Fly rodding for pike

In article , Jim Murray
wrote:
A few questions on flyrodding for pike.

A little OT here. X-posted & followups set to urf.coarse

1. I have some 14lb. fluorocarbon line, would this make a good leader
material?

Use something cheap and stiff. Really nasty cut-priced 15lb bs would be my
choice. Try not to have a hinge-point between the leader and the wire
tippet. In other words use a knot that whips onto the wire rather than any
sort of loop to loop.

2. Can you use a braided loop connector to join the line to the backing.

Don't see why not though I tend to whip mine.

3. I've bought a 8/9 intermediate sinking line. Have heard that the (pike)
fly will turn over better if you cut about 2 feet from the forward end of
the line. Would this be correct?

For really big flies you might want to try a shorter piece of flat 12 weight
as a 'shooting' head although you'll probably not be shooting for range.

I haven't really had a chance to experiment this year. I was planning to
try some bigger flies hoping for bigger fish. The 4" jobs that seem to be
standard are smaller than many I use in the sea. Come the summer I intend
to try some 8" poppers.

Cheerio,

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