Strong video explaining Rio Versileaders

[Owen Williams]

I just wanted to share what I thought was a strong explanation of versileaders and their applications from the folks at Rio: https://youtu.be/n_9YjmPhJF4

[Wesley Zhao]

I use their 7 ips leader and their 2 ips leader when I swing flies in deep water. I found it helps to cast 2 heavy clousers. It is also convenient for steamers with no weight or when you want to switch leaders and still be able to throw a popper out.

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Wes

[Andrew R]

Versileaders/Polyleaders are absolutely awesome for most freshwater fishing situations. The biggest advantage is not having to carry spare spools with an integrated sink-tip line and being able to have multiple sink rates available on the move. Airflo sells a polyleader set that has everything from floating to t14 in 5 and 10 ft lengths.

For those who haven't used them before, no matter how heavy the polyleader is, it's never really a substitute for a full sink line. If I'm fishing somewhere that has lots of subsurface wood like the Pere Marquette in Michigan and I want the line to lay/slide across potential snags, with an unweighted fly moving above the obstructions, I bring a full sink. Polyleaders tend to pull the fly downward into the snags as you strip it closer and the line angle changes. 

Andrew R

[Owen Williams]

Thanks for this great tip, Andrew R. I had wondered about that. 

What ips would people recommend for smallmouth fishing here in Virginia? Do I need the full set of Rio Versileaders / AirFlo Polyleaders to cover all conditions, or can I get just the first two, for instance?

Thanks in advance for any advice. 

Best, 

Owen Williams

[Andrew R]

My suggestion would be to get a full set, as it'll ultimately be cheaper than buying them one by one. However, if I was to suggest only a couple of weights, I'd probably suggest getting a 10 ft fast sink rate (16 grain)  and a 10ft super extra fast sink rate (40). Sink Tips, measured from T-1 to like T-16 (maybe even higher), are good too, but slightly different (polyleaders are tapered, sink tips are "level").  

This article from Hatch is probably the best resource on polyleaders and sink-tips I've seen: https://www.hatchmag.com/articles/polyleaders-vs-sink-tips/7712728

Plus as always, three of TPFR's board members: Art Noglak at Orvis Arlington, Ryan Mccarron at Orvis Tysons and Richie Farino at District Angling should be able to help too. 

Tight Lines,

Andrew R

[Owen Williams]

Many thanks, Andrew R! You are a welcome fount of knowledge and advice. 

Best, 

Owen