font-family: 'Roboto'; This … i use the jayL recipe but i do like to add a swivel i use, 3 ft of 25lb maxima with perfection loop to fly line. This may not cause your float to sink, but it will make it pop up and float unnaturally high. thanks guys, I got naggys formula and im waiting to test it out this weekend. He was rigged with a Scandi line with a tapered leader and one of my favorite Deschutes patterns to be fished wet, just under the surface. See the sizing below. I save the thick part of an older mono leader(most often maxama) I have used during the summer add about 4' of 0 x mono then @ 6' of 3 x floro. Despite how long of a leader you normally use for steelhead, remember you are fishing these in higher, less clear water so spooking the fish with a short leader shouldn’t be an issue. It makes sense to use the best leader brand possible since the leader is often the weakest link in your setup. I hope to have a video of how to tie this coming soon. Be careful of the pound ratings since many brands are not accurate. Also, the simple skills you pick up by making your own leaders will help you repair your old leaders in order to get more usage out of them. as pcray1231 states the mono is the shock absorber also use a softer tip rod. Running 2 baits is a great way to increase your chances, just make sure that 2 baits is legal in your area or on the river you want to fish. You're chucking 2 weighted flies with a few split shot on them. From tip to Butt, I would like the leader to be all flouro. A slinky sinker is attached just above the 18-inch or so leader to pull the line to the bottom, and the styrofoam lifts the yarn and hook up off the bottom. Make sure you check out the page on the Best Steelhead Floats to be sure that you use the right float for your leader and for the situation. I attach my main split on the heavier tag I mentioned above but if you need a little extra shot put one or two small shot about 8 to 12" above your fly to dial it in. My shot-line is always made out of a good fluorocarbon line and I rarely ever break it or lose it so it lasts a long time. So an angler that gets good results with 8 pound Frogg Hair leader that switches to 8 pound Drennan won’t catch any fish because it would be too thick, so be careful about you leader sizing. When you have your leaders tied up, first you want to slide down a small bead to act as a bumper against the eye of the hook and the foam and then thread the other end of the leader through your sewing needle. Leaders must be used for Centerpin fishing and float fishing with spinning reels if you want to catch more steelhead. Dirty water, or fast and big water, or … I have guided many clients that have fished for years with a steelhead leader that was too thick and they struggled to catch many fish. Because you want the current pulling the rig along, bobbers with a wide profile to catch more current are best for this method. Below the swivel (the one closest to the bait) where I tie on my bottom leader section, I will use a slightly stronger knot than the knot at my bait. With this setup my high-viz mainline is always 4 feet from the fish and is out of their line of vision or their line of concern, which means it shouldn’t spook them. Line and leader choices are important for Winter Steelhead float fishing. This was all the guides were using. Seaguars Brand claims their 6lb is 0.20mm / .008 inch diameter size. The two best steelhead books to get you started:A Passion for Steelhead by Dec Hogan, and Steelhead Fly Fishing by Trey Combs. Check out the About Us page in the menu for more about me and our contributors. My rule is closer in dirtier water and farther apart in clear water. I’ve found it to be highly abrasion resistant, and sometimes stronger than the higher-rated mono mainline I use. If you hook a fish, mark the spot because it will hold fish again and again, year after year. This is the best steelhead leader size and what I use –, Best all-around size for a steelhead leader on most medium sized rivers of up to 50 feet wide is 0.20mm or .008in. I’m wondering how many shots you add when running the Raven 6.2g FM float. The different sections making up the leader should be joined by using a blood knot. If you have any questions or other ideas please post them in the comment section below and I will do my best to answer as soon as possible or I will update and add the question and answer this post. It saves money and I find it to be enjoyable. Read our full disclosure – HERE. You want your entire set up to go from heaviest at your mainline to lightest at your hook. The steelhead leader set up that I use includes what I call a shot-line. I use any decent heavy butt (.021" - .024") 7 1/2' 2X leader, then add on a piece of 3X Seaguar flouro about 24" long. Also, check out the page on the best Split Shots For Fly Fishing And Float Fishing. If the steelhead gets a