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Charlie,
The formula that's worked best for me is as follows (I use the same on my 8 and 10):
About 3-4 feet of 50 lb Ande mono leader material, with a perfection loop on one end,
that's connected to a section about 18" long of 30 lb Orvis Mirage flourocarbon with a surgeon's knot,
connected to about 18" of 18 lb Mirage with another surgeon's knot. Fly gets a rapala loop or clinch knot, depending on what I'm looking for.
I like the flouro for the abrasion resistance. A nice fish can do some damage with their gill plates to leader very easily (saw this the other night firsthand).
You can go crazy trying to think about leader setups. I know people who use a 6' section of 40 lb with a 15lb tippet and do just fine. Some people even forgo the tippet, and just use straight 30.
What brand of fly line do you have? Does it have a welded loop on the business end? If not, nail knot that 4" section in with a perfection loop on the end. 50 lb should be fine. Just make sure your butt section is at least the same pound strength as that 4" section. Most of my lines have loops on them so I don't have to worry about it.
Two important things to remember:
1) The butt section of your leader should be close to the diameter of your fly line, at least where the loop is. That'll allow energy to transfer smoothly during the cast, allowing the leader to turn the fly over and preventing hinging.
2) Lengthen or shorten your leader depending on the size of the fly. Big, 3/0 mack patterns? Go with a stiff, 5' max leader. Tiny surf candies? Up it to about 7-8', and taper accordingly. Tie some up in advance so you don't have to fumble around in the surf.
good luck,
Kevin
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