CutThroat Leader Company
caught on cutthroat leader
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Trucker Style Brown Logo Blk?Wht Trucker cutthroat leader Hats
Summer Heat equals high fish mortality...

Hot days and low river flows equal high Fish Mortality....

As fly fishers, we practice mostly catch and release... But the moderate snowpack of last winter coupled with recent warm temperatures have many of the western fishing waters running low and clear - more typical of late-summer conditions .

  

Drought conditions not only reduce flows, but also increase water temperatures. Less water means that rivers and streams warm more quickly, and, where trout are concerned, warm water places extra stress on the fish. Such stress can sometimes result in angler-caused mortality to fish, but can be minimized by following a few guidelines for playing, handling, and releasing fish.
 
Being caught and released is stressful on all fish. Anglers should give fish a break as water temperatures reach over 70 degrees. The warmer water stresses fish, and being caught and released stresses them even more. Fish handling mortality can be quite high when warm water temperatures are present. Even if a fish swims away from an angler it does not mean it is going to survive."

 

Fishing when water temps are at their lowest (early morning) can help. The cooler the water, the easier it is for fish to recover after being caught.  With tail-water fisheries, water is coming from the bottom of a dam where temperatures are typically cooler, But even in tail-waters, anglers are advised to follow standard catch-and-release practices to minimize stress on the fish.  Fish that anglers intend to release should be played and landed as rapidly as possible to reduce exhaustion stress. Anglers may wish to choose heavier tippet or leader sections so they can play the fish more quickly and return it to the water promptly.

 

Careful handling can also reduce fish mortality. Do not squeeze fish. Anglers should take care to keep their fingers away from gills. A landing net facilitates handling a fish and quick hook removal. Anglers may also consider using barbless hooks as the hook is much easier to remove, which minimizes the handling of the fish and the time the fish is out of the water.

Once you've caught a fish, revive it by gently holding it in an upright position with the fish facing upstream in fairly calm water. Move the fish slowly back and forth to get water moving though the gills. You can then release the fish in quiet water after it has regained its strength and is able to swim from your grip.

 

 

Keep these simple tips in mind when heading out to your favorite fishing waters.

 
 
camo leader       
Our Best Selling Leader
76" Ultimate Dry Fly

Dry Fly Indicator

Dry Fly Indicator Leader      

Great leader when throwing tiny difficult to see/track flies.
Leader Tips

If throwing big nasty flies, on 5 or 6 wt, you can always' upsize your leader to a 7-8 wt which aid in turning over heavier flies.

Leaders we offer:

 

Best sellers:

Leader Floatant

Leader Floatant

 

  power flex

RIO Power Flex Tippet

 

flouroflex

RIO FlouroFlex Tippet

 

 

 

Standard Nymph LeaderNymph Leaders
 

hi-vis nymph Hi-Vis Nymph

 

 

thing-a-ma-bobber

Adjustable Nymph Leader

 

Nymph Leader

Standard Nymph Leader

 

flouro

 

Flouro Nymph Leader

 

  reinf.nymph

Reinforced Nymph Leader

 

 

Rainbow Trout Combo

(2 Dry Fly leaders and Paste Floatant)

$20.00

 

Brown Trout Combo

(2 Dry Fly, 1 Nymph Leader and Paste Floatant)

$30.00

 
Central Idaho
 
My son and I spent the past weekend fishing in the Central Idaho Mountains.  The river levels are low and clear compared to past seasons.  We got into many fish, but most of them were on the small side.  Lucky for me, My son is just as happy with catching a 10" cutty as he is landing an 18" Brown.
  
 
One of our many amazing freestones in Idaho.
 
idaho rivers
Beautiful Place to wet a line. 
stimulator
   cuttyDuring the above mentioned trip, my son and I were walking the rivers edge when he finds a huge used Stimulator on the ground, (similar to one above) maybe even a size 4.  He was adamant about using his new found fly.  The fish we were catching were mostly small, 8"-11".  I tried talking him out of using his new fly, but he was very persuasive, and he won the argument.  He was using a TFO 3 wt.  Never in a million years did I think he would be able to cast this fly, none the less  catch a fish with it.  But Literally the second cast of this monstrosity of a fly and Bang.....  Fish on.  Not the biggest fish of the trip but defiantly the most memorable.  This is one reason I love the sport of Fly Fishing.  Even after years of fishing experience, there is always something new we can all learn.
  

 

  Nymphing Techniques:

 

We receive many questions about nymphing with a Furled Leader.  The info below will better explain what leader type to use when fishing specific conditions.

 

36" Thread Streamer Leader:  These leaders are to be used on sinking lines / heads.  Good leader for swinging wet flies.  Not great for very heavy flies.

 

36" Thread Lake Leader:  These leaders are to be used on sinking lines while float tube fishing.  These leaders sink extremely fast.  They will drag most sinking lines down.  This means no belly in the line like you get with traditional mono leaders.  Because you are fishing non-moving water, you need to extend your tippet length to 6'-7' long.

 

36" Flouro Lake Leader:  These leaders turn heavier flies, sink fast and allow shorter lengths of tippet. 

 

50" Standard Nymph Leader:  Myself along with many fly fishers use this leader with an indicator.  Some guys apply floatant to the leader from the butt section to the indicator, others grease the whole leader and apply the indicator to only the tippet section.

 

Hi-Vis Nymph Leader: These leaders need to have the Hi-Vis section of the leader coated in floatant.  This leader takes the place of using a separate indicator.  These leaders will support small beads heads and wet flies, but not large heavy nymphs patterns.

 

Big Bug Floating Leader:  These leaders are great when using large indicators such as thingamabobbers.  The leaders have neutral buoyancy (they float or sink depending on the fly used).

 

Big Bug Sinking Leader:  These leaders are 100% fluorocarbon.  These turn over heavy flies when tight line fishing, swinging large streamers, etc.  Not great with indicators as the leader sinks and will drag down your indicator.

 

Adjustable Indicator Leader:  This Nymph Leader is found on many guide boats / rafts across the West. This Nymph / Thingamabobber Leader gives you the ability to adjust your Thingamabobber hundreds of times, without any damage to the 40 lb line. The leader is approx 36" with a 35lb swivel on one end, a loop on the other and a thingamabobber in the middle. We have two adjustable stops one either side of the Thingamabobber to keep it where you want it. Thingamabobbers are great for fishing fast / turbulent water. This leader allows the fisher to quickly adjust up to 3'-0" of depth with ease. The heavy line turns over the heaviest of flies and splitshot.

Simply Attach a 24"-36" Length of heavy tippet to the swivel. Then tie on a length of tippet to match the fly you are fishing. I like to use the knot that attached the last piece of tippet to stop my split shot from sliding down the tippet. Not only does the heavier tippet help with casting, it can handle split shot without the worry of breaking due to splitshot attachment.

 

Video We put together about Furled Leaders: 
  
How to use a Furled Dry Fly Leader
How to use a Furled Dry Fly Leader
  We understand many of you have already watched the video, but we decided to include it again in this newsletter as we have had a great response to it. We Put this Video together to answer many of the typical questions we receive from fly fishers.  If you have any fellow fly fisher friends that do not use furled leaders or better yet, do not understand why you do..., this video may help explain the why's...
  
 
 
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