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[Pacific Angler]

Steelhead Pro Tip of the week:

SPEY AND SINGLE HAND LEADERS

The last few Pro Tips have been about gear fishing, but don’t worry we haven’t forgotten about the fly fisherman. With the conditions improving and more fish hitting the river we thought we would talk a little about leaders for swinging flies for steelhead. Over the years we have seen many beginners or even intermediate anglers come in and say “I finally hooked a steelhead on the fly but it shacked me off!” We also see many anglers coming in to buy 10lb or 8lb fly tippet to swing with there 8wt single hand rods and Spey rods. DON’T FISH LIGHT TIPPET, you won’t hook more fish and the ones you do might break you off. Read more to find out why…

If you talk to any guide from the Olympic Peninsula to the Skeena you will find that most agree the kind of steelhead you are trying to target with the swung fly are not leader shy. These are fish that are aggressive and are chasing down a fly that is swung across and in front of them. They truly don’t get much of a chance to view your tippet as they are focused on the fly as it swings in front of them. Their primary view is generally the back portion or the butt of the fly as it swings through the holding water in front of the steelehead. This is completely different from nymphing or float fishing where the fish will have time to look at your presentation as you are drifting your egg pattern or gooey bob towards them and along side them at the natural pace of the water.

So what should you use? You will find that most veteran anglers and guides use Maxima Ultragreen or Rio Max leader material in 15lb test. These tippet or leader materials are specifically designed for maximum abrasion resistance and knot strength. This makes them perfect for river fishing where abrasion resistance is key, not suppleness or small diameters that anglers are concerned about when lake fishing. Remember your tippet is going to be rubbing rocks and snags from time to time and your tippet needs to withstand this and still be strong enough for the big grab when that steelhead decides to commit to that swung fly. By fishing 15lb Maxima or Rio Max, you will have excellent knot strength, abrasion resistance, and you will have the power to set the hook hard and play the fish aggressively so you can not only land the fish, but land it in a reasonable amount of time.

We are also starting to see more anglers running fluorocarbon but not in the pound tests you might expect. We tested running fluorocarbon in the 12-15lb range and it often did not stand up to the abuse of casting all day bouncing off rocks and running through snags. But, did you know that 20lb fluorocarbon is only .001 inches in diameter thicker than 12lb Maxima? Fluorocarbon has excellent abrasion resistance and is amazingly thin for its strength. For this reason more and more anglers are using fluorocarbon instead of monofilament when it comes to tippet or leader material. It also sinks much faster than mono and the fact that is is virtually invisible in the water doesn’t hurt either. The fish might not notice so much in the scenarios we are talking about, but if it gives you more confidence, then that is reason enough to fish it. So don’t be afraid to try 20lb fluorocarbon, such as Seaguar Blue Label. It is thin, strong, extremely abrasion resistance, and invisible when wet. What more could you ask for?

In terms of leader length from your sink tip, we recommend a 2 to 4 foot piece of leader. Most anglers will put a loop knot (figure eight or perfection loop) in one end of their tippet and attach it to the loop on their sink tip. Some guides use a bimini twist loop knot instead of a figure eight or perfection loop, as the bimini knot acts as a shock absorber. Unless you are targeting extremely big fish, like chinook, you won’t need to use this knot. If your sink tip does not have a loop on the end, you can attach a braided loop, you can double over the sink tip and nail knot it with 10lb Maxima and then cover it with UV Knot Sense, or you can nail knot on a one foot section of 25lb Maxima and put a loop knot in the end of that.

Good luck out there and don’t worry if you feel as though you are fishing a telephone cable for tippet. The fish will still smash your fly and you just might land it!

If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact our friendly staff at 604-872-2204 or better yet, drop by Pacific Angler at 78 East Broadway. www.pacificangler.ca