He proceeded to grab my leader and put on 2 large splitshot (which he had stored in his mouth) and said give that a try. I tie a surgeons loop on the butt for a loop to loop knot to the fly line and the lines I put together with a surgeons knot. A 3wt line should have a butt section of .018-.020; a 4wt .019-.021; a 5wt .020-.022; a 6wt .021-.023; a 7wt .022-.024; a 8wt. Thanks for the post and the formulas. Some fly lines have a loop on them. I tie the butt section to a quality barrel swivel and leave a long, tag end which serves as a dropper to attach various pieces of split shot.

Want to catch steelhead in the Lake Erie tributaries and elsewhere in the Great Lakes? This technique gets your fly down quickly and doesn’t require traditional fly casting skills, making for a flat learning curve. Regardless if you are using interchangeable tip or a fixed length of sinking line, you need a leader.

30 lb. When the float moves, get tight – it might be a fish.

Landing "The Big One"… PRICELESS!

If the tippet is breaking too easily then try moistening the knots more as you pull them tight. 10 lb.

The first is a general one for trout.

makes a great companion book to his popular Steelhead Guide Book!

They don’t work well on a lighter line or a heavier line. If your leader is to be tied to a 2 weight or less, you may want to start out with a longer 20 pound butt section instead of using 25 pound. Center Pin reels have become popular over the past decade mostly because of their effectiveness at presenting long, drag-free drifts. The Steelhead leader formula is a Kauffman formula out of a Scott Richmond book on fishing the Deschutes river.

Rio tippet is labeled with name and “X” rating. For example, some leaders call for the leader to start with a .021 butt section but Maxima Clear isn’t available in .021. 4' 01X 12" 12" 24" 5' 01X 15" 15" 30" 6' 01X 24" 18" 30" 10' 02X 38" 20" 14" 12' 12' 24" 10' 01X 40" 32" 8" 8" 8" 24" 10' 1X 40" 32" 6" 6" 6" 6" 24" 12' 02X 48" 22" 16" 15" 14" 29" Please go to, (Note: refer to John Nagy’s Steelhead Guide book for custom steelhead leader formulas.

8 lb. If the fly isn’t turning over then try reducing the tippet length and/or tippet size. John Nagy's 4th Edition of his popular Steelhead Guide Book is available here in both soft and hard cover print editions (signed by John Nagy, including a fly tied by the author). But, as with fly tying, there’s a good bit of satisfaction and knowledge to be gained by building your own. If you are tying 2 different brands of materials together (including fluorocarbon) use a triple surgeons knot for extra slip protection. More detailed information on leaders for Great Lakes steelhead can be found in John Nagy's book "Steelhead Guide, Fly Fishing Techniques and Strategies for Lake Erie Steelhead". A 12- or 13-foot spey rod is sufficient in most cases for Skagit or Scandi spey lines. Since 1856. Want to send a question to Tom for the podcast? check out the.

The Steelhead Guide Book is also available in an eBook version here. In this day of upscale equipment and state of the art fly rods, vests, etc. It is a 10ft leader from the butt to the end of the tippet. This is especially important for fluorocarbon!! It is limp and strong.

The fourth leader is a steelhead leader which is good at turning over big flies and in windy conditions.

Practice tying knots at home so you can tie a good, quick knot on the river.

Hand tied leaders are also easier to repair and add new tippet. For tools, you’ll need a basic tape measure or yardstick to measure the leader materials and a pair of nippers or scissors to cut the line.. 2.

This “string” of split shot makes casting easier and helps keep the line directly vertical between the flies and the float making for a better presentation and strike detection.

Fly anglers have adjusted their tackle and are doing something similar to the Center Pin approach.

The tippet is the section that presents the fly to the fish.

Trip Preparation is the Key for Success on the "Steelhead Alley" Tributary Streams, Tube Flies for Great Lakes Steelhead (Part I), Tube Flies for Great Lakes Steelhead (Part II), Step-by-Step Tying Instructions for Blue and White Temple Dog Tube Fly, The Tube Fly Advantage (Fly Fish America Magazine), Pro Flytyer™ (Pro Sportfisher) Introduces a New Tube Fly System, Upcoming and published magazine articles I, Upcoming and published magazine articles II, More Info and Reviews of John Nagy's Custom Made "Noodle" Fly Rod, John Nagy Custom Lake Erie Steelhead Flies, John Nagy Custom "Hot Butt" Leader and Indy Kit, The New Solitude Fly Reel....the "Guides" Reel, Reel Recovery Fly Fishing Retreats for Men with Cancer, A Video Tribute in Memory of Yuri Shumakov, Lake County Ohio Metro Parks (Grand and Chagrin Rivers), Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Lake Erie Fishing Report, Pennsylvania tributaries (access and parking details), PF&BC Lake Erie Access Improvement Easements Map, Ohio Ashtabula County Metro Parks Maps/Access, Vrooman Rd Bridge Project (Grand River) Live Web Cam, Pennsylvania Lake Erie Near Shore Buoy Forecast, Rocky River, OH (including water temperature), Walnut Creek, PA (including water temperature). For sub-surface swinging presentations: Rio’s VersiLeaders, Airflo’s Trout and Salmon Polyleaders.). On the other end of the swivel, I tie a leader/tippet approximately 18 inches long to the first fly and 12 inches to the second.

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My wife took a video of me casting and the 2 wt leader turned over well from what I could see. When used with an indicator, this method offers advantages such as detecting light takes and suspending flies over obstacles on the river bottom.

You can also tie a loop in the end of the piece of butt section that is attached to the fly line. Most leaders you buy in the store only match a 5 or 6 weight line. thanks, I found this article well written and very helpful.

By casting longer sections of line, unlike chuck n’ duck, you don’t need to strip in as much line before recasting. When I’m fishing streamers for trout, I fish two kinds of lines: either an integrated full-sink line or a floater. Because flow and depth tend to be greater on the larger rivers, the need for extra weight is also a concern.

In this day of upscale equipment and state of the art fly rods, vests, etc. Also, larger differences can cause a hinging effect when you cast. I’ve had fly shops put on a butt section that is too wimpy for my 8wt line and put on a butt section that is way too big on my 3wt line. %%EOF

Thanks much I find myself getting a little upset. Watch for wind knots in your leader.

There are 2 popular options for attaching the leader to the fly line. Orvis Super Strong is also good. I’m sure they aren’t as efficient as a straight knot, but they are convenient when you want to change to a new leader. surg.