and then 20 or 16 tippet looped to the end of that.

Kirk

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My saltwater experience is quite limited. I appears that you knowledgeable folks are using 15 to 20# tippets for reds. In my ignorance I would have thought that 8 to 12# tippets would have been plenty in conditions other than in the mangrove roots and if one was targeting bulls. Enlightenment please.....

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I don't know about others but down here, we fish in shallow water with a lot of grass so my reasons are two fold. First, when a red goes through those aquatics, so does your leader, sometimes you have more weeds on your leader than the weight of the fish so you need something that can take that extra pull. Also, being shallow and hot most of the year, we want to put the pressure on the fish and get him to the boat as fast as possible so it doesn't build up lethal amounts of lactic acid. I guess the bonus is that they aren't particularly leader shy down here in south Louisiana.

 

Kirk

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Kirk pretty much nailed it, but I would also add that in the salt you never know what else will come around, especially on the open flats, so it's always good to be prepared for anything. Toothy critter like blues, macks and even leader-fraying ladyfish can show up at anytime. Even black bass, lizard fish, and blowfish can damage a light leader. The only time I go down to 12# is in extremely clear water and the fishing is very slow, so it's more of a desperation move to try to get the fish to hit.

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appreciate the responses.....Looks like I need to arm myself a little heavier. We all need more tackle anyway, right!

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