Advice For Bluefish Hookups

[flylikabird]

I'll be using 8 and 9 wt setups in the yak on the southside of Cape Cod Mass. I know it's gonna take some wire to keep these yelloweyed monsters hooked, what's the normal length and guage of the wire? Any chance of picking up the wire at a hardware store (Ace/Homedepot) or craft shop? Thanks in advance?

[Reaux]

I'll be using 8 and 9 wt setups in the yak on the southside of Cape Cod Mass. I know it's gonna take some wire to keep these yelloweyed monsters hooked, what's the normal length and guage of the wire? Any chance of picking up the wire at a hardware store (Ace/Homedepot) or craft shop? Thanks in advance?

 

No chance of getting suitable wire at a hardware store, unless they have a fishing section, same with a craft store. If you must use wire twenty or thirty pound, preferably knot-able, will work. The down side to wire is that it kinks, if you like replacing your wire trace (6 inches is good) after nearly every bluefish then wire is for you. Also wire won't aid in the preservation of your flies.

 

 

Thirty to fifty pound mono (I like Ande) as a bite tippet always works well for me. If they bite it off so-be-it that means they usually swallowed the fly or another one tried to steal it and bit you off. In the first case (swallowing the fly) with a wire leader you'll be facing a difficult extraction the will imperil you and the blue should you desire to release it. Check your mono bite tippet after every blue and if it is frayed snip that section off and retie - takes just seconds, much easier than constructing another wire trace.

 

 

Others may favor wire => your choice and theirs.

 

 

Oh, and over the years I've tied so many flies that are rejects that sacrificing them to blues bothers me not one wit. ;-)

 

 

Reaux

[kross57]

Another option, if you have the time, is to set up 6-inch wire leaders in advance. I get 20-lb braided, coated wire and use crimp sleeves to make a loop in one end and attach a small crosslock snap at the other. They typically last for 6-10 blues (more with smaller fish) before I need to change the wire, and its very easy to change. Also makes it easy to change flies with the snap on one end.

 

For 20 pound wire I use the sleeves built for 40-60 pound and put the wire through the sleeve 3 times. Never had one fail.

[quonny]

You can get the wire you need at a craft store. Stainless coated. I forget the name it is sold under now, but it is the same company that own American Fishing wire in West Chester PA. I will try to google it, and edit the post.

 

American Fishing wire is owned by Beadalon. The wires in the Craft store are marketed under the Beadalon name

[Spigola]

Look up tyger leader. That is the right spelling.

 

Spig

[flytyingguy1]

American Fishing Wire Coated Leader Wire, Bulk 300 foot spool

American Fishing Wire coated leader wire is made by combining seven individual strands of stainless steel wire and encasing it in a special nylon coating. Coated leader wire is tough, flexible and waterproof.

 

They sell this from 20lb to 145lb test. You can tie knots with it also. I use reg. 40lb test Ande Mono.

Or you can buy pre rigged wire tips also coated with plastic.

[kross57]

The Surflon is what I use. The same company makes coated Micro Ultra and Micro Supreme. They have more/finer strands so they are more supple and easier to knot.

[DAQ]

You can get the wire you need at a craft store. Stainless coated. I forget the name it is sold under now, but it is the same company that own American Fishing wire in West Chester PA. I will try to google it, and edit the post.

 

American Fishing wire is owned by Beadalon. The wires in the Craft store are marketed under the Beadalon name

 

 

Beadlon is what I use. The only difference I see between Beadlon and Surflon is the price. (both made by the same company)

[SnookFly]

I've had good results with American Fishing Wire Surflon Micro Supreme. You can tie a non-slip loop knot to attach the fly, and a three-turn clinch to attach bitter end to a small barrel swivel, then to the fly leader.

 

Better yet are circle hooks, like Mustad Signature C71S SS, tied direct to a mono or fluoro bite tippet.

