Saltwater leader and tippet material

I was wondering what leader and tippet material would best suit saltwater conditions. I have heard of using fluorocarbon as a shock tippet, but I want to hear what you guys would recommend. Could you still use mono as a leader? Also, what pound test would be best? This will be my first time saltwater fly fishing. I will be targeting snook, speckled trout, ladyfish, and pretty much anything that will bite.

Thanks guys!

I do a good bit of saltwater fly fishing...and I recommend nothing but fluorocarbon for your leader and tippet material(unless you need wire bite protection). I prefer Vanish myself, but several brands are good.

Make your own leaders using decreasing test in 2 to 3 foot sections of fluoro. I start with a 50lb section to the fly line, then 40lb, the 30lb section. From here it depends on the fish you are targeting and what tippet test you want to end up with. I use a lot of 20lb tippet...so just add that section to complete the setup. If I was going to say 10lb tippet for relatively small fish I'd probably add a short 20lb section and then the 10lb tippet section.

Use carefully tied blood knots and you will have a leader setup that is much cheaper than those expensive tapered leaders and will work just as well or better.

Sometimes for Tarpon and larger fish you may need a "bite" tippet. i.e. a final section of higher than 30lb test...and if you carefully followed the decreasing test sections, you will still have no problem with turning the fly over even with the bite tippet.

The key is decreasing test sections so you can get that fly to turn over in any condition.

Tight lines.

Surf /jetties I use a straight 5-6' section of 30lb fluoro. 50 if I'm getting bit off a lot. Flats/bay ill use a tapered leader, generally 7.5' mono 12lb

Wouldn't your fly not turn over if you used a straight fluoro leader? Or does it really matter in those surf/jetty conditions?

Pretty much any leader will turn over the fly. The difficult part is getting the fly to turn over gently so that it lands softly on the water. Tapered leaders and tapered fly lines are important when you want a stealthy presentation.

Basically, you'll get a bigger "splash" from the fly with a straight leader than you'll get from a tapered leader. Depending on the fishing conditions, the bigger splash can either be beneficial, irrelevant, or scare off every fish in the area. I suspect in surf/jetty conditions, a delicate presentation doesn't matter much.

Surf/jetty conditions don't really matter. Unless you are sight casting cruising fish on a glassy day it's just just chunking flies into a washing machine. Also unless you're using a popper,you're generally using an intermediate line and you want a short leader anyways.

Good info!!

Yes, very good and helpful information. Thanks you guys!

Although fluorocarbon will work, I often change to monofilament when I'm using a gurgler or small popper; the fluorocarbon sinks faster than the monofilament. FWIW I tie my leaders out of mono and use fluoro for the tippet section. For inshore salt use I generally use Seaguar 12 lb. test, and sometimes 15. On the 2 weight I step down to 4 - 8 lb. test, depending on teeth. I've has a few cutoffs from specks with the 4. If I'm using a bite tippet I generally use 40 - 8- lb. fluoro for fish like tarpon or bull reds, or big jacks. A 20 lb. bite tippet won't hurt if you're catching ladyfish.