Waxing Leaders

Last year I started waxing the first 20 feet or so of the mono on the rods I
use for fishing topwaters. I got the idea because Hank Parker mentioned it
on his TV show as something that fly fishers use on fly leaders to help keep
from dragging down dry flies.

Anyway, do you guys do this? Wax your leaders when fishing poppers or
dries? Do you use any special kind of wax?

--
Bob La Londe

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Bob La Londe wrote:
Last year I started waxing the first 20 feet or so of the mono on the rods I
use for fishing topwaters. I got the idea because Hank Parker mentioned it
on his TV show as something that fly fishers use on fly leaders to help keep
from dragging down dry flies.

Anyway, do you guys do this? Wax your leaders when fishing poppers or
dries? Do you use any special kind of wax?

I treat the fly line but never the leader or tippet.

I suppose for big bass flies it wouldn't make much
difference one way or the other but for fishing dry
flies you *want* the tippet to sink into the film.

I use red Mucilin, mainly because that's what I use
on my silk lines and I don't see any need to buy two
different kinds.

--
Ken Fortenberry

"Bob La Londe" wrote

Anyway, do you guys do this? Wax your leaders when fishing poppers or
dries? Do you use any special kind of wax?



I occasionally grease a part of the tippet/ leader to use as an indicator,
it also "supports" the fly in the water column to an extent. ( I use use
paste style fly floatant .... I'm partial to Hydrophobe )

But, I AVOID grease near the fly ( within 4 or 6 inches or so ) in such
cases as I want the fly ( nearly always a midge pupa, sometimes a small
soft hackle ) to sink just under the film, and I'm sure the "track" of a
greased leader is very visible, probably worrisome, to fish.

I only use this technique on the flattest of flat, flat waters and over very
spooky fish, with tiny flies ( 18 is the big end of this scale ) ... the
greased leader can be seen on the surface to help in tracking the
presentation, but doesn't have the fish scaring splash of even a small
indicator.

DISCLAIMER: I seldom fish for warm water fish, except Stripers with
streamers, so I'm really clueless. /Disclaimer

I can't see how a "waxed leader" could help with big flies like bass
poppers, but I CAN see how it might hurt since it would make the leader more
easily noticed by Mr Piscator

...... for fishing dry flies you *want* the tippet to sink into the film.
--
Ken Fortenberry


I'm sure the "track" of a greased leader is very visible, probably worrisome, to fish.

Years ago, George Harvey stuck lengths of HEAVY leader into bugs and
dropped them into a stream. The trout took them readily. His
conclusion: It ain't the sight of the tippet that scares the fish,
it's the drag.

You can read about this in both of George's books. I believe
Marinaro also mentions it.

vince

Years ago, George Harvey stuck lengths of HEAVY leader into bugs and
dropped them into a stream. The trout took them readily. His
conclusion: It ain't the sight of the tippet that scares the fish,
it's the drag.

You can read about this in both of George's books. I believe
Marinaro also mentions it.


I still fish the Yellowstone river valley spring creeks a fair
amount. Two three times a year anyway, after many years of guiding there.

I use 5x when everybody else uses 7x--because I like
to be able to land the occasional big fish, and very few fishermen
there catch more than I do. So I don't think leader diameter
matters that much.

I do think drag matters (as Vincent said).
I also think a floating leader matters, as Ken said.
A floating leader of any diameter dimples the surface tension,
making an unnatural pattern even I can see.

Fish are ten times spookier about strange stuff from above
than they are about strange stuff from below. Makes sense
when you think about it. Eagles, Osprey, cormorants, Mergansers,
Pelicans and mayflies all attack from above.





--
/* Sandy Pittendrigh --oO0
** http://montana-riverboats.com
*/

sandy wrote:

I use 5x when everybody else uses 7x--because I like
to be able to land the occasional big fish, and very few fishermen
there catch more than I do. So I don't think leader diameter
matters that much.

5x??? You must be joking. No one on ROFF uses anything finer than 3x.
You see, it stresses the poor fish too much. :-)

As far as 7x, the less said the better.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.
x

rw wrote:
sandy wrote:

I use 5x when everybody else uses 7x--because I like
to be able to land the occasional big fish, and very few fishermen
there catch more than I do. So I don't think leader diameter
matters that much.


5x??? You must be joking. No one on ROFF uses anything finer than 3x.
You see, it stresses the poor fish too much. :-)

As far as 7x, the less said the better.


Well I *was* referencing the hoity toity spring creek culture,
not Roff, in anyway.

Not roff.....where, just the other day, someone actually suggested
using anchovie oil and beeswax for dubbing nymphs.
Who was that anyway? Was it Vincent?



--
/* Sandy Pittendrigh --oO0
** http://montana-riverboats.com
*/

"sandy" wrote in message
news
Not roff.....where, just the other day, someone actually suggested
using anchovie oil and beeswax for dubbing nymphs.
Who was that anyway? Was it Vincent?

That's funny. I always thought of fly fishers as self restricting elitists
when t comes to fishing. I always grew up fishing whatever method caught
fish, whether it was drifting a live monnow or casting an in-line spinner
under a bridge. I always figured the hard corp fly fihermen were purists
thinking you had to catch it on a hand tied fly or not at all. If you want
to use anhcovie oil, then why not MegaStrike or Smelly Jelly or Ultra Bite.

--
Bob La Londe

Win a Spinnerbait Tackle Kit

Spinnerbait Tips & Tricks Contest
Through the Month of September 2005

http://www.YumaBassMan.com

Bob La Londe typed:
"sandy" wrote in message
news
Not roff.....where, just the other day, someone actually suggested
using anchovie oil and beeswax for dubbing nymphs.
Who was that anyway? Was it Vincent?

That's funny. I always thought of fly fishers as self restricting
elitists when t comes to fishing.

We are. And we're better than you. ;-)

I always grew up fishing whatever
method caught fish, whether it was drifting a live monnow or casting
an in-line spinner under a bridge.

Unethical.

I always figured the hard corp
fly fihermen were purists thinking you had to catch it on a hand tied
fly or not at all. If you want to use anhcovie oil, then why not
MegaStrike or Smelly Jelly or Ultra Bite.

My God, man. STOP!
--
TL,
Tim
------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj/

Bob La Londe wrote:

... I always figured the hard corp fly fihermen were purists
thinking you had to catch it on a hand tied fly or not at all.

Unless someone has invented a machine that can tie flies
they're *all* hand tied. ;-)

--
Ken Fortenberry