Tippet size for weedy warmwater.

[Bimini15 0]

I have always avoided fly fishing when the lake got too weedy, but recently I started dragging some flies through the greens. And I am a little ticked that I have lost a couple of really nice fish, fly included, due to what I think was poor tippet choice on my part.

 

I would like to hear what you use in warmwater when you are tangling with bass down in the weeds.

[Mike West 0]

14-20lb for me

[tidewaterfly 0]

Generally, as it will depend on the snags, 20 to 30 lb mono type bulk line is what I use. In lighter weeds ( grass) I will go down to 15 lb sometimes. I've mentioned this before, I'm using Yozuri Hybrid now (making leaders & for tippet) & have been for several years, as I also use it on baitcasting & spinning gear. Keeps me from having to buy more than one type/brand and it's worked very well for me. Berkley Big Game has also worked well in the past.

 

Just an added note about "tippet". IMO, "tippet" material in such heavy breaking strength & in the snags & weeds for bass is a waste of money, since it's more costly than bulk line, unless IGFA records are what you seek and you use Class tippet to get the proper breaking strength. Of course use what suits you.

 

I've progressed to using a 10 wt with such heavy tippet, simply because lighter stuff resulted in too many break-offs of both flies snagged on the debris or vegetation, or hooked fish because I couldn't drag them out. I lose very few fish now if I get a solid hook up.

 

If you do or did any fishing with conventional tackle, it's like fishing with heavy braided line & heavy action rods these days. I often use 50 or 65 lb test braid with a heavy or extra heavy baitcaster to drag fish from the same type of snags, because lighter line & lighter rods don't get it done as well. Those heavy braids cut through most vegetation easily too. Even a 2 lb bass is a chore to land when there could be 4 or 5 lbs of weeds wrapped around the tippet.

 

Of course, I much prefer to fish with the lighter gear, fly or conventional. For me the 20 to 30 lb has been what's most effective for those nasty snags. ( Spadderdock pads, briers, tree root mats, brush & downed trees, flooded tree's, etc.) In open water, rarely over 15 lb.

[caloosa bug 0]

Only recently have I been casting into the weeds and pads, (this past summer), and 15# Trilene big game and 17# vicious fluorocarbon have been what I have been using, and seemed to work well. The trick for me as to pulling them out is to limit my casting distance. Which is much easier from a boat than from the bank. If you're throwing farther distances to reach the grass or across it, it wouldn't hurt to step it up to 20+.

[mikechell 0]

I fly fish, so that I can throw smaller lures to fish in all kinds of water. However, if the weeds get too thick to pull a fish out of quickly, I go to conventional gear and braided line, as Tide said above.

 

If you must use a fly rod in dense weeds, fish in heavy weeds aren't nearly as spooked by line, I'd say go as heavy as the fly line. 20# to 40# test should be sufficient. And you only need about 3 or 4 feet of it, directly from fly line to fly.

[Bimini15 0]

Thank you for the answers.

 

I am not fishing heavy cover or anything like that. The weeds are on or below the surface next to shore and a three or four feet off the bottom in deeper water, with me casting from the shore. But I am always on the light side and I was using the same 3x fly fishing tippet (8.5lb) I use in open water. Don't fish regular tackle that much now but I always used 12-17lb. mono leader in this lake.

 

Part of the calculation here, as mentioned above, is that I fish a 5wt. with a 1x-0x leader, so heavy tippet and a weighted fly are not easy to cast once they get 40+ feet out there, at least not for me.

 

I guess I could dust off the 7wt. with a sinking tip and the saltwater leaders...

[Mike West 0]

Thank you for the answers.

I am not fishing heavy cover or anything like that. The weeds are on or below the surface next to shore and a three or four feet off the bottom in deeper water, with me casting from the shore. But I am always on the light side and I was using the same 3x fly fishing tippet (8.5lb) I use in open water. Don't fish regular tackle that much now but I always used 12-17lb. mono leader in this lake.

Part of the calculation here, as mentioned above, is that I fish a 5wt. with a 1x-0x leader, so heavy tippet and a weighted fly are not easy to cast once they get 40+ feet out there, at least not for me.

I guess I could dust off the 7wt. with a sinking tip and the saltwater leaders...

5wt? You ain't pulling nothing big out of the weeds with a 5wt no matter what lb tippet you have unless you point the Rod right at them and drag them in with the line alone.

 

I use to pound Lake Fork like a maniac three to four days a week for years. Every cast into the salad bar you stood a good chance of hooking 5-10lb bass. I used a 10wt with 3'-4' of 25-30lb Big Game line and still got busted off in the stumps and salad

[vicente 0]

I think you should probably dust off that seven wt, but incase you need an excuse an 8 wt would probably be better, maybe a 10 too, incase it's really thick and the only way you think the fish will bite is on a fly.

[Bimini15 0]

Nothing like that here.

The only trouble is bringing them to shore over the weedline, or wherever there is a cut. I never had problems with a 5wt when I picked the line before the leader got to the weeds. But now I am letting it drag through and I need a heavier duty tippet that takes the extra abuse better.

