Northwest Fishing Reports

I (the n00b) just got a new, lighter fly rod for all the stream fishing I do and finally got it all ready to go yesterday. How'd I do?

- 3/4 wt 6'6" Crystal River fly rod
- Okuma 4/5 wt reel
- 4 wt WF floating line
- 20# dacron backing

I also had a question about the leader. I keep hearing '4x leader that tapers into 5x' or whatever, does this mean that the leader itself is tapered or does it mean 4x leader with 5x tippet? I'm a cheap bass-turd so I've just been useing 4# Maxima leader that I use for my spinning rig, does that work too?
Heh, before I forget, I had a question about the WF line too. Does the 'weight forward' part start right at the end of the line when it comes off the spool new, or is the weighted part back a few inches? I just don't know...

I suppose I probably should've posted this <i>before</i> I got all the stuff, but oh well...
Any help would be...helpful ;)

Geoff out-

Geoff-

It looks like you have the right set up for the stream fishing that you want to do. Okuma makes a great reel. I just bought an Okuma Helios for my 9wt rod for Muskie fishing. The weight forward line is what you want. I have used it for 30 years or better. The backing is correct.

The leader material is a very important component. Don't go cheap on this. A good leader is the key to a good presentation and line rollover. Here is the leader that I use exclusively. It is a tapered leader that straightens out easily by just pulling the leader through a couple of fingers. The cheap leaders are hard to remove the line memory.

http://www.rioproducts.com/product.php?fmCategory=18

Buy a couple of Rio 4x leaders along with 4x and 5x tippet spools. Since the leaders come in 7 1/2' length, I would suggest taking about 6-8" of the butt section (fat end) of the leader off. Then add 6-8" of tippet on the tip of the leader. You don't want an extra long leader on the light of a rod.

I use tapered leaders and have tippets that I tie on as well. In streams I use 1-3 Lb test. If you are new to fly fishing. You want to pay attention to how much leader you lose when tying on new flys. I use a blood not to tie on new tippet. What do you use Marc?

The blood knot works well.

Thanks for the review and stuff. Next time I head to town I'll be sure to pick up some tapered leaders.

Once again, thanks.

Geoff out-