How long of leader should you use while trolling sinking line ??

[Travo]

I never fly fish but I'm going to bring my fly rod along on my next trip do a little bit of trolling I think I have 6-7weight line can't remember but it's a small setup .. I would like to troll flys in a few lake in kootneys and interior , what length and line should i use for leader or should I setup a Tippett ? I'd like to keep it as simple as possible and also maybe someone would tell me a few good type flies to try thanks
Travis

 

[LiquidGuides01]

Hey Travis, If your trolling you dont need to worry about leader lengths to much, excpecially if your fishing a clear intermediate. Ive used leaders as short at 4ft on a clear sink line, works great for stripping your flies along the drop offs. You should be okay with anything around 10-12ft leader for trolling,pretty much a standard length for trolling a fly. unless your fishing gin clear water with spooky fish, then you can go longer. Give your line a short strip every once an while, gives it a differant action that seems to enitce the bite if their being fussy
Try using a leech pattern or wooly bugger #10-6 in black,maroon,brown or olive are alwase good to start with.
Doc spratley in black or olive, bit of red mixed in doesnt hurt.
Also a pumpkin head size 10-8 is a good one, Stop by a local fly shop they'll show you all the patterns.

Good luck on the lakes, Trolling is a nice relaxing way to catch fish

 

[kunni]

trolling a full sink, I run 2 ft of mono around 7 pound, then 5ft of lighter mono around 4 pound

kunni

 

[Canso]

Treat it like lead line. Put on 30-50ft of 8lb mono. Love it works great

 

[kunni]

^^^^

what a 50ft leader? most sinking fly line sinks at 1.5-9inches per second. 9 inches is very fast. With a 50ft leader you will be fishing very close to the surface, mabye 3-4 ft deep at the very deepest. If you have 50ft of leader, and a 90ft fly line, you will be trailing close to 140ft of line, you wont have all your fly line out, maybe 10-15ft fly line on your spool, it will be difficult to set a hook on a fish if you have so much line out. Fly line has greater resistance in the water than mono, thats what makes the hook set more difficult. Because you are fishing deep with a full sink fly line 10-15ft with a type 6 line you dont need a super long leader, 5 ft if your deep (10-15ft), maybe a bit more leader if your fishing shallower, <10ft.

kunni

 

[Travo]

^^^^

what a 50ft leader? most sinking fly line sinks at 1.5-9inches per second. 9 inches is very fast. With a 50ft leader you will be fishing very close to the surface, mabye 3-4 ft deep at the very deepest. If you have 50ft of leader, and a 90ft fly line, you will be trailing close to 140ft of line, you wont have all your fly line out, maybe 10-15ft fly line on your spool, it will be difficult to set a hook on a fish if you have so much line out. Fly line has greater resistance in the water than mono, thats what makes the hook set more difficult. Because you are fishing deep with a full sink fly line 10-15ft with a type 6 line you dont need a super long leader, 5 ft if your deep (10-15ft), maybe a bit more leader if your fishing shallower, <10ft.

kunni

Sounds good thanks kunni makes senses

 

[Canso]

^^^^

what a 50ft leader? most sinking fly line sinks at 1.5-9inches per second. 9 inches is very fast. With a 50ft leader you will be fishing very close to the surface, mabye 3-4 ft deep at the very deepest. If you have 50ft of leader, and a 90ft fly line, you will be trailing close to 140ft of line, you wont have all your fly line out, maybe 10-15ft fly line on your spool, it will be difficult to set a hook on a fish if you have so much line out. Fly line has greater resistance in the water than mono, thats what makes the hook set more difficult. Because you are fishing deep with a full sink fly line 10-15ft with a type 6 line you dont need a super long leader, 5 ft if your deep (10-15ft), maybe a bit more leader if your fishing shallower, <10ft.

kunni

I never have an issue with hook sets, I put out all my fly line and usually tag bottom at 13' . It works. I use it for leach patterns for trout and red spratlys for Kokanee

 

[Travo]

Ill try both your setups got nothing but time on the water , I'm targeting Kokanee t woods lake when it opens for its 45day season I will try doc sprat red on an 8 foot leader , and one with 5 foot leader any other good flys for Kokanee can so ?

 

[kunni]

I never have an issue with hook sets, I put out all my fly line and usually tag bottom at 13' . It works. I use it for leach patterns for trout and red spratlys for Kokanee

Interesting, do you know what sink fly line you have? I surprised your getting down that deep.

kunni

 

[Canso]

Ill try both your setups got nothing but time on the water , I'm targeting Kokanee t woods lake when it opens for its 45day season I will try doc sprat red on an 8 foot leader , and one with 5 foot leader any other good flys for Kokanee can so ?

Sorry to hear about the fish kill at wood lake, I've pulled 4lb Kokanee out of that lake in the past. We enjoy a 2 week family vacation there every year. I guess I'm fishing Kal. Instead. Do you live in the area?

Hey kunni; for trolling I just use the cheap full sink $14 at Canadian tire

 

[outback]

yea a 50 ft leader to me is just ridiculous and unnecessary even for the most finicky of trout. IMO leader length isn't really that important just adjust it to whatever you are doing. mostly for trolling i run a 5-8 ft leader and i find this is more than enough. it all depends on the clarity of the lake.

 

[CVmike]

I run about 12 feet of leader on my full sink line. Its got about 6 feet left of an old tapered leader and then I tie on 6 feet of 4 pound fluorocarbon.