Leader Line and Guides

Ok I have a silly little question that maybe some of you can help me
with.

Whenever I get out to the edge of a body of water, I'm all rigged up
and ready to make my first cast. I always seem to have this awkward
moment where I struggle with standing knee deep in water trying to get
the last foot or so of the leader through the last few guides and the
tip top. The connection of the leader to the fly line is a bit awkward
and pulling on the leader or tippet never seems to pull out enough line
to start a good cast.

Is there some secret to this that I'm missing out on?

I'm using a 9 ft 5 wt so I have hard time reaching the tip top even
when I holding the rod in the middle? I'm also using an Orvis
Clearwater Fly Line with the knotless loop to loop connection on the
leader.

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
-Ethan

Ethan wrote:

Whenever I get out to the edge of a body of water, I'm all rigged up
and ready to make my first cast. I always seem to have this awkward
moment where I struggle with standing knee deep in water trying to get
the last foot or so of the leader through the last few guides and the
tip top. The connection of the leader to the fly line is a bit awkward
and pulling on the leader or tippet never seems to pull out enough line
to start a good cast.

Assuming you're using a 9' or 10' leader.....

When you rig up at your car, before walking to the water, instead of
putting the fly in the hook keeper, which is generally where the grip
meets the rod blank (and which therefore will mean you've got leader
rather than line going through the tip-top), do this:

With all of your leader and a couple of feet of line through your
tip-top, hook your fly in the stripping (the first and largest) guide of
your rod, (or in the foot of that guide, if it's easier), then loop the
leader carefully around the outer circumference of your reel, then
slowly reel up the slack until the whole business tightens. When you
get to the water, you'll be ready to go. Some reels, Ross for instance,
have a groove around the outside of their reels for just this purpose.

If at any time you *do* have to get the line-leader knot through the top
guides (after changing a fly, for example), some vigorous, rapid
swishing of the rod tip back and forth will do the trick, as if you're
doing side-to-side false casting (be sure you're holding the line in
your line hand such that there's no slack through the guides).

Other aids are 1) putting a smooth coating of Loon's Knot Sense on the
knot on your leader loop, or 2) using a Leader Link instead of what you
have now....

- JR

Ethan wrote:
Ok I have a silly little question that maybe some of you can help me
with.

Whenever I get out to the edge of a body of water, I'm all rigged up
and ready to make my first cast. I always seem to have this awkward
moment where I struggle with standing knee deep in water trying to get
the last foot or so of the leader through the last few guides and the
tip top. The connection of the leader to the fly line is a bit awkward
and pulling on the leader or tippet never seems to pull out enough line
to start a good cast.

Is there some secret to this that I'm missing out on?


I string up the rod by pulling the fly lines through the guide. I tie
on the fly I am going to start with and then loop the leader around the
fly reel and hook the fly on the hook-keeper or on the legs of one of
the guides. (do not "hook" the hook is the stripping guide (guide
closest to the reel). Then when I get to the stream and am standing in
it I just have to unhook the fly and unloop the leader. Then you can
shake the tip a little to let out a little more fly line and start
casting.

"Ethan" wrote in
ups.com:

Ok I have a silly little question that maybe some of you can
help
me with.

Whenever I get out to the edge of a body of water, I'm all
rigged
up and ready to make my first cast. I always seem to have
this
awkward moment where I struggle with standing knee deep in
water
trying to get the last foot or so of the leader through the
last
few guides and the tip top. The connection of the leader to
the
fly line is a bit awkward and pulling on the leader or tippet
never seems to pull out enough line to start a good cast.

Is there some secret to this that I'm missing out on?

I'm using a 9 ft 5 wt so I have hard time reaching the tip
top
even when I holding the rod in the middle? I'm also using an
Orvis
Clearwater Fly Line with the knotless loop to loop connection
on
the leader.

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
-Ethan


To keep the line clean, I stand in shallow water with the butt
of the rod on a rock on shore. Holding the rod horizontally
pointing toward midstream, I feed the line through the guides
while walking toward the tip top. I fold a small loop in the
line where the leader is attached. It makes it easier to push
the line and leader through the guides and prevents them from
slipping out of the guides if you happen to drop the loop.
After I push the loop through the tip top, I pull on the leader
until the end of the tippet comes out of the tip top. I tie on
a fly and hook it to the keeper. I wade to where I'm going to
fish, remove the fly from the keeper, strip a few feet of line
off the reel, then pull on the leader tippet while holding the
rod upside down so that the guides face toward the water. That
way leader knots or the line/leader connection will not get
snagged in the guides as you strip out line.

rt

"Ethan" wrote in message
ups.com...
Ok I have a silly little question that maybe some of you can help me
with.

Whenever I get out to the edge of a body of water, I'm all rigged up
and ready to make my first cast. I always seem to have this awkward
moment where I struggle with standing knee deep in water trying to get
the last foot or so of the leader through the last few guides and the
tip top. The connection of the leader to the fly line is a bit awkward
and pulling on the leader or tippet never seems to pull out enough line
to start a good cast.

