Steelhead Leaders

[flynoob]

I'm looking to tie up some leaders for Erie steelhead and had heard that you can use just simple spinning reel flurocarbon as your tippet and that steelhead leaders for Erie could be as simple as possible. Also 30yd spools of fluro tippet are pricy. I have always tied my own leaders using a formula of .22, .20, .17, .15, .13, .11, .09 and then whatever tippet desired.

 

[PACOFRANSICO]

Im messing around tying my own steelhead leaders and Im try out a new combo this weekend.

15in of 25 pound
15in of 15 pound
30in of 10 pound
a small sz 10 barrel swivel
then 3ft of tippet.

 

[plombardo]

20 lbs 20 to 30 inches fluoro
16 lbs 20 to 30 inches fluoro
tippet ring
6 lbs fluoro

I will run straight 20 to a ring. You are nymphing it doesn't matter.

I also have been using a cutthroat furled 50" leader which is very nice.

 

[JackM]

It really does depend on what you are going to fish up 'ere. If mostly heavily weighted rigs with a bobber, the leader is nearly irrelevant. Many use a level leader from a loop. If you want to end in flourocarbon, the suggestion of using a ring or even small barrel swivel between mono and flouro is recommended.

When the water is low, small trout nymphs and lightly weighted eggs are good flies to use. In this situation, you may need a segmented leader to turn over your rig. In this case, any strong nymphing leader, even the storebought extruded leaders, is sufficient.

 

[flynoob]

These suggestions are helpful. I am assuming these leaders are tied using fly fishing tippet material. I was thinking using 4-8lb stren or berkley flurocarbon as opposed to the segaur or frog hair for the end tippet material that is attached to the fly and to the tippet ring. I've never used regular fishing line in place of tippet material and wanted to make sure it would still turn the fly over.
Thanks

 

[quillfly]

what matters is the diameter so for tippit .007 would be 4x i think and around 6 lb test where as for regular mono it would be 4lb test megathin. so you can use regular mono but it will have less strength per diameter.normally if your going to have a tapered leader i would say regular mono for the butt and mid section and tippet for the last portion . for steels though flat line or a flat line with a swivle and a piece of tippet are the way to go IMHO

 

[JohnnyUtah]

flynoob wrote:
These suggestions are helpful. I am assuming these leaders are tied using fly fishing tippet material. I was thinking using 4-8lb stren or berkley flurocarbon as opposed to the segaur or frog hair for the end tippet material that is attached to the fly and to the tippet ring. I've never used regular fishing line in place of tippet material and wanted to make sure it would still turn the fly over.
Thanks

It will absolutely turn over. Spinning floro is way smoother than fly tippet. It needs to be in order to cast a rig properly and far. The biggest difference is just the line to weight diameter.

I use Berkeley vanish for all my nymph fishing. Its great stuff and its way cheaper than fly tippet. The diameter is just one size larger.

 

[wgmiller]

Check out this thread. Jayl has some good info on practical leaders. They are easy to make and keep things simple.

 

[beeber2]

+1 to what plombardo said, though I use a swivel instead of the ring

 

[wbranch]

I typically use either a 7 1/2' 2X or 3X mono leader depending on the color of the water. At the end I clinch knot on a micro barrel swivel. I mean extremely small, one of those that are about 1/4" long total. Then to the opposite end of the swivel I add a 3' long piece of Seagaur flourocarbon Grand Max, 3X for the 2X leader and 4X for the 3X leader. I leave the tag end of the actual leader, tied to the barrel swivel, about three inches long to which I can add my split shot. I use a Thingamabobber indicator, 3/4" for colored water and 1/2" for clearer water. I high stick nymph with a 11' 3" switch rod, keeping pretty much all the line off of the water.

 

[plombardo]

wbranch,

what kind of switch rod is that?? do you like it??