long distance downstream from you in fast water, you usually must follow and try to get below it. Check out Pline fluorocarbon spinning/casting line. For the 2-bait leader rig, all I do is increase the length of the fluorocarbon leader to about 24 inches and add a 6″ tag with another bait attached. Wouldn’t it take a lot of AB or BB shots to weight the float down enough? It’s meant as a mainline on spinning reels but it works great as a leader and it works out to be around 6 dollars per every 50 yards which is a great price compared to many other leader brands that could be as much as $15 dollars for 50 yards. If you're not hanging up on the bottom and losing flies, you don't have enough weight on your line. How to tie the double Improved Clinch Knot? The steelhead leader length will depend on the type of water you are going to be fishing. This can be awfully tough to do with cold hands on the river, so we highly suggest doing this ahead of time at home and putting the finished leaders in a Pip's Dispenser or on a roller. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. I do use fluoro tippets for steelhead, which makes sense for a number of reasons. 3. This knot works well for attaching our small glass beads included in a pack of our soft steelhead beads. I check the length according to the knot distance and add/subtract as needled. In order: Change weight Pull the peg through the bead until its tight and trim off the edges. Keep the diameter of each part of your leader and mainline in mind. Dirty water, or fast and big water, or heavily wooded water – 0.22mm or .009in. If you're already decided, that's one thing. font-weight: 400; I don't really hold much worth in leaders for this type of fishing IMO. If you want to see my leader set up go to my page on How To Fly Fish For Steelhead … Making fishing leaders is easy, and it’s really something I had to do more of because of the types of fishing I do. So for a 10-foot leader we would need a 6-foot long butt section, 2-foot long mid-section, and a 2-foot long tippet section. That clears it up. Since the mainline is often too thick or colored the fish may see it and it may spook them. Don’t play the fish to exhaustion, especially if you TroutandSteelhead.net makes every effort to provide trusted and unbiased advice and reviews. Butt Leader Knot: Instead of tying a round perfection loop on the leader butt, try the double surgeon loop. It should be supple for good presentation. @font-face { This was green water and not super clear. You can use single hand rods, switch, or Spey rods. I’m not saying I want a weak knot at my bait, because I don’t, I just want a slightly stronger one above. font-family: 'Roboto'; Here is what I mean. Terms of Service and Conditions | Affiliate Disclosure | Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy. Steelhead can hit lightly, so if you feel a tip or tap, put the fly back to the same spot on the next cast. Personally, I'd recommend having some mono in there at some point in the leader. Sometimes a steelhead will pick up the bait and drift downstream with it. Next step is to thread your leader on the needle as pictured and pull the leader up through the rag body lengthwise. The key to catching steelhead is to understand how approaching winter steelheading is different than how you usually fish, pay attention to changing conditions and what drives steelhead behavior. I have guided and taught around 3000 anglers and many other fishing guides. I have run a shot-line+leader in pools up to 9 feet deep. If I need it to get deeper I can get added length by simply sliding my float up the line and making the line plus the leader the desired length. To help you become more successful, we’ve compiled a collection of tips used by pro-level guides. Check out my page on the best leaders for steelhead. If you are not sure how to use beads properly check out the page on Fishing With Beads: 5 Guide Tips For More Fish or my page Fishing With Worms – 10 Guide Tips For More Trout And Steelhead. If the steelhead leader is set up properly it will be thin enough so the fish do not see it but strong enough that you won’t be breaking the steelhead off. You don’t have to use the exact leader brands that I do, just make sure they are staggered from heaviest to lightest using the diameter of the line not the pound test rating. When fishing faster, choppy water, use a float that has a broad profile and is two or three times wider at the top than the bottom, and step up to one size larger than what would normally be needed to float your bait/jig. First, make sure you have the right size leader. The reason for this is that you want the weakest knot down at the bottom of your leader so that you don’t lose all your shots or the float on the mainline should you break off which means less tying should you break off for some reason. The leader connects your float weight to