More Flyrod LGMouth basics..

[Captmikestarrett]

First is the leader and how important it can be. If you choose a packaged leader like a 7x taper you have a 9ft leader with 6lb test max at the end. Most taper leaders are florocarbon and sink rapidily.

I suggest shying away from pre built leaders all together. They are great for all types of fishing except LGMouth. The big flies require a stout leader in 20lb test and should be shortened to the needed rollover point. For instance a 7wt in foward taper floating line can not handle more than 4 feet of leader and a big fly. But an 8wt with a floating bonefish taper can handle up to 6 feet.
Loop knots are vital at the fly connection for movement. And 20lb floro insures the fly comes back from some very thick stuff. And you know that is where the bigs ones are...

Lets talk about sinking floro vs mono.. If you wish the fly to "plop" when pulled the nose needs to dig into the water a bit. With mono floating all it will do is just skip across the water. Good for a sneaky pete but bad for a dalberg diver.

Later I will talk about fly lines and how to make them work better or just plain destroy them.

Capt Mike