Quick Video Of Our Bc Trip

[Guest bigbadbrent]

8wt? Weren't we told a while ago it is all tippet strength for fighting fish? Just trying to get the facts straight.

I personally just use my 6wt and let the fish take me for a walk to calmer spot.

 

 

tell that to the guys tossing 8+ weights on the bow, let alone the spey rods..

[reevesr1]

any chance of a non facebook vid? I hate signing up for everything....

 

Can't wait to see it though..

I thought the same thing, but since I was quite sure it would show me looking stupid (and I was right!), I figured I had to sign up. Just sign up and don't pay attention to all the "find your friends" stuff.

[OneMoreLastCast]

any chance of a non facebook vid? I hate signing up for everything....

 

Can't wait to see it though..

I'll bring a disk with the video on it this week when I'm in Calgary and leave it with Greg or maybe just give it to you personally if you can get out to wet a line....

 

As far as using an 8 wt. You almost have to with these fish in the type of water we were fishing in. There is usually no "calmer" spot to walk down to as shown in most of the video. If you play them right, you can usually keep them in the pool they were hooked in, but sometimes they don't cooperate and head down. If you can't stop them, they're gone. They'll snap 20 lb test like it was 6/0 thread if they get below you.

 

You have to match the tippet to the rod. I got my new 8 wt recently and have been using it on the Bow to get used to it. I was quickly reminded that the 8 wt was no good with 5x or 6x tippet, where I had no problems with the same tippets using my 4 or 5 wt. With the 8 I would pretty much snap off right at the hook set. That is where the tippet strenght comes into play, but it has to match the rod.

When fishing for fish between 8 and 20 pounds, you need a rod with some spine, or you won't have a chance. I've seen 5 and 6 weight rods with 20 pound test snap like a toothpick on fish like these when they run downstream because the person thought the line would hold the fish. They were half right, the line held up but the rod didn't. Usually snaps right above the cork....

[walker1]

Snapping leader with the bigger rod on hookset is common and I know all to well. Mine was with a 7 wt. VPS.

Had a great bow float 3 summers ago and the hopper fishing was awesome on the 5 weight. Awesome until I broke it!!!! Rigged the 7 with the hopper and bam, broke off 6 nice bows that day.

Big diffence in rods and setting of the hook.

Funny thing was, we both hooked about 30 fish that day and we both broke our 5 weights. Not to often you laugh when you break 700 dollar rods.

REMEMBER THIS DAY RUSS???????

[toolman]

I used to have difficulty with break offs on my 6 weight two hander with big trout snapping off 12 lb. tippets.

Then I decided to use a longer leader (12'-16') to allow more stretch in the system and now I can use 4x routinely on the Bow. I have landed many 24"-26" Trout on long 4x tapered leader/tippets(Frogs Hair) without a single break off and I pull pretty hard on them.

I'm not suggesting that you would use 4x for huge Bulls on these streams, but I would think you could use 12lb. Maxima and pull pretty hard on them without break offs. Of course there are limits to everything and you can only pull so hard before the rod/leader system becomes fully loaded and then something is going to snap. Hopefully not the rod above the cork. My buddies fish for Atlantics using 8lb. on 9/10 wt. rods, but they are following the trout downstream when they need to, so it's a different environment than those tight quartered rocky streams where there is no slack water for a long ways and difficult shorelines make it impossible to chase.

To prevent break offs at the knot, I use a palomar knot, or if you want a good loop knot, to allow better fly movement when using larger, stiffer tippets or in slower water, try the open clinched loop knot.

http://www.alaskaflyfishingonline.com/tips...clinchknot.html

[Glenbow]

I had to sign-up to view too, but it was well worth it. Looks like an awesome time out there, glad you brought the vid along for us to enjoy. Nic work, Brett. See you soon.