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leaders for bahamas??

3K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  JR SPEY 
#1 ·
I am fishing at andros on my first bonefish trip in january and i am a little bit unsure regarding which tippet material to use in the hotter conditions than i am used to fishing in. Can you advise which flurocarbons would be appropriate. Cheers. :smile:
 
#2 ·
Scottsman,

This is simple, get a couple dosen 9' 15# tapered bonefish leaders (not Flurocarbon) then get one spool each of 8# and 12# flurocarbon leaders.

Use the flurocarbon as tippet material for the tapered leaders and your good to go.

For Andros for 15 days (the trips I use to take) I'd take 6 dozen #4 Tan Charlies and 2 dozen #2 Gotcha's.

I would also take 2 bottles of Glenfiddich/Glenlivit or your favorite single malt.

Enjoy, Mel
 
#3 ·
As far as which fluorocarbon material is best, I've found three that I really like for saltwater flats fishing. Rio Fluoroflex Plus and Seaguar Grand Max are outstanding materials with significantly better knot strength than many of the others. I also respool YoZuri Hybrid from reelfiller spools onto tippet spools and often use that too. It's a blend of fluorocarbon and copolymer mono and is really strong for its diameter. It doesn't absorb water and has outstanding knot strength. Any of those three should serve you well.
 
#5 · (Edited)
For backing I think 50lb spectra has become almost the standard. Airflow and Power Pro are two brands. Because it is so thin I would recommend using a bimini knot and then creating a surgeons loop to create two loops for connecting a loop to loop connection to the fly line. Another good leader material I have had good luck with is Airflow Sightfree G3. Really thin and knots well.

Sean
 
#6 ·
If you're going to put a bimini in GSP you have to do a lot more than twenty twists. I usually do at least 50 and I know guys who say they come closer to 100. It makes it a harder knot to finish, but it will hold. I'd also make the loop large enough that you can double it over before doing the surgeon's. That way you end up with two smaller loops. The GSP cuts so easily that one loop will often cut through the loop on the end of your flyline. The double loop seems to minimize that problem. It will still cut, though, so that loop on the end of your flyline should be replaced on a reasonably regular basis.
I've also used Airflo Sightfree G3. In fact, I almost included in my list in the post above. However, I still like the Rio and Seaguar products better. They just seem to be stronger for the diameter though my evidence is only anecdotal. In other words, I haven't done any actual tests to prove it.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I have been fishing there 25 years

some additional thougths...go as long with the leader as you can turn over comfortably. I fish 16-18 feet most of the time and fish an rplxi 6weight. Tippet size is not as critical as you might think, especially if you use flouro...I fish 12 lb almost exlclusively. This is the clearest water in the world. Heavy fly lines (anything heavier than 7 weight) can spook a lot of fish if you wading or casting in water less than 15 inches. If you are wading, position yourself so the first cast you make is as close to a head on position to the fish as you can get, and the try to get the fly with 3 feet of thefish dead in front, especially if water is l;eassthan a couple of feet deep......anything that is not in the sight cone of 45 degrees off the nose of the fish to the front...usually doomed. it is a pure casting drill...yo make he right cast to put the fly in the right palce...they will eat it about everytime.
 
#8 ·
Andros is a big island and fishing conditions vary. The water on the West Side, for instance, is not all that clear and there are a lot of ten pound plus bonefish there. Combine that with wind that is often prevalent and a six or seven weight with an eighteen foot leader becomes hopeless. In fact, on the West Side I rarely go less than a nine weight. Although I'll often fish a leader that's 13-14' long, if the wind starts to crank I'll cut it back to more like 10-11'. I agree that tippets under twelve pounds are rarely necessary. There is some water at Middle Bight, around Mangrove Key, that is air clear and the fish that visit that area are Atlantic Ocean fish with PhD's. Moving down to as light a line and as long a leader as one can handle makes sense there. I love fishing for bones with a six or seven weight, it's just that it often isn't terribly practical. I'm off to Casa Blanca tomorrow morning. I'll be interested in where this thread goes during the next ten days or so. Meanwhile, I'll be looking for Mr. Permit.
 
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