Is there some secret to this that I'm missing out on?

I'm using a 9 ft 5 wt so I have hard time reaching the tip top even
when I holding the rod in the middle? I'm also using an Orvis
Clearwater Fly Line with the knotless loop to loop connection on the
leader.

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
-Ethan


Others have mentioned to have extra line out, looped around the reel. When I
forget to do that, I'll drop the tip so its just above the water surface,
and VERY quickly sweep the fly across the water surface. The water tension
will drag the fly and line out of the tiptop before the weight of the fly
line can pull the whole thing back.

You have probably discovered the amazing mess of tangle you can get up there
if you try to false cast and get line to escape, right?

--riverman

Cool thanks for all the tips everybody, I like the idea of winding
extra line around the reel so that there is a few feet of Fly line
already out the tip top. That is a good idea and I never would have
figured that out on my own, someone probably would have shown me
eventually but who knows how long I would have look like a fool holding
my rod in the middle stretching out my right arm to reach the tip
top...silly me.
Thanks,
-Ethan

rt wrote in news:Xns984162AC5E38rt52a59bb38ccc@
212.227.76.70:

"Ethan" wrote in
ups.com:

Ok I have a silly little question that maybe some of you can
help
me with.

Whenever I get out to the edge of a body of water, I'm all
rigged
up and ready to make my first cast. I always seem to have
this
awkward moment where I struggle with standing knee deep in
water
trying to get the last foot or so of the leader through the
last
few guides and the tip top. The connection of the leader to
the
fly line is a bit awkward and pulling on the leader or
tippet
never seems to pull out enough line to start a good cast.

Is there some secret to this that I'm missing out on?

I'm using a 9 ft 5 wt so I have hard time reaching the tip
top
even when I holding the rod in the middle? I'm also using an
Orvis
Clearwater Fly Line with the knotless loop to loop
connection
on
the leader.

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
-Ethan


To keep the line clean, I stand in shallow water with the
butt
of the rod on a rock on shore. Holding the rod horizontally
pointing toward midstream, I feed the line through the guides
while walking toward the tip top. I fold a small loop in the
line where the leader is attached. It makes it easier to push
the line and leader through the guides and prevents them from
slipping out of the guides if you happen to drop the loop.
After I push the loop through the tip top, I pull on the
leader
until the end of the tippet comes out of the tip top. I tie
on
a fly and hook it to the keeper. I wade to where I'm going to
fish, remove the fly from the keeper, strip a few feet of
line
off the reel, then pull on the leader tippet while holding
the
rod upside down so that the guides face toward the water.
That
way leader knots or the line/leader connection will not get
snagged in the guides as you strip out line.

rt

"the guides face toward the water"

I should have said: "the guides face toward the sky"

rt

"Ethan" wrote in message
ups.com...
Cool thanks for all the tips everybody, I like the idea of winding
extra line around the reel so that there is a few feet of Fly line
already out the tip top. That is a good idea and I never would have
figured that out on my own, someone probably would have shown me
eventually but who knows how long I would have look like a fool holding
my rod in the middle stretching out my right arm to reach the tip
top...silly me.
Thanks,
-Ethan


Not only that, but the leader will get a permanent bend in it from the
tiptop. The fly line resists creases much better.

--riverman

Thanks to JR and Wayne, and everyone else for the good advice. I tested
out the suggested method of winding the excess leader and tippet around
the outside of my reel, yesterday morning. It worked like a charm, I
had much more time to fish because I wasn't fussing around with getting
that pesky fly line out the end of the tip top, while standing knee
deep in the water.

Secondly I caught and landed a fish for the first time on my fly rod. I
hooked up with three white bass and had them jump before I finally
landed the fourth. Playing the fish with the striping hand is really
fun, much more involved and sporty than crankin on a spinning reel and
hauling it in. The fly I even tied myself an olive wooly bugger. WHAT
FUN! I think I'm going to donate my spinning rig to charity.

Thanks,
-Ethan

"Ethan" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks to JR and Wayne, and everyone else for the good advice. I tested
out the suggested method of winding the excess leader and tippet around
the outside of my reel, yesterday morning. It worked like a charm, I
had much more time to fish because I wasn't fussing around with getting
that pesky fly line out the end of the tip top, while standing knee
deep in the water.

Secondly I caught and landed a fish for the first time on my fly rod. I
hooked up with three white bass and had them jump before I finally
landed the fourth. Playing the fish with the striping hand is really
fun, much more involved and sporty than crankin on a spinning reel and
hauling it in. The fly I even tied myself an olive wooly bugger. WHAT
FUN! I think I'm going to donate my spinning rig to charity.

Having read the second paragraph, the last sentence seem to fall under the
Geneva Convention's article prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment.

Op

Thanks,
-Ethan