Hand Tied Leaders Simplified
About Hand Tied Leaders
Over the years I have been less and less satisfied with off-the-shelf tapered leaders. It is at the point where I almost never use them. Sure, they are usually great fresh from the package but invariably after a few fly changes and tippet additions, the wonderfully elegant cast of a new leader starts to degenerate into the normal, slightly messy, “getting the job done but it sure ain’t pretty” cast that is the staple of my salmon fishing.
The importance of a well designed leader to the dynamics of your cast and resulting fly presentation cannot be overstated. It is easy and convenient to buy a tapered leader of the desired length and weight for general fishing which is what most of us do. A few fly fishermen tie their own tapered leaders. And, it is not just about the pleasure of making your own, practicing a bit of old lore or even the practical application of hard earned knowledge. The truth is that you can dramatically affect the mechanics of your presentation and maximize your results by matching your leader to your rig, your desired presentation, your fly size and even whether it is windy or not.
What Exactly a Leader Does?
A leader transfers the energy of the cast. A tapered leader will continue rolling over as the fly line straightens out on the forward cast. In a perfect world the last bit of energy is used up as the leader straightens out and the fly will then drop to the water gently at the end of a perfectly straight fly line, leader, and tippet.
One thing that stops many of us from making our own is that we are a bit vague about what exactly a leader does besides putting a bit of distance between the fly and the very visible fly line. Another hurdle is that most leader formulas are complex, running to the “take 60% of the remaining 30%” variety.
A Simple Leader Formula
Here is a way to build leaders for salmon fishing to match the rod, reel, fly-line combination you are using rather than a general or all-purpose formula. Once you get the hang of it you can adjust things to suit the conditions where you are fishing.
Tie the knot and then spool the material to length rather than cutting it first.
This heavy section attaching to the fly line is called the Butt.
Back to Building a Leader:Step Three
The third piece should be attached as above, and is 2 pounds lighter than the piece it attaches to. It should be the same length as the distance from the back of the reel post to the first guide on the rod. If this piece is too heavy for the flies you will be using add tippet material in the appropriate size.
Step Four-The Tippet
Tippet length should be from the stripping or first guide to the guide above the ferrule on a two piece or the next guide above the stripping guide on a three piece. If the third piece is the weight you want to fish with extend it to the same length as you would if adding the tippet.
Finished
When finished, the leader should be long enough that with a couple of inches of fly line run out through the top guide, the leader will run the length of the rod around the back of the reel post to allow you to hook your fly in either the stripping guide or the guide above it - a convenient way to rig when walking from pool to pool.
What I do
The most common weights I use are 12 pound, attached to the fly-line, a ten pound middle section and an eight pound third section with no tippet for salmon. For grilse it is the same but with a six pound tippet added to the shortened third section. For trout fishing the lighter fly line allows for a 10 pound to 8 pound to 6 pound taper with a 4 pound tippet. If you practice the simple knot described earlier you can easily tinker with the lengths of various sections while afield to make it easier to drive a big bomber into the wind or delicately present the tiniest of dry flies.
A Funny Thing about Fishing Hand Tied Leaders.
On my last trip to Newfoundland, Ian Gall who is a Master Guide, fine fly fisherman and superb raconteur gave me a hand-tied leader.
It tapered in nine feet through a beautiful series of blood knots from around 12 pound test to about 4 pound test. An additional 3 feet of tippet made for a 12 foot leader that cast so amazingly that the dry fly I was using would make one perfect circular ripple when it landed.
The first time I used it was on an evening’s still-water fishing. Trout were rising all around me but ignored everything I tried, both wet and dry.
I thought about that leader tucked in my vest pocket and figured that maybe crashing the fly into the rings of a rise was not subtle enough.
Trout this size didn’t get that way by being stupid. I finally bit the bullet and spent some precious evening fishing time tying on the new leader and tippet.
I was struck again by the craftsmanship of the fine, symmetrical blood knots so evenly spaced.
