I'm used to fishing with line and (what I always call) leader - about a 12ft length of Maxima Ultragreen rated about 5lbs.

I've been looking to take my fly fishing up a notch, and do things properly, but have run into general confusion about what is what and how I should do it.

I'm fishing on an #8 line, and intend taking a second rod for river - about a #6. Now, I also got some profil tapered leader, rated 6lb, and both a sinking and floating Airflow polyleader, rated for tippet between 2lb and 12lb.

I assume I attach this to the fly line, and then the tapered leader. But then I add tippet as well? I'm assuming I have to add a tippet which is the same or less than the leader - but what do I choose? I have some Truefly sub subsurface line - but is that poly - flouro, and what is the difference between the two? I think I read somewhere that flouro was more difficult to tie (or more apt for knots not to work)?

Did I also read that one is better than the other - poly or flouro - at being invisible in the water. Does one sink without degreasing?

I've read bits here and bits there, but the trouble is, I don't know which is right.

Thanks

Phil

Hi Phil.
I think that this is an overly complicated area, which confuses me too.
I am only in my second year at flyfishing, and for the first year all I used was a straight through leader of Maxima ultragreen from fly line to fly.
I have recently started having a bash at rivers, and the setup I use for my 4# rod is flyline connected to a furled leader, mine are from Mr Trout on here, and at the end of the furled leader a short 3-4 feet length of Stroft co-polymer around 4lb BS.
I did try some tapered monofilament leaders, they were about 10' long I think. I connected the thick end to the end of the flyline, and at the other end a short length of either mono, or flourocarbon, then the fly on the end of that.
Maybe it's just me, but I couldn't get on with the tapered mono leaders, I was getting a lot of tangles etc. (Although probably due to my casting). With the furled leader, I get really good turnover, nice presentation, and no tangles.
I also use furled leaders when fishing stillwaters too. Only because of the lack of tangles. On stillwaters I use around 6-8' of stroft between furled leader and fly.
I know there are plenty of people on here who say you must use flouro, or you must use mono, etc etc, the best thing is to try them yourself and see what you prefer, and see what works best for you and catches the most fish !!
I use Stroft because it is very thin, and if I am fishing dry flies, I use red Mucilin on the furled leader, so it floats, and Orvis mud on the Stroft, so it sinks.
Works for me, but then I am far from an expert.
Hope this helps.

__________________
"Calling Fly Fishing a hobby is like calling Brain Surgery a job."

Keep it SIMPLE......

There is no "BEST". Each option has pros and cons, and you will see lots of varying opinions on here and by the bankside depending on everyone's personal experiences and the type of fishing they do. There are a few goolden rules though...

Cheap line is cheap line, it doesn't matter whether it's mono or fluoro or whatever. You spend a lot on fishing tickets, fishing gear, petrol to get to the venue, etc. Choosing a cheap leader line is just pointless. Get the best, whichever type you choose to go for. Beware, cheap/rubbish fluoro is not that cheap, but it is rubbish, just like cheap mono. Some anti-fluoro views have been formed from experience of rubbish fluoro (that still costs a lot).

Fluorocarbon is more expensive than mono, like for like (i.e. good quality fluoro vs. good quality mono). Fluoro's main benefits are it isn't seen by the fish so easily (despite it being seen by you just as easily) and it sinks more easily / quicker. I have tested the visibility claim quite thoroughly (i.e. not just looking at it through a glass jar, which completely defeats the test). Fish bump into it before being startled. In clear water that could be a valuable benefit. When you don't want the leader to be floating on the surface it helps there too, but you can also get mono to sink too by rubbing Fuller's Earth on it (or equivalent). If you are not fishing in such clear water, the visibility benefit of fluoro is reduced (in my opinion), although even "murky" water is still quite clear at short distances.

I use Riverge fluoro for everything, and I catch a lot of fish. I caught a lot of fish too with mono but years of fishing with boat colleagues has persuaded me to switch. It may have been coincidence that I became better than my mates at catching at the same time I switched to fluoro, or the fluoro helped - we will never know. But the key thing is that I'm happy and I get on with my fishing.

Something I did learn when switching to fluoro is that it hates wind knots more than mono. If you tend to get a lot of wind knots I would suggest sticking with a good mono until you have sorted your casting out to the point that wind knots are rare.

Fluoro is more fussy about knots - quality of tying them and the types being used. It's worth wasting a couple of metres of the stuff to test this out for yourself with the knots you use, in the way that you tie them (wet of course) - and give them some shock treatment. On doing this I have settled on knots that I have utmost confidence in, and I can't remember the last knot failure. That confidence is worth a hell of a lot more than 2 metres of wasted fluoro!

I just tie a thick bit of mono (15 - 18lb) to the end of my fly line (needle knot) and then 4-turn water knot a straight piece of leader to that. Simple. Some of my mates use loops, some braided bits, some get the glue out, and so on. I've just gone with the simplest way to get the leader turned over and fishing, with only one easy knot to tie if I change the leader. I don't believe I have any presentation delicacy issues, so this works for me. Others will have a system that works for them, which is great. When you get a few views in about this, try them out and see what is simplest for you, so you can forget about it and focus on the fishing.

Just imagine this scenario - you are fishing into dusk, only a few moments left to fish. The lake is bubbling with activity ... a big fish rises regularly near you. A quick cast to it .. oh ****** the leader's tangled in a great big mess. You need to put a fresh leader on quickly in the gloom. The fish is still there ... it's a monster and it's feeding avidly. Choose a system that will get you catching that fish as quickly as possible.

Tippit, leader, poly, flouro, my head hurts

Disprin, anadin, paracetomol, Ibuprofin, Nuprin, opiods, morphine. I know the list is endless. Guess it depends on what kind of headache?

I fear your head will hurt even more when you've seen all the opinions on here. I'd stick to using Maxima Ultragreen or Clear for the time being. Experiment and see what suits you best, and, keep it simple.

__________________
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How poor a thing, sometimes I find,
Will captivate a greedy mind - Isaac Walton.

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*****©(

Suddenly the pain is relieving.

I agree in keeping it simple
stick with your maxima
3lb for the river,a clear floating polyleader may help turnover
and a tapered maxima (hand built ) for the lochs you can let your casting ability determine the lentgh, again a polyleader may help turnover. The diameter of maxima on the tapered leader will be determined by the venue.

everyone will have different ideas but the one that is best is the one that works for you!

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BROWN TROUT:THE RED SPOTS HAND PAINTED BY GOD

I am not a fan of Maxima Clear,Had some unexpected breaks with it,will not give it another chance.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

I know how you feel -


but then again the answer is quite literally

Thanks for that. So, I guess I'm right in assuming that Maxima Ultragreen is poly rather than flouro. Is the truefly poly, or is it flouro. I had a quick google, and it comes up as mono. Now my head's hurting again.