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I'm curious to see how many anglers use a steel leader for flounder. I've heard alot of anglers say it's not neccesary because of the large gap between a flounders teeth, and the fact that thier teeth are simply pointy and not sharp down the sides.
I've always used a steel leader because of all the oyster beds in the area I fish. They also come in handy when you're drifting over offshore wrecks.
But, is there that much of a difference in hit percentage to take a chance with a flourocarbon or mono leader?
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I used to use steel leader for the Halibut (West Coast Flounder). It think it was primarily out of paranoia though.
On old man taugh me a trick in the Mid 80s. Use Octopus hooks and standard leader material. The Octopus hooks realy made a difference especially on a Flatty that is 20 to 40lbs on the average.
They work along the same concept as the Circle hooks, only they grab from the side and can handle the headshake well.
I was also taught to either keep my hook sharp through changing them often or sharpen them frequently(less expensive).
The Octopus hook gives them the time they need to "Mouth" the bait and get the flavor. The only difference is when you have a big Barn Door. They will just hit and run.
I will primarily use steel leader now for Sharks.[cool]
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Back when we had good flounder fishing, I can say I never lost one due to line breakage useing mono.
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i never used steel leader for flounder/fluke.to me the steel leader would weight down the bait and give it a less natural movement.even when i fish for blue fish,i rarely use steel leaders.i am not saying i never lost one due to line cut
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[black][size 3]When I was young, we used to fish for flounder and we never used anything but mono. It was a long time ago but I don't remember break-offs being an all too common occurance.[/size][/black]
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Well, it definately seems like the general agreement is that using steel leader isn't neccesary. With that said, i'm going to start using a light test flourocarbon for a leader.
I wonder how Yo Zuri hybrid would be for leader material. Sure it isn't the best on a reel, but since it has flourocarbon formulated in it, it might make a good leader material, plus it has a smaller diameter and it's a bunch cheaper than buying spools of flourocarbon. I would never use it for leader for anything but flounder though. [  ]
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the lightest line i use for my rigs is 20 pound test
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Holy Cow!!!![shocked] Somebody finally found a sensible use for Yozi[crazy]
Just don't use more than 10 feet at a time. That gives you lots of leader material from a 1/4lb spool.[cool]
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Seriously, I think it would work very good. It's a tough line, the memory just sucks donkey butt. I'm going to try it for Spanish too.
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Not sure which speices of flounder your talking about or what area your fishing but here in New Jersey when I target summer flounder (AKA fluke) 90% of the time I'm using a #20 mono leader. The other 10% I'll bump it up to #30 especially when I'm fishing bucktails around reefs, rocks etc.
Here's a picture of my best fluke (summer flounder) to date. Just under offical doormat status at #9.5
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BTW, we have another species of flounder (at least in the northern part of New Jersey) known as the winter flounder which has no teeth thus not requiring a leader. They are however tasty little buggers.
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[black][size 3]Hey Tyderunner,[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Welcome aboard ! [/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]That is a nice looking fluke. My very first fluke came off the coast of NJ about 45 years ago. [/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Hey T4M,[/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]Not to hijack the thread or change the subject, but I've not had the pleasure of using Yozuri. Is it only a memory problem with the line or are there other issues with it as well ? [/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]I saw some on sale for pretty cheap the other day and was tempted to pick some up. [/size][/black]
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[black][size 3]From what I am reading here, it might make a good stiff hair rig material ?[/size][/black]
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Welcome aboard Tyderunner. We are glad to have you here on our forum. Please feel free to continue sharing as you already have. We can all learn from each other.[cool]
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Hey Fishhound. The Yozuri is excellent for leader material. I wouldn't put it past that. Once it is wound onto your reel, then you can put away your GPS because that stuff has enough memory to record all of your fishing spots.
4 to 5 foot leaders are fine though.[cool]
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LOL, no worries on changing the direction. Conversation is conversation. Steve is right on with the Yo Zuri, it is just a memory problem. He tried it long before I did, and I can remember the long past conversation of him warning me about the memory. LOL, I found out the hard way. But, in warmer climates, the memory isn't so bad, keep that in mind.
