salmo
Advisory Board
Posts: 1,814
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Post by salmo on Nov 4, 2007 13:21:57 GMT
What is best light leaders with a long fight and an exhausted fish or heavy leaders and a quick fight.
Many anglers brag how light the leader is for the fish they caught.
Surely in these days of C & R we should be encouraging the heavier leaders for beats where C & R is required?
salmo
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Speyducer
Advisory Board
Release to spawn another day
Posts: 4,123
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Post by Speyducer on Nov 4, 2007 13:38:19 GMT
As a strong believer in C&R, and that salmon are generally not leader shy (maybe fly / lure / bait shy!), I tend to fish heavier leaders now, so that you don't have the concern about being relatively 'strong' on the fish, land him/her and return as quickly as possible.
Also, it is important to think about what you may encounter - the recent Ness big fish being a prime example - just because you are likely to hook into grilse in July & August doesn't prevent one of those bigger spring fish taking at that time. The need to use leader appropriate to the river's potential was amply illustrated in Russia, when I appeared on the first evening of July fishing with my more usual 12lb bs leader (unknown to the guide), and hooked into a nice fish on a ridiculously minute wisp of a fly. I had to negotiate this fish through some good streams, and when it was clear that it was a 20+, the guide asked me what the leader strength was, and although I had full confidence in the Maxima, he nearly fell over when I told him 12lb!
After the 22lber was safely landed without any undue fuss nor prolonged fight, and released, the leader was changed to 20lb bs. That is my minimum for Russia now, and the minimum in the UK is 15lb bs.
Mike
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