Starting again ...

[williamnbenoit]

Good morning …

I fly fished with my Father my whole life until he passed away … I have not been fishing for a long time after his passing …

My Dad did everything for me when we were fishing … it was awesome … but the problem is that I want to get back to fishing and I do not know or understand some things that he did for me …

I am only interested in fly fishing for trout in smaller streams that are similar to those found in Pennsylvania …

I have a large and very nice collection of rods, flies, etc … A large amount of these items are from Orvis/Cortland/Olympic/etc …

I have (2) spools for each reel (one wet/sinking and one dry/floating) …. I remember my favorite was the 4WT rod … The reel/spools for this rod are Orvis Presentation EXR II …

Currently, the dry/floating line has a (loop to loop) leader attached … the leader is 9 ft … I have many 4X, 5X, and 6X leaders … How do you know which to use ?? …

The wet/sinking line is what I have the most questions about …

Where the (colored) line ends … there is a leader that has a loop on it - it is about 12 inches long … attached to this loop is the leader - about 9 ft long …

What I have read is that the wet/sinking leader should be about (3-5) feet long … Which is correct ?? … having the 9 ft leader or the (3-5) ft leader ?? …

If a (3-5) foot leader is needed … What needs to be purchased ?? … Individual (3-5) foot leaders or a bulk spool of leader line to cut myself ?? …

I did enjoy fishing wooly buggers as my wet/sinking setup …


Thanks for the replies ...

 

[tjsingle]

Welcome! That's awesome that you are getting back into it. I am going to answer your questions in BLUE:

Currently, the dry/floating line has a (loop to loop) leader attached … the leader is 9 ft … I have many 4X, 5X, and 6X leaders … How do you know which to use ?? … Generally speaking for leader size, you'll take the size of hook and divide by 3. For example, a size 16 dry fly, a 5X leader would be ideal. More delicate presentations for clear water can warrant smaller size leaders.

The wet/sinking line is what I have the most questions about …

Where the (colored) line ends … there is a leader that has a loop on it - it is about 12 inches long … attached to this loop is the leader - about 9 ft long …

What I have read is that the wet/sinking leader should be about (3-5) feet long … Which is correct ?? … having the 9 ft leader or the (3-5) ft leader ?? … A leader for a streamer type setup generally speaking is ideally 4-6' in my experience. You can use longer leaders, but the longer the leader you will be making a larger "U" shape in the leader because typically a sinking line will sink quicker than the fly itself.

If a (3-5) foot leader is needed … What needs to be purchased ?? … Individual (3-5) foot leaders or a bulk spool of leader line to cut myself ?? … I usually use older dry fly leaders as my streamer leaders, to get double the usage out of it. If a 5X leader for example gets too short, I usually will cut it down and use the thicker section on a streamer set up. You can definitely cut down leaders to the size you want. Alternatively you can buy 7.5' leaders.

This is a good video to watch: https://news.orvis.com/fly-fishing/video-pro-tips-understanding-fly-fishing-leaders

From Scientific Anglers, basic knot set ups (I found SA's information helpful when I got started, plus I like the diagram I attached below): https://scientificanglers.com/fly-fishing-knot-tying-basics/

In all cases, I add tippet to my leader to extend the life of the leader. Most dry fly setups I use are around 10-11' in total length for larger streams.

Since you expressed interested in smaller streams, I would recommend picking up some 7.5' leaders. I typically fish a 9' 5WT rod with a 7.5' leader and add tippet as needed for dry flies, nymphs and the occasional streamer.

Hopefully my reply makes sense, lots of guys on the forum are super helpful and I'm sure will chime in.

Tom

 

[williamnbenoit]

Welcome! That's awesome that you are getting back into it. I am going to answer your questions in BLUE:



This is a good video to watch: https://news.orvis.com/fly-fishing/video-pro-tips-understanding-fly-fishing-leaders

From Scientific Anglers, basic knot set ups (I found SA's information helpful when I got started, plus I like the diagram I attached below): https://scientificanglers.com/fly-fishing-knot-tying-basics/


View attachment 1641242898

In all cases, I add tippet to my leader to extend the life of the leader. Most dry fly setups I use are around 10-11' in total length for larger streams.

Since you expressed interested in smaller streams, I would recommend picking up some 7.5' leaders. I typically fish a 9' 5WT rod with a 7.5' leader and add tippet as needed for dry flies, nymphs and the occasional streamer.

Hopefully my reply makes sense, lots of guys on the forum are super helpful and I'm sure will chime in.

Tom

Thank you !! ... Great info ...