Sitka: I suspect you are right about the distance thing, although I don't do much long tom work unless there is no other way to reach a fish. After years of missing strikes on long line, I finally realized that things go much better if I just wade over to the fish and use about 2 rod lenghts or less of line. Unless they are on shallow flats, I'm amazed how closely fish can be approached. This past fall I waded in, unhooked the fly from the keeper, dropped it in, and picked up a steelhead in about 2 1/2 feet of water without pulling any line off the real. As to leaders and twist, it's typically those hair like invisible tippets that give me issues with the quill wings. The balance of of the leader is stout enough to resist twisting. Be back tomorrow night. Have to spend the day searching the forest for a perfect Christmas tree. If all goes as usual, we will hike around, reject about a 100 trees, and go back and get the first one we looked at. 1Minute