 

In the picture; top is Surf candy tied far back on a Mustad S74SS long shank with AFW Surflon Micro Supreme wire, center is a Mustad C71S SS circle, bottom is S74SS with no wire.

 

With circles I often get up to ten or more bluefish or Spanish macs before having to re-tie. Most every fish is hooked in the jaw corner away from the teeth. Very few cut-offs and no chewing the fly to shreds.

[flytyingguy1]

I've had good results with American Fishing Wire Surflon Micro Supreme. You can tie a non-slip loop knot to attach the fly, and a three-turn clinch to attach bitter end to a small barrel swivel, then to the fly leader.

 

Better yet are circle hooks, like Mustad Signature C71S SS, tied direct to a mono or fluoro bite tippet.

 

In the picture; top is Surf candy tied far back on a Mustad S74SS long shank with AFW Surflon Micro Supreme wire, center is a Mustad C71S SS circle, bottom is S74SS with no wire.

 

With circles I often get up to ten or more bluefish or Spanish macs before having to re-tie. Most every fish is hooked in the jaw corner away from the teeth. Very few cut-offs and no chewing the fly to shreds.

 

 

If your catching Spanish Mac's I'm assuming your fishing down south & The Blue fish down there are peanuts compaired to the Gorillas up here.

[Orca]

Was catching big blues the past two weeks and originally I went with a 30lb

fluro carbon tippet. I was able to bring some fish in but I also had my tippet

bitten off a nbr of times. Switched to the wire and was able to beach a

couple of ten lbers that I never would have landed if I had stuck with the

fluro carbon.

[SnookFly]

flytyingguy1 - Yep, Spanish down south, but blues north and south. And Florida blues often go better than 10 - 12 pounds, although most are half that size. Lots of fun along the beach, or in the surf or in Indian River or Hobe Sound. My wife nailed an 11 pounder on light sponning gear last year way up in the Loxahatchee River where we were looking for jacksters and snook. This past winter was colder, windier than usual, but still had many blues on fly and spin and several were over the 10-pound mark. A buddy of mine Boga-Gripped a 13+ pounder on the backside of Singer Island while wading the grass flats there. Nice fish. Yes, on the fly. He's still grinning.

[crashq]

For wire leaders with flies, I use the 30 lbs Tyger Wire. It isn't cheap, but you can easily tie it, so it is easier to change out flies

 

I would always use wire when I knew bluefish or barracuda were around, but last fall at Montauk I used some Seaguar brand fluorocarbon leader material that my buddies had brought along because we were going for both stripers and bluefish and I thought the fluorocarbon might increase my odds on the stripers.

 

I used 20lbs, 30 lbs, and 30 lbs versions. All of them worked well. I got bit off after extended fights on a couple fish while using the 20 lbs line, I lost one fish on the 25lbs after catching 3 or 4 fish in a row on it without retying, and I didn't lose any fish on the 30lbs (but I checked it after evey fish and rre-tied when necessary). I stuck with the 30lbs leader when I knew we were going to be catching mainly blue fish because I could catch more fish before having to re-tie the leader. The "leader material" is thicker and stiffer than the regular line, and will resist bite-offs better, so don't confuse them.

 

This is the size fish that we were catching (that is a 5/0 clouser in its jaw).

 

[RobG]

40lb-60lb Ande mono and I tie specific "bluefish flys" exactly like Snookfly, long shank, fly tied on the rear and epoxied.

I also have a length of Cortland Toothy Fish leader in 30lb....but it's never seen duty in over 3 years, mono seems to work fine for most sub 20lb blues.

[Spigola]

Was catching big blues the past two weeks and originally I went with a 30lb

fluro carbon tippet. I was able to bring some fish in but I also had my tippet

bitten off a nbr of times. Switched to the wire and was able to beach a

couple of ten lbers that I never would have landed if I had stuck with the

fluro carbon.

 

 

Hey Pat,

 

When did you start flyfishing?

 

Spig