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Dec 30th, 2023
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 constructing leaders
#10496618
12/26/14 06:13 PM
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Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,101
Turf Dawg
OP
Extreme Angler
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OP
Extreme Angler
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 2,101 |
Do y'all use tippit material or regular line? I was thinking 60% of the length 0x, 20% of the length 2 or 3x and the last 20% 5x. How does this sound or do y'all just get some 15 lb mono then 8 lb mono then your tippit
Turf Dawg Landscaping
Texas Licensed Irrigator
LI 0020041
Commercial Pesticide Applicator for Turf and Ornamental, Pasture & Rangelands and Right-of-Way
Texas Dept of Agriculture license #0525163
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Re: constructing leaders
[Re: Turf Dawg]
#10496627
12/26/14 06:22 PM
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Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 13,239
rrhyne56
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 13,239 |
I recommend Googling "Lefty Kreh leader formula".
Lefty has a few different formulae that are simple and effective.
"have fun with this stuff"
in memory of Big Dale
RRhyne56, Flyfishing warden
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Re: constructing leaders
[Re: Turf Dawg]
#10496676
12/26/14 06:57 PM
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,306
Linecaster
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,306 |
Depending on what you are fishing for. Warmwater fish are not usually leader shy so the size of tippet and leader is not too much of an issue.
Your first question regarding material. I have in the past used ordinary mono for the whole leader and for the tippet.
Proper tippet material is uniform in diameter wheras mono may have irregular diameters in a given length or so I have been led to believe.
Some have a straight piece of mono for a leader/tippet.
But I find that it is not the best because you have difficulty with accuracy.
A leader with 25% step down starting with a 25lb mono to 20lb to 15lb to 10lb then tippet of choice always served me well.
The easiest is to purchase a tapered leader and once the tippet is too short after awhile I then remove the remainder of the tippet tie a loop then attatch my new tippet with a loop. With trout fishing being leader/tippet shy a much longer tippet would be in order.
Last edited by Linecaster; 12/26/14 08:21 PM. Reason: Spelling
In the beginning God created. Gen. 1:1
All things were made by him and without him was not anything made. John 1:3
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Re: constructing leaders
[Re: Turf Dawg]
#10497573
12/27/14 03:40 PM
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 879
split cane rod
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 879 |
TD, I used to build my own leaders. Mainly now, I will just buy a tapered leader and add tippet material to suit the type of fishing I want to do. For instance, if I'm going to bass fish with my six or my eight weight rod, I'll buy a 7 foot mono tapered leader anywhere from 0X to 4X.
Trout fishing depends on where I'm going to fish and if I'm going to use droppers or not. If I'm casting a streamer hoping to dredge up a big brown or holdover rainbow out of Zone II, I will put on a 9 foot 4X fluorocarbon tapered leader and tie directly to it. Sometimes I will tie on a 5X tippet to that if I want to put on something like a soft hackles & swing it in the current for a while.
If you're bass fishing, one reason you don't use a 5X or 6X leader or tippet is that most of the time, you're going to be casting a heavier fly. One thing the leader does is transfer the energy in the loop of your cast from the fly line out to the fly.
You want a larger 'X' material to transfer more energy out to the fly. Think about watering the yard with a drinking straw vs using a regular garden hose, or if you're an electrician, the size of the wire to the appliance you're using.
The leader and tippet are designed to transfer JUST enough energy from your cast to the fly so you'll have the perfect cast. There are formulas to figure out what to tie together in order to achieve all that, but it really is a pain when tapered leaders do it all for you.
JR
Split Cane Rod
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Re: constructing leaders
[Re: split cane rod]
#10497787
12/27/14 05:38 PM
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 910
winchester44
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 910 |
TD, I used to build my own leaders. Mainly now, I will just buy a tapered leader and add tippet material to suit the type of fishing I want to do. For instance, if I'm going to bass fish with my six or my eight weight rod, I'll buy a 7 foot mono tapered leader anywhere from 0X to 4X.
Trout fishing depends on where I'm going to fish and if I'm going to use droppers or not. If I'm casting a streamer hoping to dredge up a big brown or holdover rainbow out of Zone II, I will put on a 9 foot 4X fluorocarbon tapered leader and tie directly to it. Sometimes I will tie on a 5X tippet to that if I want to put on something like a soft hackles & swing it in the current for a while.
