Fly Fishing

2alarmfly · Posted: Mon 03/09/09 10:38 am Post subject: Redfish & Bluefish: Leader Set Up?

Need help on leader set ups for Red/Bluefish. Things like size, length, etc. Can I use a straight leader or should it be tapered to some degree. Just going to bang out some casts on the jetties in PCB for a few days. Supposedly some Blues around now, need the Redfish info for the future!

Always Learning thanks to you guys!
Todd

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

Great post!! I love the simplicity of it - as in some degree they are both FISH with the only difference being "Red" and "Blue" Very Happy

.. I am a big fan of SIMPLE concepts! Anyway, the simplicity ends - after the name. Redfish and Bluefish are 2 completely different "animals." I do happen to know a lot about bluefish and only a little about redfish.

1. Bluefish - Find them - and typically they will take almost anything. Typically when they are around you can't miss them. They are known for making a big ruckus and being just total predators. They are fast - swim in packs - have very sharp teeth - and pretty much just exist with the sole purpose of finding helpless baitfish and killing everything in their path. They are mean creatures for sure. Here in the Northeast - we often see so many of them that the striped bass guys consider them a nuesance. Not me! Bluefish are tackle busters! They rip line of your reel! They never quit ! They jump and their forked tales make them a speed demons. They will bite through almost anything - including your finger. They tear apart flies, ruin wooden plugs, break rods, bite the boat, bite you - bite anything in their path!! In many respects, a fish that I admire greatly for their shear tenacity and will to survive and ability to survive in the ocean where THEY THEMSELVES are tasty bait to bigger predators such as tuna, sharks etc.. Never underestimate the ability of Bluefish to come onto the fishing seen and rool the roost .. they will find all the bait - get it before any other fish and just eat with reckless abondonment all day making it tough for the less aggressive species to even get a snack!

So - for bluefish. Straight fluor will do just fine. Wire leader works - but often, wire leader results in no hook ups or very few . they are not dumb fish. If they were, they wouldn't be such a dominating force - they would be exitinct - and they are far from extinct. So, myself and most guys I know will use 20 pound fluorcarbon with a 40 pound section (6 inches or so) of bite "tippet" .. Once you find the fish - the fly can be "almost" a trivial matter. And DON'T throw your best really expensive flies .. because 1 bluefish will demolish it. I like a plain white deceiver type fly .. something as simple as white bucktail will work just fine. If you see the fish though, its not as "easy" as it seams .. You have to get your fly IN THE ZONE .. close enough is often not good enough .. and the fish are on the move and feeding in a certain direction -- so even though it looks as though there is mass chaos going on .. with nor rhyme, reason or pattern - this is not true and don't be fooled by what you see. They are moving - their heads are in a certain direction and if you think they will be in 1 spot for long enough for you to get multiple casts you're wrong. just like bonefishing or whatever .. WAIT.. WAIT until you can get 1 good shot leading the fish .. rather than casting and false casting like wild when its not the right time . .because when the absolute best opportunity presents itself to make a good cast you want to be able to cast .. and if your fly is already in the water and you have to wait to strip it all the way in and cast again -- you might not get the shot you need.

There is a video in the video section entitled "INSANE BLUEFISH BLITZ" .. check it out .. it will give you an idea of what to look for and why Bluefish can be so much fun!!!

Ps. just for the record - there are instances where bluefish are on flats and solo or in groups of 2 or 3 .. in these instance they can be VERY difficult to catch. But, this is not the norm of how people generally think of bluefish -- i just wanted to say this, incase there are others out there reading this who know that bluefish are not always wild, killing machines in wolf packs.

REDFISH - Ya know what - I know a little bit about redfish and have caught a couple - but there are many others on here who know much more than me. I am sure they will be able to help you out in regards to "REDFISH" .. if not, I'll come back on and try my best. Hope the bluefish info helps. Good Luck!

PS> where is PCB?

kopalks · Posted: Mon 03/09/09 2:15 pm Post subject:

Red fish don't have teeth like blue fish, they have crushing plates. A one piece leader is fine for red fish no bite tippet or anything is need. 12 lb floro is a good place to start. After every fish check your leader for ware. Check a significant portion of your leader not just right down by the fly. If there is any ware cut the fly off and re tie.
For the length of the leader, between 4 and 9 feet would be best. If you are going to go much heavier then 12 lb you would want to build a simple tapered leader with a breaking point of 8 or 10 lb before your heavier bite tippet. Like most fish the heavier your line the fewer strikes you typically get. Start light and work your way up if you are getting cut off or broken off.

A lot of times you will be fishing for red fish near mangroves, it comes in handy to have a more predictable breaking point in case you get hung up.
With red fish casting accuracy is important, many times you need to "bop" them right on the head to get them to eat the fly.

Have fun and good luck.

hedrush999 · Posted: Mon 03/09/09 6:46 pm Post subject:

there are many different situations that you may encounter a redfish. So for starters a 9 foot leader tapered down to 20 lbs is a good all around bet. The cleaner the water and the spookier the fish, go longer and lighter. Most of the time while fishing you need an all around leader that will work as well for toothy critters as it will for those without teeth. I like using a piece of 40lb shock if I know there are tarpon, snook, or bluefish around.