Braided leaders

[JAD]

What do you think of using Braided leaders for Salmon fishing.

I've noticed quite a few fishermen using a length of Braid tied loop to loop from the fly line then adding a length of nylon to the end of it to which they tie the fly.

This being my first season with the double hander I'm still playing round with different set ups

[williegunn]

Don't chance it, there will be eventually tears.

[rennie]

If you want to go down this road you will be better with poly tips they last longer are easier to get out of the water when you are ready to cast (braids tend to absorb water and trap it making them harder to roll out of the water prior to casting) and are more readily available in a bigger range of sink rates and lengths.
If you can get them cheap enough in the sink rates you want then go for it they are more versatile than a sink tip but poly tips are so much better. Pedro.

[JAD]

Thanks Malcolm and Pedro

Tight lines

John

[dangler]

Rather than buy polyleaders, I have bought an Airflo DI7 wf8 from the ubiquitous E-bay and chopped this into various lengths to make up sinking leaders. Loops are relatively easy to whip and superglue to each end.
If you want to retain the wf head to make into a shooting head, you are still left with almost 20 yards of very fast sinking running line to chop into different lengths to suit different sinking requirements on the front of either floating or intermediate lines. If you are really brave, the head itself can be cut to provide two nicely tapered leaders of different lengths plus a number of very heavy parallel pieces which can be added , loop to loop to extend them. For under £20 you can quickly manufacture a custom set of heads of an almost infinite range of sink rates by using individual lengths or loop to loop combinations
I hope this proves useful to someone or provides food for thought. An even cheaper source of tips is chopped fast sink mill ends- at least to practice on. Mike

[jock]

Like Dangler I do the same. While I have a set of 10' polyleaders I also make up my own leaders. My latest set I made from the running line of an old wetcell IV. I made 3', 5', 7' and 9' leaders. With such thin line you can easily loop the line with the plastic coating intact, whip, superglue and slide the tubing used for braided loops over as well. It is a very secure loop.

They turn over well with my Delta Spey, even with quite a heavy fly. It will be interesting to see if I can turn them over with an IG line which will be getting its first outing next week. Those with experience of IG lines say they cannot turnover a standard 10' polyleaders without cutting the fly line back.

One advantage I have found with them is that they anchor the fly well when short line roll/spey casting making it easier to compress the rod and turnover the fly when little line is out.