----- Original Message ----- From: Don Ordes <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, August 20, 2002 2:04 PM Subject: Re: [VFB] Dorado fishing equipment
> > > Thank you very much for the detailed breakdown of the equipment used. > > Just so that I understand the leader end of the flyline, I understand that > you have 3-4 feet of 40 pound test mono running leader connected loop to > loop with the flyline, connected to 20 pound test class tippet which in turn > is connected to 4 feet of 80 pound test shock tippet. Is there a hinging > problem with this? > > A: Haven't experienced one. You have to remember that blue-water > flyfishing > is mostly fighting, not casting. Sometimes, when dorado get > stubborn, you > may do quite a bit of casting, changing flies quite often. Hit the > right fly > and you may make one short cast and be busy for the next hour, make > one more > cast and be busy for another hour. This leader system is borne out > of necessity, > form following function, and hence the main function of each leader > section is > different than trying to delicately roll over a dry fly with an even > loop. > > The running section gets the end of your fly line away from the tail > of the 8-9' billfish. > The distance from the loop on the fly line to the fly should be > longer than the fish you > intend to catch. In IGFA, this section can be any length. But > it should be short enough that the knot is not going back and forth > thru your tip guide > as you battle the fish close to the boat. Balance is the key. Next > in line is the class tippet. > > The class tippet is a designed weak-link. The fly line is an > expensive investment > and since you spend quite a portion of your fighting time in the > backing, you would not > want your backing to break first and lose your fly line. The worst > you sould do is lose > your shock tippet and fly. Much smaller price tag (trip?). It also > should be tougher than nails > and be tournament grade, if you're going after IGFA records. This > means that, like Ande > fishings lines, they are guaranteed to NEVER test ABOVE the rated > pound test. To get > a fish qualified, you send in EVERYTHING! If the leader piece is > cut from a stronger section > on the spool, and it tests to 20.5 pounds, and you thought you had a > 20 pound record, > oh well. Tougher than nails is important because of the IGFA rules > on shock tippets. > See below. The overall length of clear tippet, from knot to knot, > not including knots, > cannot be shorter than 12". This puts 12" of 'light' leader tipper > in harm's way. Why? > > The IGFA designated shock tippet length for marlin (billfish) is the > same as the shock tippet > length for tarpon, which is a MAXIMUM of 12", INCLUDING the knots! > Why? They never figured people would be fishing for billfish with > flyrods when making the rules. > Tarpon don't have rasplike bills, therefore shock tippets can be > short. A marlin bill will file the skin > off your hand and will cut a class tippet in an instant. Therefore > the shock tippet needs to be > long enough for the class tippet to be away from the bill. But in > IGFA rules it isn't. > Why don't they change it (and it does need changing) ? Because they > already have > records on this set-up and don't want to make it easier for those > next in line. I could > write a book about this, but I won't. Many record marlin and sails > are fought to exaustion > and lost at the boat because the bill slaps down on the class > tippet. Australian rules are > not so archaic, and allow for a 3' shock tippet, so I am told, and > that's enough distance > to get away from that bill. So IGFA has essentially excluded the > 'sport' fisherman who can't > afford to lose a billfish to a class tippet cut, as it may be the > only chance of his/her life to > catch this prize. So you have to decide if you want to chance > losing a lot of fish, or your > only fish (billfish) to a class tippet cut, or give up record > fishing and give yourself a much better chance > to land that fish and not get an official record, even if it breaks > the old record by a 100 pounds > and everything else is the same. Off my soapbox for now.... See part B DonO >