The heaviest rod I have ever used here is a 7wt., but it has been years since the last time. I will go back to conventional before using the 10wt. in freshwater.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

You might benefit from the "Poor Boy" system I use in the 'Glades on a daily basis (where we're working downed trees and mangrove shorelines all day long..... It starts with a heavy butt section permanently attached to each fly line in the following lengths/strengths....

7wt - 3 to 3.5 feet of 30lb mono (Ande Premium, mostly)

8wt - 3.5 to 4 feet of 40lb mono

9wt - 4 to 4.5 feet fo 40lb mono

10wt- 4.5 to 5 feet of 50lb mono

11wt- 5 to 5.5 feet of 60lb mono (for heavier lines we also will use Sufix Superior for 50lb and above butt sections...

12wt- 6 feet of 60lb mono

 

Each butt section ends in a surgeon's loop (but for weedy waters you might want to change that out to what I've described below...).

 

The Poor Boy (used almost exclusively with 7 to 9wt lines) simply adds a four to five foot section of 20 or 30lb fluoro "tippet" loop to loop (mostly we use the 20lb) - and no shock or bite tippet at all, yes, we lose a few fish but get many more bites - and we've landed some surprisingly big fish on this setup... The Poor Boy is set up as a loop to loop quick change proposition. For weedy waters I'd change that and go with a Slim Beauty (or a blood knot - but the Slim Beauty is superior, if you can tie it...) connection between butt and "tippet" end.

 

One of the added benefits of this permanent butt section setup is that you can simply add a store bought tapered leader to the butt section whenever needed for bones or permit. A seven foot tapered leader looped to an 8wt line gives an 11' leader a nine foot leader gives a 13 foot leader overall. For big fish, instead of the Poor Boy - we have ready tied quick change leaders with 20lb tippet spliced to 40, 60, or 80lb fluoro bite tippets (very handy on the water - particularly at night where you don't want to be tying complicated knots with fish in front of you.... The pic shown shows the leader spools already to go (two leaders tied to a common shock tippet then chained together loop to loop so you just pull off the top pair, cut the shocker in half and have a big game fly leader ready to go...

 

The pics shown are from an article I did a few years back for a local magazine....

[Kentuckysteve 0]

I use a 7wt most times for bass but have used my 5wt also.For the 5 wt i use a straight 6ft 10lb or 12lb mono line most of the time and have not had a problem.I like berkley big game.

 

The 7wt i use berkley big game mono and use the same setup as the 5 wt but if its really thick weeds i will use a 3ft 25lb mono with a blood knot to a 3 ft section of 12lb mono.

 

I also use berkley vanish fluorocarbon instead of mono in the same line sizes when i am fishing really clear water.

 

I try to keep it simple.The bass dont care about the leader size.

[vicente 0]

My standard leader is about 3 ft of 20lb mason, 3 ft of 20lb maxima to 3-4 ft of 10 or 12 lb Berkley vanish.

[caloosa bug 0]

Vicente and Kentuckysteve, you guys have been at it much longer than me, so my question is what is the advantage of using 20-25# tied to a 12#? Will it give you more strength-stretch? Wouldn't the 12# break with the same force as if it was the sole leader material?

 

I don't mean to hijack your thread Bimini, but inquiring minds would like to know. I almost always fish with straight 10# or 12# when fly fishing for bass. If I know I'll be in heavy cover 15#-17# is what I use. I'm just trying to learn a little as to why multiple lines may be an advantage, other than castability.. if that's a word. Thanks in advance.

[Bimini15 0]

Caloosa,

Personally, I like a taper on my leader for freshwater, whether knotted or knotless.

I think it helps transfer the energy of the cast down the leader and helps the fly roll out and land nicely. Specially if I am trying for any kind of finesse.

Now, when we are talking about 8-10wt for bass, finesse is out the window and the thicker butt section is there to help withstand the abuse, just like in saltwater.

 

I am going to solve my problem by adding a thicker butt section before the current tapered knotless leader and adding a loop to the other end, where the thickness matches 15-20lb mono so that I can loop to loop a section of 12-17lb. as bite tippet.

[Kentuckysteve 0]

Vicente and Kentuckysteve, you guys have been at it much longer than me, so my question is what is the advantage of using 20-25# tied to a 12#? Will it give you more strength-stretch? Wouldn't the 12# break with the same force as if it was the sole leader material?

 

I don't mean to hijack your thread Bimini, but inquiring minds would like to know. I almost always fish with straight 10# or 12# when fly fishing for bass. If I know I'll be in heavy cover 15#-17# is what I use. I'm just trying to learn a little as to why multiple lines may be an advantage, other than castability.. if that's a word. Thanks in advance.

 

Bimini is correct.If you are throwing big weighted bass bugs a taper is not going to matter because the weight of the fly will roll out the leader but for smaller lighter fly's the taper ensures that the energy of the heavier section constantly moves the thinner line in front of it so that it unrolls right and doesnt just smack the water.Really has nothing to do with the strength.12lb line will break just as easy in a tapered leader as a straight leader.Helps with the accuracy of the cast if you are trying to get a smaller fly to land in a certain spot.Same reason the fly line itself is tapered.