your jig. Steelhead, or steelhead trout, is a name given to the species of rainbow trout that seasonally migrates upriver. It also allows you to leave a tag from your tippet knot where spit shot can be attached. how ever you can put your fly on a dead drift in their face you can hook up. The run we worked was a short run with big boulders sprinkled through it, just enough to make wading interesting that early in the morning. Once I fixed their leader problems catching steelhead from that point forward was much easier. As a result, leader changes are easy, as compared to re nail-knotting your leader to the fly line every time. For really big water like the Niagara river I may go up to 0.23mm to 0.24mm. I've done it this way in deep heavy water and it works well. Hi Adam, For a 6.2 gram float I use 7 AA or 7 AB shots. Since most steelhead fly rods are in the 9 to 10 foot range you’re talking about a similar size leader. A standard weight forward fly line or a floating shooting head set up with a 9’ tapered leader will perform well. “Knot Sense” or better yet, “Aquaseal” over the knot will both protect the knot and build a smooth line/leader transition. It’s faster and easier to tie, especially with cold hands. Use this for steelhead fishing leaders. Snip the tag end off, but not too close. Seaguar produces a good product; the leader is virtually invisible, and it’s strong. I fish the Erie tribs a couple of times every season and never use a special "steelhead" taper. At the swivel I tie a double clinch knot which is a bulkier but stronger knot then a regular improved clinch knot, and down where the bait is I will tie a regular improved clinch knot or a double Davy knot. src: url(https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/roboto/v20/KFOmCnqEu92Fr1Mu4mxP.ttf) format('truetype'); The butt section should be made from stiff monofilament in order to transfer energy well. How do I do this? It looked to me like about 10x too much weight. he absolutely is a master of flyfishing for steelhead...after observing his leader/rig the biggest thing I noticed was the length, he was using a very long leader with a float. Using the right size and type of steelhead leader along with setting the leader up properly is essential for catching more steelhead. I am a professional river fishing guide with over 20 years of experience in guiding and instruction and I am considered the top river guide in my area. The tippet is the section that presents the fly to the fish. In this article, I will discuss the best steelhead leader brands for float fishing, how I set them up for maximum success, and what sizes and lengths I use to get my clients hooking more steelhead. Rod preference for steelhead bead fishing is greatly influenced by the size of the river you are fishing and the weight of the float. I will be doing a YouTube Video on this set up soon. Frogg Hair Brand claims their 8lb is 0.20mm / .008 inch diameter size. This means less time re-tying and more time fishing. I have used all 3 of these lines extensively and I believe they are all equal in line strength despite what their label claims. Securing the bead, or “pinning it” to the leader, can be done several ways. Works like a charm and for 15 bucks you get a ginourmous spool. Also, make sure you have the proper leader setup for steelhead and that you know how to fish for them effectively. Whenever possible, do not connect monofilament pieces differin… Check out the page on the Best Steelhead Baits to see which baits I like to use. 6.) The single fly / long leader setup is a very productive method of nymphing, but there is another way to nymph for steelhead that is equally effective. Shot Line ( 20″ )- 8lb Seaguar AbrazX – 0.235mm / .009″, Bottom of Leader – (16″ to 24″) – 4lb Drennan – 0.20mm or .008″. It's not going to be pretty and no "perfect leader" will make it be any different. After landing the fish he looked at my rig from like 20 feet away and said "you need more weight". ... with addition of a slip float and a bobber stop above the leader. Read MoreContinue@font-face { I switched his leader to 4lb Drennan and then he made 9 drifts in the exact same spot and landed 9 in a row. A shot-line is where I place my weights and it is always heavier than the leader line where the bait attaches but is lighter than the mainline so that if I break off due to a snag or a fish I won’t lose the shot line and I will only lose the hook or the leader at the bottom. Tapered Leader Formula The leader formula used is a standard 60/20/20 where the leader consists of 60% butt section, 20% mid-section and 20% tippet. Thank again and happy new year. The key to this leader setup is that it is built with smaller diameter mono as opposed to a traditional tapered leader, as is favored in the US, which has a thick, heavy butt section. Your barrel swivel is a built in break point which you will useful