TopWater Fishing Tips from Tony Orton

Topwater fishing is one of my all-time favourite ways to target big powerful surface feeding fish like giant trevally, kingfish and yellowfin tuna. Over the years I think I may just about have tried every different braid to mono leader connection known. PR knots, twisty leaders, wind-on leaders, FG knot, Yucatan knot and Albright knot are just a few that I have tried. All the mentioned knots and connections work; some are stronger than others, some slimmer than others, some easy to tie and some require a master’s degree in knitting. Leaders can be long or short, heavy or light, making the options for knot, leader and connection scenarios endless. I have fished with some of the world’s best topwater fishermen over the years and they all have different ideas about the best knots and connections to use and all have different reasons for using them.

To make the choice easier for me, I have broken my fishing down into a few basic points.

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Smoothness – My first rule of thumb is that the angler that can cast the longest distance typically has the greatet chance of catching the most and biggest fish. A lure that can reach the bite zone first or land in untouched or undisturbed water has a higher chance of getting a bite. Therefore, casting distance for me is number one. Things that can affect casting distance are length of leader (too long and it loses momentum on the cast as it goes through the guides) and weight of leader (too heavy and you will have the same issue).

Knot strength – If you’re going after a fish of a lifetime then you need to make sure your connections are ready for a fish of a lifetime. Strength is key but this shouldn’t be at the expense of having a slim, well-presented knot, which is essential for casting distance.

Ease to tie – There’s no point in using a knot if it takes you half an hour to tie. If the bite is on, you need to be able to tie it in a hurry and be confident in your knots/connections.

Presentation of the lure – Your leader and connections need to match your lure choice. If you’re casting a 180g popper connected to a light 80lb leader with a lefty’s loop knot, you may be a little under-gunned. On the other hand, fishing a small 60g lure on a 150lb 7ft leader with a swivel and split ring connecting the leader to the lure might be a little over engineered. Match your lure, leader and connections to the species of fish you are targeting.

7ft 150lb suffix leader connected to the braid by a PR knot with a uni knot joining the swivel and a split ring connecting swivel to popper - perfect for big tuna.

7ft 150lb suffix leader connected to the braid by a PR knot with a uni knot joining the swivel and a split ring connecting swivel to popper - perfect for big tuna.

Here are my three preferred ways of connecting leaders and lures for a range of top water fishing applications.

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Lightweight connections

By ‘lightweight’, I’m referring to my setup for lures in the 40-80g size range used when targeting smaller fish like small/medium kingfish, snapper, small GT, queenfish, roosterfish and fish that are a little shy on the bite.

Leader: 50-80lb mono leader that is 3-4ft long. The knot is tied outside of the guides for greater casting distance and less wind knots (braid tangling on guides when casting).

Braid to mono leader connections: small 60mm long bimini twist loop at the end of the braid and a Yucatan knot to connect the mono to the braid loop.

Lure to leader connection: Lefty’s loop knot so the lure has maximum action and a more natural presentation.

Lightweight connections.

Lightweight connections.

Medium/heavyweight connections

My medium/heavy weight setup is for lures in the 80-160g size range, used mainly for targeting bigger fish like medium/large kingfish, GT, cubera snapper and small to medium size tuna. This is my day-to-day top water setup that we use on our charter boat for kingfish.

Leader: 80-150lb mono leader that is 3-4ft long. Again, the knot should be outside of the guides when casting for greater casting distance and less wind knots.

Braid to mono leader connections: Small 60mm long bimini twist loop at the end of the braid and a Yucatan knot to connect the mono to the looped braid.

Lure to leader connection: Leader tied with a uni knot to a size 1/0 stainless steel NT swivel. Swivel is connected to the lure with a 150lb to 260lb-rated split ring.

Middleweight connections.

Middleweight connections.

Heavyweight connections

My heavyweight setup is specifically for targeting big fish using lures in the 100-200g range. I use this rig for tunas in the 40-140kg size range and XXL giant trevally. The main reason for the longer leader is so we have something to hang onto while trying to control the fish boat side and it also offers a little more protection with the leader rubbing on the longer fish.

Leader: 130-200lb mono leader that is 7ft long – the knot is inside the guides when casting.

Braid to mono leader connections: Short 40mm long PR knot. I personally like the PR knot but an FG knot can be used as well.

Lure to leader connection: Leader tied with a uni knot to a size 1/0 stainless steel NT swivel and swivel connected to the lure with a rated 260lb split ring.

Heavyweight connections.

Heavyweight connections.

There is nothing worse than putting the pressure on a good fish and worrying if your connections are up to it. These three setups have accounted for some stunning captures over the years and given us piece of mind in the heat of the battle.

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   This article is reproduced with permission of   
New Zealand Fishing News

January 2020 - Tony Orton
Re-publishing elsewhere is prohibited

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