Flies and leaders

In answer to many emails I have received asking about fly and leader set-ups for the hundreds of Roosterfish we caught in Loreto, here is a synopsis. The only fly I used was Charlie Bisharat's Airhead. I brought several different sizes and colors, all of which I had tied over the winter. My arsenal consisted of 3, 4 and 5-inch airheads in gray, olive and tan, but the one that got the best results for me personally was the 3-inch tan. Roosters don't like flash, so I saved my "flashier" flies for Dorado and that system worked great. For Roosters my boat partner started off with a sardine pattern, but then switched to an olive airhead, and we had double hook-ups more than single hook-ups - go figure!
We used and fell in love with the SA "Jungle Line" with the 15-foot clear intermediate - no issues with tangling and you could really throw a super tight loop. For leaders we ended up with a four-foot butt section of 40-pound mono. and another four feet of 20-pound. We ended up going a little heavier on the tippet because the Needle fish chewed up the smaller diameter. I think next year I will bring along several tapered leaders in 20-pound and tie them on backwards, then tie a Bimini in the skinny end and a loop knot in the big end so I have a built-in bite in one piece. Anyway, there you go.

Carl Blackledge