Tying on a #12 elk hair caddis and stripping about twenty feet of fly line I waited for a fish to show within reach, the line coiled in my hand and the fly flicking out in a slow false cast.
I could feel the difference in control and the slightly changed timing but the adjustment was automatic when a slow roll revealed a fish in range.
The caddis looped out and straightened about a foot above the rise form.
The green bodied fly landed within the rings, barely a ripple betraying its artificial origin.
The fly had hardly settled when the water erupted as a big Brook Trout swung around and Pow! He nailed one of the knots in my leader.
Over the years I have been less and less satisfied with off-the-shelf tapered leaders. It is at the point where I almost never use them. Sure, they are usually great fresh from the package but invariably after a few fly changes and tippet additions, the wonderfully elegant cast of a new leader starts to degenerate into the normal, slightly messy, “getting the job done but it sure ain’t pretty” cast that is the staple of my salmon fishing.
The importance of a well designed leader to the dynamics of your cast and resulting fly presentation cannot be overstated. It is easy and convenient to buy a tapered leader of the desired length and weight for general fishing which is what most of us do. A few fly fishermen tie their own tapered leaders. And, it is not just about the pleasure of making your own, practicing a bit of old lore or even the practical application of hard earned knowledge. The truth is that you can dramatically affect the mechanics of your presentation and maximize your results by matching your leader to your rig, your desired presentation, your fly size and even whether it is windy or not.
What Exactly a Leader Does?
A leader transfers the energy of the cast. A tapered leader will continue rolling over as the fly line straightens out on the forward cast. In a perfect world the last bit of energy is used up as the leader straightens out and the fly will then drop to the water gently at the end of a perfectly straight fly line, leader, and tippet.
One thing that stops many of us from making our own is that we are a bit vague about what exactly a leader does besides putting a bit of distance between the fly and the very visible fly line. Another hurdle is that most leader formulas are complex, running to the “take 60% of the remaining 30%” variety.
A Simple Leader Formula
Here is a way to build leaders for salmon fishing to match the rod, reel, fly-line combination you are using rather than a general or all-purpose formula. Once you get the hang of it you can adjust things to suit the conditions where you are fishing.
The first time you make one, take the rod and line combo you are making the leader for and lay it on a table in front of you. Select the leader material for the butt section by matching as closely as you can the stiffness (most important) and (less important) the diameter of the end of the fly line you are attaching it to.
Step One
Using a Nail Knot attach the leader butt to the fly line. This section should be half the length of the rod or to the ferrule of a two piece.
Step One
Using a Nail Knot attach the leader butt to the fly line. This section should be half the length of the rod or to the ferrule of a two piece.
Tie the knot and then spool the material to length rather than cutting it first.
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This heavy section attaching to the fly line is called the Butt.
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Step Two
At this point attach a piece of leader material about two pounds lighter than that used for the butt. This section should be half as long as your rod or the length of the top section of a two-piece.
Note: In some short cast, fast water, salmon fishing it is customary to just use a straight run of monofilament and not even bother with a tapered leader. If that is the case, it is still not a bad idea to step down at least once from the heavy 10 or 12 pound leader attached directly to the fly line to the 8 or 6 pound test you will be using. Do this at the point indicated above.
Step Two
At this point attach a piece of leader material about two pounds lighter than that used for the butt. This section should be half as long as your rod or the length of the top section of a two-piece.
Note: In some short cast, fast water, salmon fishing it is customary to just use a straight run of monofilament and not even bother with a tapered leader. If that is the case, it is still not a bad idea to step down at least once from the heavy 10 or 12 pound leader attached directly to the fly line to the 8 or 6 pound test you will be using. Do this at the point indicated above.
Use a blood knot for this attachment when tying the leader sitting comfortably at your workbench.
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A Simple Knot
Hip-deep in a raging river or perched on a river-side rock; try this knot I figured out, while oddly enough, standing hip deep in a raging Newfoundland river and reluctant to risk life and limb by wading ashore just to add tippet material.
