No. My fishing now is pretty much lakes and chironomids under indicators. I do fish shorter leaders on the beach but off the end of either a ten or 14 foot clear polyleader.I've never used a leader longer than 12 feet on a fly rod. Some of the small water I've fished, a leader the length you're talking about would put my presentation far fast the other bank. Are you doing this for highly pressured fish on wide slow flowing rivers ?
Good way to break a rod. Ask me how I know.fight big fish by positioning one of their hand above the cork for leverage
I may have to plead the Fifth...Just say no to ..... Was it @_WW_ got hold of this rod and did away with the hook keeper?
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I agree and also do this when fishing. It's when I go to store my rod in my two piece rod cases that I miss the hook keeper.The problem with the hook keeper is most leaders are longer than the rod. Once you hook your fly into the hook keeper and reel in the slack, the junction of the fly line and leader are now in your guides. When you get to a new spot you have to set your reel down and pull the line out the guides. It’s a pain in the butt and can actually lead to breaking the tip off a rod.
When moving to a new spot I leave 18 inches or so of fly line out the guide, take my fly and hook on one of the snake guide (the farthest one I can reach), take the slack line and pull it behind the reel foot, and reel in slack. When I get to a new spot, I pull a little line off the reel, unwrap the leader from behind the reel, hold my rod tip over the water, and give the rod a light karate chop. The fly, leader, and line are out in front of me and ready to start fishing.
So...if I hook just one fly in the hook keeper to store it in my rod case am I still a terrible person?Yup. Technique works great with 2 flies and a bobber, if you’re into that sort of thing.
Huh. 20+ years with 20+ rods and I've never once had a hook keeper fuck everything up. Or, really, cause any kind of negative anything at all. In fact, I've often found them convenient. Weird.Yup. Technique works great with 2 flies and a bobber, if you’re into that sort of thing.
A hook keep is like a wisdom tooth, it’s there but not useful and ends up fucking everything up so you remove it. Glad to see it getting bred out of fly rod DNA.
The problem with the hook keeper is most leaders are longer than the rod. Once you hook your fly into the hook keeper and reel in the slack, the junction of the fly line and leader are now in your guides. When you get to a new spot you have to set your reel down and pull the line out the guides. It’s a pain in the butt and can actually lead to breaking the tip off a rod.
When moving to a new spot I leave 18 inches or so of fly line out the guide, take my fly and hook on one of the snake guide (the farthest one I can reach), take the slack line and pull it behind the reel foot, and reel in slack. When I get to a new spot, I pull a little line off the reel, unwrap the leader from behind the reel, hold my rod tip over the water, and give the rod a light karate chop. The fly, leader, and line are out in front of me and ready to start fishing.
We gotta get you fishing midges deep with a floating line, a 25-foot long leader and, of course, a quick release bobber.Most leaders aren’t longer then the rod in my fishing world….
SF
You mean tenkara fishing ?We gotta get you fishing midges deep with a floating line, a 25-foot long leader and, of course, a quick release bobber.
We gotta get you fishing midges deep with a floating line, a 25-foot long leader and, of course, a quick release bobber.
Brian - If I still lived in Port Orchard, with access to the Sound and Canal, my leaders wouldn't be much different from yours. The few times I do get over to Hood Canal, I'm using leaders shorter than my fly rod.Oh, I’ve done that. Just not much lately.
Most the time I’m using a 7’ or less leader where I like to fish. I think most people I see fishing are doing the same.
I like having a hook keeper as well.
SF