Tarpon On The Four Weight

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The Silver King Photo by Louis Cahill

Let me be clear on this…I am not a dumb ass. Well, at least not a big enough dumb ass to try and catch a tarpon on a four weight.

But I did buy a new four weight reel the other day and a ten weight line. So I sat down to line up the two reels, which is my cat’s favorite thing in the world, and something occurred to me. I rig my four weight for tarpon. What I mean by that is that I use the same system for attaching my fly line to the backing that I learned when I started saltwater fly fishing.

Before I started fishing salt I attached my line to the backing with a nail knot, like I learned to as a kid. Now I spend a lot more time whipping a loop on the back of my fly line with tying thread and superglue. Then I spend even more time tying a double Bimini twist in my backing and connecting loop to loop. But why?

Well, it’s clearly a stronger connection but do I need that on a four weight trout rod? It sure doesn’t hurt when you find yourself connected to a ten pound trout on your four weight. You will be seeing that backing, I promise. Still, it’s clearly overkill. It comes back through your guides smoother and that’s nice, but still not a big deal. Here’s my reasoning, and this is why I use this method on all my reels.

First, it’s just better. Second, and most importantly, I only change that ten weight line once a year, some times not even that. Why let the knot I trust to hold a tarpon be the first knot of it’s kind I have tied in a year? Knot skills are like anything else, use it or loose it. So when I rig up, I rig for tarpon, every time. I don’t know if I land more tarpon but if I lose a four weight line I’ll be very surprised.

 
Louis Cahill
Gink & Gasoline
www.ginkandgasoline.com
hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
 
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8 thoughts on “Tarpon On The Four Weight

  1. I would love to see something on how to rig up for the salt. I spent the summer in the Keys learning how to fish saltwater, but I didn’t have any fly fisherman around to show me that aspect of the keys. I’ve only found one decent source online for how to rig up in this style (which I haven’t found again), and the rest just phrase it how you do: “whip a loop”, ect. How exactly do you do all that? Could you point to a good website that has good pointers on various rigging styles?

  2. Pingback: The Bimini Twist | Gink and Gasoline, The Blog home of Kent Klewein and Louis Cahill-Fly Fishing photography, video, tips and news.

  3. Pingback: Sunday Classic / The Bimini Twist | Fly Fishing | Gink and Gasoline | How to Fly Fish | Trout Fishing | Fly Tying | Fly Fishing Blog

  4. Nathaniel Linville has extremely helpful rigging videos on THE ANGLING COMPANY website along with multiple helpful hints to get you prepared to hit the salt in the KEYS.

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