A Simple Knot
Hip-deep in a raging river or perched on a river-side rock; try this knot I figured out, while oddly enough, standing hip deep in a raging Newfoundland river and reluctant to risk life and limb by wading ashore just to add tippet material.
Loop the butt section around the piece to be added,
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Tie a six-wrap cinch knot (four-wrap if heavier than 10 pounds) in this section - tighten slightly
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Tie a six-wrap cinch knot in the piece you are adding so that the two knots are like links in a chain
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Moisten and tighten firmly then clip the tags. The result is a strong, tidy connection that looks like a blood knot but is simple to tie.
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Back to Building a Leader:Step Three
The third piece should be attached as above, and is 2 pounds lighter than the piece it attaches to. It should be the same length as the distance from the back of the reel post to the first guide on the rod. If this piece is too heavy for the flies you will be using add tippet material in the appropriate size.
Step Four-The Tippet
Tippet length should be from the stripping or first guide to the guide above the ferrule on a two piece or the next guide above the stripping guide on a three piece. If the third piece is the weight you want to fish with extend it to the same length as you would if adding the tippet.
Finished
When finished, the leader should be long enough that with a couple of inches of fly line run out through the top guide, the leader will run the length of the rod around the back of the reel post to allow you to hook your fly in either the stripping guide or the guide above it - a convenient way to rig when walking from pool to pool.
What I do
The most common weights I use are 12 pound, attached to the fly-line, a ten pound middle section and an eight pound third section with no tippet for salmon. For grilse it is the same but with a six pound tippet added to the shortened third section. For trout fishing the lighter fly line allows for a 10 pound to 8 pound to 6 pound taper with a 4 pound tippet. If you practice the simple knot described earlier you can easily tinker with the lengths of various sections while afield to make it easier to drive a big bomber into the wind or delicately present the tiniest of dry flies.
A Funny Thing about Fishing Hand Tied Leaders.
On my last trip to Newfoundland, Ian Gall who is a Master Guide, fine fly fisherman and superb raconteur gave me a hand-tied leader.
It tapered in nine feet through a beautiful series of blood knots from around 12 pound test to about 4 pound test. An additional 3 feet of tippet made for a 12 foot leader that cast so amazingly that the dry fly I was using would make one perfect circular ripple when it landed.
The first time I used it was on an evening’s still-water fishing. Trout were rising all around me but ignored everything I tried, both wet and dry.
I thought about that leader tucked in my vest pocket and figured that maybe crashing the fly into the rings of a rise was not subtle enough.
Trout this size didn’t get that way by being stupid. I finally bit the bullet and spent some precious evening fishing time tying on the new leader and tippet.
I was struck again by the craftsmanship of the fine, symmetrical blood knots so evenly spaced.
Tying on a #12 elk hair caddis and stripping about twenty feet of fly line I waited for a fish to show within reach, the line coiled in my hand and the fly flicking out in a slow false cast.
I could feel the difference in control and the slightly changed timing but the adjustment was automatic when a slow roll revealed a fish in range.
The caddis looped out and straightened about a foot above the rise form.
The green bodied fly landed within the rings, barely a ripple betraying its artificial origin.
The fly had hardly settled when the water erupted as a big Brook Trout swung around and Pow! He nailed one of the knots in my leader.
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Labels: Custom built leader, custom tied leader, Hand Built leaders, Hand Tied Leaders, Salmon fishing leaders, simple fishing knots, simple leader formula, trout fishing leaders
posted by Steve Dobson at
21:45
3 Comments:
good piece here Steve. The funny thing is that I have about a dozen factory leaders still in the wrapper in my pack, that I haven't used in over a couple seasons. My leaders are even less scientific than yours but they get the job done. I just prefer home grown leaders, as they can easily adapt to any situation.
Me too Jean Paul,
I always seem to have a couple of ancient, store-bought leaders in my vest.
For me, a thing first has to work and also be convenient. So tying your own leaders makes sense on both sides. With a bit of practice plus some trial and error it is definitely the way to go. They just work better.
Truth is though, it is harder to describe and explain than it is to do.
Cheers,
Steve
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