Headed there in less than two weeks for 3 days of fishing. The fly guides are saying that they fish straight 30lb or 40 lb leaders. No class tippet. Is this typical?
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For big reds this time of year, yes. I always fished a 60# butt section to 25# Fluro for the last 4-6ft and a 10-12Wt. Its so hot you will kill them if you have to fight for 20min on an 8wt.
Need to be able to hook them, (i prefer to bend my barbs down to make hook removal easy). Get them to the boat and on their way in just a few minutes. Avoid mouth grabs on the big ones because it can dislocate their jaw and ultimately kill them. I usually treat them like a Tarpon and don’t even get them out of the water. Just pull them along side for a photo and release. This is why the barb removal is key…
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Straight 30lb. 9 or 10wt.
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I fish class tippit, 40, 30, 16lb
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Yeah its not only typical its what most everybody does. If you aren’t fishing for a record then land em quick and get them on their way. Plus at this time of year you might run into jacks. Leave the 8wts at home.
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Thanks everyone. Stoked for this trip.
I’ve been told to bring 9-11wts. Mono or fluorocarbon leaders?
Doesn’t really matter between mono and fluro. I mostly use mono butt and fluoro tippets.
I use my 9 with 16lb for reds. Straight high pound test just isn’t for me. Some guides may prefer it, but if the angler knows how to fight a fish, 16 is more than enough.
I’ve fished with @Lawndart many times over the years and we never use more than 16lb for LA bull reds. He can attest I can get them to boat quick and they swim off strong.
I’d rig the 11 weight for jacks, not for reds. The 9 will be much better at close in shots and easier to cast all day.
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Be like @Lawndart
Homeboy leaders are lame.
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This time of year you have a strong likelihood of running into some large jacks while out looking for reds. Maybe that’s why the guide made that suggestion? In the summer on my 10wt, I usually do 40lb to 30lb to 20lb with a section of 40 bite tippet. Sharks are becoming more and more of an issue inshore, so having a section of leader that can break if necessary is important to some anglers.
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8lb test and beat up flies are my choice for jacks. It saves a lot of time if you know what I mean…. 
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If you fish around oysters you will have a good chance of getting rubbed off on even 16#. And if you are going to use a bite tippet then its just an extra connection that IMO serves no purpose. If you are fishing for a record sure but other than that what’s the point? These fish aren’t really leader shy especially in the summer when the water is dirty and they are chasing bait.
I’d rather be overgunned and prepared for a monster (or heaven forbid a jack…lol).
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The point is in fair chase fly fishing.
Sometimes the fish gets the better of you because you made a mistake: letting him run into an oyster bar and you don’t keep your rod high. Or letting it run into mangroves and pulling the hook or breaking tippet. Or reel wrapping a fish as it’s running away.
Mistakes are how you learn to be a better angler. If you change your appropriate tackle instead of making yourself become a better angler then I’d ask what’s the point? If you let the fish run your tippet across an oyster bar you didn’t deserve to catch it.
With that being said it’s a free country and as long as your having fun and doing it within the written regulations then by all means. I’m just a bum typing stuff on the internet like the rest of us.
Thanks for coming to my ted talk.
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We’re all fish bums Brandon!
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It’s ok for the fish to win sometimes.
As Steve Huff said “you can play tennis without a net, but what fun would that be? Fly fishing with anything over 16lb is like using rope.”
I admit I don’t follow that all the time. I use 20lb for tarpon, and have used larger depending on the situation. But 16lb is perfectly fine for reds, even bulls.
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Well, when guides suggest straight anything on the end of a fly rod, it tells me they don’t care about a lot of things. Casting a fly in adverse conditions requires a taper, now if you are using the fly line itself as your taper and going “ straight 40 or 30, the question is how long? Anything longer than 4-5’ will have detrimental effects to accuracy and performance under windy conditions.
A good fly leader for large redfish, 4’ 40 lb, 3’ 30 lb, then 2’ of 16 or 20 lb bite.
I’ll be honest, it’s disappointing hearing guides talking about “straight leaders”, you can’t break the laws of physics you can only prove them, an average to below average caster will have a hard time adjusting to a taperless leader…
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I normally avoid posting on these topics because there’s a million different ways of doing things. In most instances the end result is the same. I follow the same formula, sorta speak as Loog, the only difference is my 15# tippet has a perfection loop on the bite tippet end. This is so I can use the same leader with 16-26” of 15-40# bite tippet. If I can put 10+#s of pressure on the leader via my scale then I’m happy. Turning over a fly is more to do with the caster than the leader. IMHO.
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I tie what I call “Turnover” leaders, 60# butt, a short intermediate section of 40#, then a class of 15 or 20#. They turn our big weighted redfish flies well. I tie my redfish leaders with Ande Mono because I know and trust my knots in it, I’ve tested my knots to the Nth degree with the stuff, and can tie up the system I use just about blind folded with mittens on. If I’m going to be fishing big fish around oysters I’ll tie on a short section of 30# bite. I try to tie my leaders IGFA compliant, not because I will ever kill a fish for a record (I won’t) but just because they are the closest thing we have to rules of the game and I like to challenge myself, plus sharks. Also If you have any bend in your rod at all, you can’t pull 15 pounds of pressure with a 9 weight, I’ve gotten 16# of pull with a 12wt but it hurt. B.T.W. my average fight time on an over 30# redfish with an 8 or 9 weight is under 8 minutes.
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This
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Thanks for all the replies. I am going to bring my own leaders with 16#. If the guides are butt hurt about it, tuff. I’m paying for the trip, I’ll use what I want.
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