Bluefish Fly Leaders

[Blackjack]

What do people like for bite tippets for luefish, and how do you like to attach them to your regular fluoro leaders? I've tried using a blood knot to attach either heavy mono or that coated thin wire (Ty-Gear?), but it seems to fail when you get below 15 lbs fluoro strength?

[Strat]

I'm sure you will get a variety of responses on this but here's what I use:

Forget the floro for bluefish. Pre-tie 3ft lengths of 20# mono to 6 inches of 26# surflon micro ultra coated wire. I use a double surgeons. It helps to keep equal pressure on all 4 ends of the surgeon's as you snug it down (use pliers). The thicker diameter of the mono makes for better surgeon's knots and won't cut you when you've got the fish at the boat.

[RogerStg]

I use a slim beauty to tie the leader to the 40# bite tippet.

[Popes]

I prefer heavy mono/fluoro over wire. Seems like no matter what I do with the wire (unless you go with the Malin Boa or something similar), it just gets kinked up after one fish and needs to be re-tied. The blood knot is probably not a good one if you have too much disparity in tippet diameter. Better to use an Albright or another knot meant to handle different line diameters. Out of laziness and efficiency, I will often use a straight piece of heavy mono for the blues loop-to-loop to my fly line connection and then switch back to the 15-20 if there might be something less toothy around. I have had very bad luck with non-tyable wire to mono connection. So bad that I have resorted to tying to small swivels when wire is required (like barracuda fishing). There are probably better solutions, but simple is always a good place to start.

[Pauper Piscator]

Hope I don't get flamed for mentioning, but how about the short - 6" - , pre-packed wire "pike" leaders. E.g. Eagle Claw? Look around and you can find real nice light ones.

You can get something like a 10 pack with a swivel and snap for about 3.00.

Hey your fishing for BLUES not browns. Short $$ and EZ.

Snip off the swivel if it annoys you. I like em personally if nice and small.

Tie on with a simple impr clinch or whatever.

[Chuckster]

I had been using the Orvis Haywire Bite Guards, but at ~$15 per 6, I've moved on to less expensive options. The Haywires work great, but once they're kinked, they are very difficult to straighten.

Lately I've just been using a 7' section of #60 Orvis Saltwater tippet with a loop-to-loop to my flyline - quick, dirty, and effective.

[RogerStg]

The only drawback to using strong material for the entire leader is that a snag can cause you to break your 22-30# test fly line.

[JimC]

I'd always used 6" pike leaders (30#) but got "fancy" the past few years with 40# floro and/or knotable wire. I'm back to the premade pike leaders. Soooo much easier. Being a professed bass snob, if blues are the only game in town and the they are being so fussy that they require mono bite tippets instead of wire, I don't want to catch them anyway.

[SamRiley]

40# FC Albright to 20# mono leader. No bite-offs and picky fish will not see it.

[GULFSTREAM]

I agree with using heavy fluorocarbon. I use 50 pound SeaGuar to 20 pound same set up as SamRiley. Does the job and have had few blues chew through the bite tippet.

[sacofrank]

I lost a few leaders recently. Was using the Sandy Point bluefish leader. Someone recommended using TyGer Wire for a leader. Does anyone have any experience with this stuff?

[Ray]

2 feet of 40 - 60# mono or flouro with a triple surgeon's loop onto 12- 18#