# Polyleaders



## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

I think here is a topic I don't readily see on here and would like to hear some of your insight. Since I have begun fly fishing about four years ago, I have predominantly been strictly a dead drift fisherman. This steelhead season I want to learn how to get more versatile and learn how to swing a fly correctly.

From everything I have read about poly leaders , it's sounds like the right way to begin with swinging flies on the rivers I'll be mainly fishing this fall and winter. I typically fish the rocky river with a decent amount of trips to the grand depending on flow. I'll also take a weekend trip once a year in November to the cattarougus and a spring trip in mid march to the Pere Marquette.

After watching dvds, YouTube videos and reading books on this, what leaders would I got with for the rivers and how do I know how many times to mend the line to get a correct depth a speed? I'm assuming an intermediate poly leader is good for the rocky and a fast for the grand and Catt. It'll probably not be worth my time for trying the pere marquette with that learning curve for just a weekend.

Thanks!


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## trekker (Feb 18, 2013)

If you are fishing a 2 hander, speypages is an endless source of info. The guys on that site are fanatics about all things swung. A quick search for poly leaders will bring up 100's of threads. I like t-14 for the Grand. If you are wanting to swing flies on the Ohio tribs, id grab an 8 wt switch, a 400 gr skagit short and some t14.


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## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

Thanks for the reply. Does that mean I would probably be wasting my time then trying to use my 8wt fly rod with a weight forward line and A polyleader? 

Btw. Love your skiff building thread, I have been following it all summer.


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## trekker (Feb 18, 2013)

big ugly stick said:


> Thanks for the reply. Does that mean I would probably be wasting my time then trying to use my 8wt fly rod with a weight forward line and A polyleader?
> 
> Btw. Love your skiff building thread, I have been following it all summer.


Thanks. I dont think You would be wasting your time at all. Just get polys with different sink rates, or use a floater with a weighted fly.


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## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

Cool. Thanks


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

big ugly stick said:


> Thanks for the reply. Does that mean I would probably be wasting my time then trying to use my 8wt fly rod with a weight forward line and A polyleader?


All I use in Ohio waters for steelhead is a 7 or 8 wt floating line with a Rio 109gr 7gm 15ft 8wt type 3 sink tip. (I have cut off 6' of it to have one 9' and one 6'. Never use the 6') I use it on a 7 wt line too. A westcoast guide I fished with convinced me I don't have to dredge the bottom to get them interested on a swing. Learn to let it sink down, and swim across same speed or slower than the current. I know most of the time I can get it down 3 feet and that's about all you need except some areas of Grand. Now I have a full sinking type 6 I use for lake erie, saltwater, and Pere Marquette or other MI waters I hope to get to. I have that on my other spool to switch when I need to. You won't have to switch sink rates very often in Ohio waters. Most of them the water speed is slowed down under the surface. If you need more depth, I use a heavier fly or add a shot or two. I bet I only use the sinktip when swinging about 40% of the time. Most times the leader and a shot or heavy fly is enough. Don't overthink the sinking leader, keep it simple and adjust your angle in the current to get it down. The slower flow of our waters, makes fishing depth less complicated.
Rickerd


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## FlyRodMakr (Oct 30, 2010)

Man! For what they charge for a leader these days: you can by a lot of leader material and tie your own. PM me . ill give you my formula.It dosent have to be a college science project.


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## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

Sending a pm now. I would greatly appreciate your formula


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

My leaders are pretty simple. I start with a 12-15 inch long piece of Amnesia 25# green tied with a nail knot to my fly line and a loop at the end. The Amnesia is a very stretchy piece of mono. I think Jerry Darkes got me using this 15 years ago or so. That 15" section of Amnesia will stretch 2 inches or more in warm weather, a bit less in the cold.

Then I use a storebought leader from loop down to 10# and cut them to be 5 feet long or so. Then a Surgeon knot 3' long of 3X tippet. This is my first fly in cloudy water. In cleaner water I then surgeon knot a 2-3 feet section of 4X tippet. after all the clipping I try to keep a leader 7 ft minimum to 11 feet maximum in clear water.
Been using this system for years on steelhead and salmon. With the Salmon I use a 15# leader and step all others up in strength by 1.
Rickerd


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## big ugly stick (Nov 29, 2010)

That's a floating leader though correct? Is their a good cheap sinking leader formula?


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

Yes that's my floating leader.
My sinking leader is as follows;
loop the sinking head to the amnesia, nail knot 4 foot section of 10# tippet. Then tie on the fly. I work it down until there is 2 feet left, then tie on another 10# tippet. I keep the sinking leaders short from the head to fly is between 24 and 48 inches. I rarely use a dropper with the sinking head but maybe I need to try.
Rickerd


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