Sorry I haven't been writing this week. I'm having one of those work weeks that we all have and the only cure is to go fishing.
Should you tie your own leader or by a tapered leader? This is a tough question, but I'll tell you what happened to me.
Last trip I decided to tie my own leaders because I like the challenge of tying my own and frankly, I think they cast a little better. I tied my own and tapered down with two pieces of butt section and about three pieces of mid section with a two to three foot tippet. The first cast I made to a bonefish I hooked him only to have my leader break in the midsection.
Not good for your confidence
Fortunately, I also brought along three tapered leaders and used these and attached a two foot fluorocarbon tippet using a triple surgeons knot. I'm going to take this approach for the upcoming trip.
I still think that tying your own leaders gives you a better cast, and it will certainly help you improve your casts, but I'm just spooked with my knot tying ability so for me, its better to go with what you're confident with.
Yo,
ReplyDeleteJust found this site... don't know how I could have missed a site dedicated to bonefishing, but hey, at least it provided a nice surprise upon visiting www.bonefishonthebrain.com
Anyways, I agree that tying your own leaders is a good way to go. They generally turn over better and you learn how to adjust them for different conditions -- long butt sections for the wind vs. long tippets for calm days, etc. However, knot confidence is a big deal here. I suggest joining several pieces of different size mono (say, 20-12 pound) w/ different knots (say, Blood, Surgeons, and Ligature) and then testing each knot with a scale of some sort. (This is actually about the only use I can think of for a boga-grip.) Pull until they break and record each break. Do this at least 3 times for each knot and average the numbers to give you a percentage to work with. This will not only teach you which knots work well, but which work well for you. I recommend either the Blood Knot (w/ 7 turns for 8-20#, 5 turns for heavier). That's an easy knot and fairly strong. For trophy fish I recommend the Ligature Knot, which is a bitch to tie but test pretty much 100%. In fact, I've never had one break at the knot itself. If you use the Surgeons, you've got to pull all ends VERY tight so the knot doesn't slip and break.
Tight lines!
Windknot,
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading. Your blog is fantastic and I'm psyched your reading. Good advice here and I'll give your suggestions a try.