 

[wbranch]

Plumbardo,

The rod in the picture is a Cabela's LST 11' 3" 3 piece. I bought it about four years ago and it works well for me. I had a coupon that gave $20 off a $150 purchase. It is a parabolic action and I like that for steelhead as the rod flexes well from the tip to about the start of the butt section - it protects light tippets as I sometimes go to 5X in low and clear water. It is also a great high stick rod and not so heavy that I can't use it one handed all day long. THe only drawback, for me, is that it will not fit into my Subaru wagon and I have to separate one of the sections and when I do that the flies almost always get tangled on my other rod or my buddy's rod.

That particular rod is no longer being made but they have a new, upgraded, model with a fancier fore and aft grip selling for around $220. Cabela's is now running a sale like the one I had - get $20 off purchases of $150 or more.

There is a 10' 6" #5 and a 11' #7 that are four piece rods but the 11' 3" #6 is still a three piece rod. For the Erie creeks a #6 is plenty of rod - believe me I can land any fish that is swimming in those streams but on the Salmon River, the Cattaragus, or some of the bigger Ohio rivers I'd go with the 11' #7.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-LSi-Spey-and-Switch-Rods/1169518.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dswitch%2Brods%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts&Ntt=switch+rods&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

 

[plombardo]

planning on a 11' 7 wt. looked at the redington cpx switch. thanks for the info

 

[wbranch]

That looks like a nice rod too in the pictures - try to get it in your hands to see what it feels like.

 

[streamer-stripper]

ha, come on - no need for a fabricated or tapered leader for Erie steel... Just throw on 7'-9' of your favorite flouro and u are set...

 

[pcray1231]

Agree with the simplicity, and much of what you got here is good advice.

Despite being generally anti-fluoro, steelhead is one time when I do use fluoro tippets. I think unlike regular trout, steelhead do get line shy. Also, in the lengthy fights with a toothy fish, where you can't horse them away from cover, I think the better abrasion resistance of fluoro is a big plus.

However, I'll add one thing. I do like to have some mono built into the leader for steelhead fishing. At least the butt section, maybe all but the tippet. There is one main reason. Stretch. Fluoro does not stretch at all, which leads to more break-offs, straightened hooks, and the like. Having some stretch built in helps protect your tippet and soften sudden surges and runs. It gives you some leeway to make mistakes too, especially at the beginning (when your trying to get it on the reel) and end (landing) of the fight. It's pretty much the same idea as having a soft rod tip.

So regular fishing - I'm mono all the way.
Steelhead - a mono leader with a fluoro tippet.

 

[plombardo]

i do use straight fluoro to a tippet ring then tippet. Chuck and Duck!!
I am looking to go switch for NY...

 

[tracker12]

I started tying leaders with amnesia and maxima like described in Naggey's book and they worked fine. But I have since just bought salmon/steelhead leaders from Feathercraft 6'. On the ring I tie on 4 ' of Seagar floro. I do not use the tipped matrial rather I buy the 100 yard spools in 4#, 6#. 8# and use accordingly. I do keep a few sppols of seagar tippet in 4x for those low and clear times especially to use on my dropper ply. I tried usiing straght mono (either Seagar or MaCoy but didn't doo well with it. I still need some turnover fo me to cast.

 

[stevehalupka]

posted it before but what the smoke...

When I was mup last week, I dug through my buddies trunk section of the jeep and found a myriad of mono butt sections from old tapered leaders... ran a few feet of 2x powerflex, then 2-3 ft. of flouroflex as pcray said to make my leader roughly 9 feet. I triple surgeons everything.

I am not a fan of building leaders with amnesia, however, all my friends use this techinque with great success.

Also, for steel, I am a big fan of tying an extra long tag end when I am using one fly, then attach shot to this. It helps the fly ride just above the bottom and when I get hung up, I only lose my shot most of the time.

 

[brookiesRfun]

I couldn't help notice that u use a switch rod. What size and do you like it for steelhead? How does it throw heavy streamer/intruder patterns?