when get stuck on bottom debris. I hope you enjoyed this blog post on steelhead leaders and you picked up a tip or two that will help you catch more steelhead. breaking your leader. The tackle is much the same as your standard summer steelhead wet fly set up. Your email address will not be published. More on Rigging for Steelhead. Maxima Ultragreen is a great alternative. The following is an excerpt from my guidebook, The Ultimate Guide to Steelhead Bank Fishing. Clear to green water – 0.20mm or .008in. He was guiding about 3 clients and they were hooking up with fish after fish. As you can see, three lines with all different pound test ratings, (4lb, 6lb, and 8lb) but all have the same 0.20mm diameter. Check John Naggy's book called Steelhead Guide, I think it has a leader recipie for steelhead fishing. Rigging: Secure your indicator to your leader and add a few split shot evenly spaced between it and a swivel. I use 4-5 ft of 15 lb Maxima ultra green, then 4-5 of 12lb Maxima chameleon, swivel, 3-4 ft of tippet. Notice I use two 8lb lines back to back but as you can see they both have different diameters indicating that one is likely not rated properly. When it's low, then build a longer tapered leader with 3-4 sections of line that's 8-10ft long. Be very careful about how you buy your leader lines. The traditional method of bead fishing required long leaders, weighted floats, and just enough weight to keep the bead near the bottom. But remember that what the company says is the pound test may not be accurate and if you follow their label rating you may get it wrong. A shot-line is a separate line from the mainline and the bottom of the leader. The loop allows the butt end of the leader to be attached via a loop-to-loop connection to the loop on your fly line. Steelhead can be line shy and buying a leader that is too thick may mean no fish, and a leader that is too thin will mean lots of steelhead being broken off. Fishing With Beads: 5 Guide Tips For More Fish, Fishing With Worms – 10 Guide Tips For More Trout And Steelhead, 5 Best Flies For Steelhead – An Expert Guides Advice, Weights For Fly Fishing: Everything You Need To Know, 2 Fly SetUp For Nymphs: How to Set It Up And Fish It Better, How To Fish Flies With Spinning Gear: 2 Best Methods, Best Hook Size For Trout: A Guides Advice On trout Hook Size, 5 Best Trout Nets And A Guides Advice On How To Attach Them. font-weight: 700; If you are not sure about which hooks to use when or for different baits check out the page on the Best Steelhead Hooks. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I use this exact leader setup for all my guiding on rivers of 3 feet to 10 feet deep. If you want to make leaders in the simplest fashion, you can also try our Dennison Leader Making Vise for just $8.95. My 3 favorite steelhead leader brands are: Guide Tip – I’m a guide so I go through a lot of steelhead leader material and because of that I find the best deal for me is usually the Seaguar AbrazX in 6lb. My shot-line is usually between 16 and 20 inches and when I add the leader to the bottom the entire leader is about 4 to 6 feet. I will even show you my favorite 2 bait steelhead leader setup. He proceeded to grab my leader and put on 2 large splitshot (which he had stored in his mouth) and said give that a try. A short video demonstrating how to tie the steelhead bead knot. This allows you to adjust the distance between the hook and the bead but they are prone of falling out. This leader length allows for easier fly line and leader control when assuming the high-stick rod position during the drift. I use this length for rivers that average 3 to 6 feet deep. Let’s compare 3 lines that all have a 0.20mm / .008 inch diameter size. No doubt about it, winter steelhead fly fishing is a hardy sport that takes patience and discipline. Now if you ask this question around circles, you’ll hear reasons for both. It is as good as any of the specially packaged tippet materials and extremely economical. For a single hand set up 10’ 7-9 wt rods are pretty hard to beat. At one point a fish ran them way downstream past me. I use fluorcarbon for easy tying and low impact, usually 12 lb to 20 lb test.  1 Anonymous Users. I also bumped into Jeff Blood once. Browsing this Thread:  A tapered leader from seven to nine feet will work well like the Salmon/Steelhead leaders from Rio. Bought a few different sizes as soon as I got back. How To Setup A Steelhead Leader For Float Fishing? They are native to North America and the northeastern coast of Asia. The reason for spacing out the split shot is so that each weight helps pull the next weight down and help keep your line straight. The butt section is 60% of the total length. Leaders are constructed of 3 sections: the butt, taper and tippet. There are really 2 ways to make a fishing leader. The other reason I use a shot-line is that adding shots to