getting leader to cut through the surface film?

thehamo · 05-05-2011 9:11pm #1

So My question is, when dry fishing on very calm waters, surely a fish will be able to see a leader making an impression on surface film and discount your fly straight away? So how do you go about stopping this? I have used mud to degrease the leader but I find it just washes off in about 2 casts and back to the same situation. Should the leader be floating on the surface or should it be underwater?

Thanks in advance,

Mark.

experimenter · 05-05-2011 9:30pm

I use Fullers Earth... and a very low diameter flurocarbon leader..

http://www.spidersplus.co.uk/shop/details_page_01.asp?ProdID=613&category=&page=Fullers%20Earth%20-%20Traditional%20Degreaser%20%28Sinkant%29

dody · 05-05-2011 10:46pm

I use fullers earth mixed with washing up liquid.I got my fullers earth in Lidl, a small sack of it. Its cat litter and its pure fullers earth.Put some water on it and the granules will break down and it can be mushed into a paste with some washing up liquid. That allows my nylon tippet to break through the surface film when rubbed on.It leaves a green scum on the line which i wipe off with a piece of that slimy green weed that grows at the edge of the river.Then its good to go. This might have to be done every couple of casts but its well worth doing.The leader should be just under the surface, fluorocarbon tends to sink a lightly hackled dry fly unless its very fine, so i stick to mono which has a more neutral bouyancy and lies just under the surface film. Good luck with those calm water trout:)

ironbluedun · 06-05-2011 8:58am

for very calm water (flat calm) try fishing just one fly and try using a tippet of about 5 feet of fine diameter flouro connected to your mono via a small leader ring. the flouro is heavier and sinks better than mono or co-polymer. if you only use a short 5 foot section it has less of a tendency to pull the fly down as its not heavy enough over its length. what you want to achieve is the 5 foot section or as much of it as you can just under the surface an inch or so.

I dont use mono for dry fly fishing as you say it floats too well and the fish can see it on the surface.

coolwings · 06-05-2011 1:58pm

thehamo wrote: »

So My question is, when dry fishing on very calm waters, surely a fish will be able to see a leader making an impression on surface film and discount your fly straight away? ....
Mark.

I use fullers earth and detergent also if my leader is on top.

But I should add that in the calm, during daytime, on stillwaters, I almost always have a sinking line on. So the bright light floating leader problem is just about a river only problem in the main.
But presentation seems to work well if kept under the surface in bright conditions.
So you can happily fish a slow sink intermediate even when they are picking off surface flies. They don't seem all that concerned about a dry fly being just underneath, or a few inches under the top.

premiercad · 06-05-2011 4:10pm

I must say I came across this problem and a sort of solution by accident, I was fishing last week and noticed my braided loop was begining to sink at the end of the fly line, normally I would gink it up with some of my fly floatant but I was being particularly lazy that day but i noticed the fly line was dragging most of my tapered leader under and with some river mud (fullers earth) on the last couple of feet if tippet I had a great presentation, only the dimple of the fly was noticible in flat calm water and the trout were fooled, as Coolwings said previously if your on a river the line will never sink enough to give you any trouble as the drift is just a few seconds to cover the trout

croo · 07-05-2011 11:04pm

I use a jays dish cloth soaked well in fairy washing-up liquid... I keep it in a small/light plastic bag and wipe all but the last 4 inches of the leader every few casts or so.

ironbluedun · 09-05-2011 9:10am

croo wrote: »

I use a jays dish cloth soaked well in fairy washing-up liquid... I keep it in a small/light plastic bag and wipe all but the last 4 inches of the leader every few casts or so.

good idea croo, the washing up liquid works but i have always wondered what it is about the stuff that sinks the line?

ironbluedun · 09-05-2011 9:12am

coolwings wrote: »

So you can happily fish a slow sink intermediate even when they are picking off surface flies. They don't seem all that concerned about a dry fly being just underneath, or a few inches under the top.

true, but the fun, and best part of dry fly fishing is seeing the fish take the fly from the surface

:)

premiercad · 09-05-2011 10:49am

always wondered what it is about the stuff that sinks the line?

From what I've read it De-greases the line so grease and oil (Mostly from your fingers) won't float the leader and catch in the surface film

getting leader to cut through the surface film?

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