Yo Zuri Hybrid is perfect for leader material. Being that is formulated with flourocarbon, it's very hard for the fish to see, it also has a smaller diameter than regular mono while attaining the shock absorbing affect.
There are times when flourocarbon is the only option though, for instance with Tuna. Anything less just won't work. Tuna have excellent vision and are very finiky predators.
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Hey there Tyderunner, and welcome to the BFT message boards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We have both winter and summer flounder here as well. I rarely target the winter flounder, as I don't take kindly to the cold weather too much. [ ] I've always used steel leader for flounder, for as long as I can remember. But I went to a seminar not long ago and learned of this new tactic with mono leader.(atleast new to me) I also came to find that even the charter captains couldn't agree on that one. LOL, half used steel leader, and half used mono leader. It was actually comical to see them bicker back and forth.
I, however, and going to a flourocarbon leader when i'm targeting them around rocks or sandy bottoms. If i'm around reef material or oyster beds, i'm going to stick with a fine piece of 7 strand or maybe some of that Tiger tieable leader material.
My best Flounder thus far is 6.7 pounds. Which is no slouch. But, I really haven't been serious about targeting inshore species for the last few years. Maybe i'll take a little time this year to do so.
Thanks for your inputs tyderunner! We look foward to hearing more of your tactics.
Bryan D.
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Although at one point I did use flurocarbomon leader when targeting flounder/fluke, IMHO it's not needed. It has been my experience that flounder are not line shy.
When using bait for flounder/fluke, I use use the following rig;
1-Start with a 36" piece of straight #20 mono leader material.
2-Snell a 3/0 Gamakatsu octopus hook to one end.
3-Tie in a 1-1.5" dropper loop 14"s above the snelled hook.
4-Using an improved clinch knot, I tie in a barrel swivel to the other end of the leader.
5-On my main line, I place a sliding fish finder sleeve with a snap for my sinker.
6-To the dropper loop I attach a #56 duo-loc snap.
7-To this snap, I add some sort of teaser (soft plastic, clouser minnow, 1/8-1/4 ounce bucktail). My go to is a chartruse/white clouser.
I'll tip the teaser with a single small spearing. I'll bait the 3/0 hook with some type of strip bait + a single spearing.
I fish the above by giving the rig a constant jigging or hopping motion. As soon as I feel the slightest tick-I'll immediately place the reel in free spool and give a 2-4 second drop back. I'll then engage the reel, take up the slack & give a firm lift of the rod tip. If I feel any weight I'll then give another hook set (but not as forceful). Most of my flounder/fluke (and usually the biggest) are taking on the teaser. I've also had a fair number of double headers.
I should also mention that I'll only use braided line when flounder/fluke fishing.
All the above references to flounder are of the summer variety.
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My rig is very similar to yours....................
I usually use about a 24 to 30 inch leader. Normally, i'll use a very light 7 strand steel leader, or tie-able titanium steel leader. But, of course, i'm going to intergrate Yo Zuri in as a leader material when i'm not around heavy structure.
I keep my rigs pretty basic, no so many bells and wistles. On the business end of my leader, I usually use a Gamakatsu brand hook as well, however, I prefer a wide bend or Kahl hook for flounder.
On the other end of the leader, I use Spro swivels because they are tiney and indestructable.
Also, instead of a fish finder rig, I just use a small 3/4 oz egg sinker directly attached to the main line. I put a single bead ahead of it to keep the lead from beating up the swivel.
I prefer live bait for large flounder. A 5 or 6 inch croaker or spot is ideal. I also like large mullet minnows and near hand sized menhaden(pogeys). Usually i'll hook my live bait right through the nose from left to right, but it depends on what species of bait and how big it is as well. I prefer to hook Mullet through the eyes.
I also prefer braided line, mostly power pro. However, i'm watching the IGFA closely to see how the line pans out. It breaks well above it's pound test rating, and that's a no-no if you intend on entering a fish for record.
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