the mainline is a mistake for a couple of reasons. [1] X Research source You can catch them by fly fishing or bait fishing, but they are notorious for being difficult to catch and challenging to pull in regardless of your method. We participate in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on purchases made through our links to retailer sites. Pull about 6 to 8 inches of leader line through the eye of the hook and then run the tag end of the leader part way back through the hook which doubles the line and then proceed to tie a regular or the improved clinch knot with a double line. font-style: normal; I caught a fish on like the 3rd cast into that same run I had been fishing for the past hour without success. The combinations for a 2 bait rig are many but I like to use these combinations the most: My answer is usually that my confident bait, the one I think is going to work the best under the conditions of the day is the one that goes on the bottom and my test bait goes up top. } Leaders made with crimps. Your email address will not be published. I always recommend that you buy your leader line based on the diameter, not the pound test rating on the package because many companies do not rate the lines properly and people end up using the wrong strength. I use a triple surgeon’s knot or a micro swivel to attach the tag. A steelhead leader is the section of your line below your float nearest to the bait which separates the bait from the mainline. Float Fishing Line & Leader I love Seaguar fluorocarbon for leader but it is a bit expensive. if needed will go down to 5 x floro depending on conditions. Guide Tip: I learned this trick from a world champion fly angler and this will save you a lot of time retying and save you on leader material. This is the best steelhead leader size and what I use – Super Clear Water – 0.18mm or .007in. On big river like the Niagara river I may use a leader of 12 feet and a slip float. It’s also because most mainlines are made of monofilament which is not very abrasion resistant and the shots may drag the line down onto high rocks which can nick the line and cause it to break. The leader separates the bait from the thicker mainline and is a good place to put your weights. On most small medium-depth rivers with average pool depths of 3 to 6 feet, I will run a leader that is around 4 to 5 feet long. This will ensure that if I or my client does break off for some reason, almost always it will break at the bait and not at the swivel above which saves my leader and means I only need to tie one knot to get back fishing. Drennan Brand claims their 4lb is 0.20mm / .008 inch diameter size. Once tied, secure the heavy end of the leader by either a loop-to-loop connection or nail knot to the fly line; the fly is tied to the end of the leader with your preferred knot. Required fields are marked *. If I need more depth I just slide the float up to a desired length. font-display: swap; The speaker (Bob Rees, Executive Director of The Association of Northwest Steelheaders and also a fishing guide) advised that you hook a piece of shrimp tail onto the hook so that the barb is down right at the level of the shrimp fan tail. Get the basic 100% fluoro version. Whether you float fish or fly fish the best steelhead leader lines should be thin and strong and very abrasion-resistant. Often steelhead are categorized into different “runs” by state according to how many runs they make to the ocean. Picked up on this line after spending a week in MT. Even if the 7 AB shots is a little to light that’s OK because I will often slightly underweight the float so that if I need to get my bait down in faster water or for another reason I can still add 1 or 2 more split shots down near the bait without sinking my float too deep that it sinks or becomes less visible. The best way to do this is to add a couple small split shot to your leader. A good rule of thumb when bottom-bouncing is to use a leader (including the tippet) roughly the length of your fly rod. Leaders with a GOOD knot. The smaller diameter mono, and fluorocarbon tippet (which is heavier than other mono tippet materials), enable the leader system and your flies to sink quickly through the water column. The first is to use a “peg” which is often made of soft rubber and resembles a toothpick. Any time you see the float come up or begin moving upstream or sideways, that's a fish. Keep the pressure on the fish and fight it by holding the rod tip up. To connect the leader to the new tip, just do it in reverse – pass the loop on the back end of the leader through the loop on the sinktip, pass your fly through the loop on the back of the leader, and pull the connection tight. You want a leader that can get down to the steelhead. The two fly / short leader rig allows an angler to fish well off the bottom, losing a minimal amount of time to hang-ups and gear changing.