[OIIIIIO]

Hello everyone,
I'm new to both this site and fly fishing. I just started about a month ago and haven't touched a spinning combo since. I bought a combo rod/reel that came preloaded with backing/flyline and leader, but I suspect that it was put together for trout. I've lost a lot of nice bass due to line breaks with this leader and the replacement leader that I bought. The sporting goods store only had one type to pick from. Are there any recommendations on what I should be using as far as leader and tippet? What lengths should they be for most conditions? I'll probably have to order online since there aren't any flyshops in my area.

The gear I'm using is a 9' 5/6 midflew rod with 9' 6x tapered leader. The rest I'm unsure of. I've been having a lot of luck using poppers but may try some fly minnows to see how they go. Nothing like having a big bass hitting at the surface though.

[BigCliff]

Welcome to the group and the sport!

6x!? There's your problem. That's on the light side of trout gear there. Get some 8' 8lb bass leaders and you'll be much better off. www.thefullcreel.com can set ya up right with leaders and such.

Just so you know, a 6x leader is weaker than a 2x leader. 6x is 3-4 lbs, and 2x is more like 10lb or so. The _x system comes from back in the day when fishing line was made of innerds. They had this little device that the sinew was pulled through that peeled off the outside layers that made it thinner each time it was pulled through. This made a 6x tippet weaker than a 2x leader due to the fact that more material had been removed on its 4 additional passes through the scraper thingamajig.

You'll likely find that your bass flies will turn over better and you'll have less tangles once you have a stronger and stiffer leader on there.

[OIIIIIO]

Thanks BigCliff. Yes, I forgot to mention that I do get a lot of tangles. I attributed that to lack of talent. I'll order some of those leaders tonight. For tonight's fishing, I've clipped my tapered leader to where it's a little thicker and add 8# test mono to make up the difference in length. This should hopefully get me by tonight without loosing anymore fish and lures.

thanks again,
Ron

[Jakeway]

If you're using large poppers or big weighted streamers for bass, you could go to a 1X and do OK; with those large flies, though, you'll be nearing the limit of what you can comfortably cast with a 5-6 weight line. I've dine fine on a 6 weight line using a 7.5 ft Bass tapered leader. When it gets to 6 ft, I add a couple feet of 6 pound Flourocarbon line for a tippet.

Remember, bass aren't very line shy, so the way the leader handles the fly is more important than invisibility to the fish.

Also, on heavier leaders, I like to tie the fly using a Duncan Loop knot, with the loop slightly open. That allows the fly to swing freely, giving it more action, and it acts like a little shock absorber when you set the hook into a bony bass.