If you're bass fishing, one reason you don't use a 5X or 6X leader or tippet is that most of the time, you're going to be casting a heavier fly. One thing the leader does is transfer the energy in the loop of your cast from the fly line out to the fly.
You want a larger 'X' material to transfer more energy out to the fly. Think about watering the yard with a drinking straw vs using a regular garden hose, or if you're an electrician, the size of the wire to the appliance you're using.
The leader and tippet are designed to transfer JUST enough energy from your cast to the fly so you'll have the perfect cast. There are formulas to figure out what to tie together in order to achieve all that, but it really is a pain when tapered leaders do it all for you.
JR Solid advice! Anyone have any good ideas for leader storage for easy deployment? I've never been able to come up with a good solution for this. I've spent more time untangling my leaders than tying them.....
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Re: constructing leaders
[Re: Turf Dawg]
#10498059
12/27/14 09:02 PM
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 235
jonbo
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 235 |
For trout fishing most flies I've been going pretty long. I buy one piece 9' leaders tapered to 4x. Then I tie a tippet ring to that so it's length will remain stable for a long while. Then I tie my tippet, which changes often, to the tippet ring. I usually tie about 3 ft of 5x for my first fly, 6x off the bend of the hook for the second. Gradually, the 5x section gets shorter. It usually gets changed at least once each fishing day.
For streamers on my 6x rod I haven't figured out just what I should do. I think right now I have a piece of 15 lb, a piece of 12 lb, and a piece of 2x mono, making about 7 ft. It wasn't turning over TOO great. Maybe I need to start with 2 ft of the 20 lb Amnesia I bought and forgot I had and taper down from that. Split Cane Rod: You finish your streamer leaders with 4x? I couldn't see a reason to go that small, but I may be wrong as I'm guessing on what to do.
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Re: constructing leaders
[Re: jonbo]
#10498296
12/28/14 12:13 AM
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Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 279
Zip-ur-Fly
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Feb 2013
Posts: 279 |
SCR is making me rethink what I do because I have for several years now built my own furled leaders and his is right... buying them is easier. But where is the sadistic fun in that? Using the method in this video.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbcVaEe3RIs. I can use all the different types of line I already have and make multiple variation furled leaders from mono, fluro, co-poly etc. and mix and match tippets. Mono leader...fluro tippet....co-poly all the way. Using this method, I can use what I have and build various length and weight leaders as well as experiment with different break points for different casting situation. The options are near endless. I love P-Line fluro coated co-poly for its strength and invisibility. When I went to LMF last week I made a 7 foot furled leader out of 6Lb test P-line specifically for that trip. I have never lost a fish from a furled leader failure using this method. I guess I have a lot of time on my hands 
Holder of Texas State & Lake Fly Rod Records.
Those who hammer their guns into plows will plow for those who do not." Attributed to Thomas Jefferson.
"I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." Confucius
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Re: constructing leaders
[Re: Turf Dawg]
#10498324
12/28/14 12:50 AM
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Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 879
split cane rod
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 879 |
I had rather be tying flies than fooling with building leaders. I like a tippet ring, but if I'm fishing for really spooky fish, the tippet ring is another opportunity to cause a splash, ever so small, and frighten the fish.
As far as the question of the leader I use for streamer fishing, I use anything from 0X to 4X. If I scale down to something smaller, like a #16 or #18, I move down to 5X... rarely 6X.
I haven't been to Broken Bow in quite a while, but there is usually, this time of year, a pod of fish feeding above the bridge by the fly shop. They are extremely spooky, but they will hit tiny dry flies. A 9 foot, 5X tapered leader with a 2 foot 6X tippet and a #20 Griffith's gnat or a Hendricksen pattern usually gets their attention.
JR
Split Cane Rod
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Re: constructing leaders
[Re: split cane rod]
#10501282
12/29/14 04:54 PM
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Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 910
winchester44
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 910 |
How do you guys store your leaders once they've been tied or are you tying them on the water?
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Re: constructing leaders
[Re: winchester44]
#10501493
12/29/14 06:28 PM
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Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,306
Linecaster
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 1,306 |
In the beginning God created. Gen. 1:1
All things were made by him and without him was not anything made. John 1:3
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Re: constructing leaders
[Re: Turf Dawg]
#10502597
12/30/14 01:45 AM
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 235
jonbo
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 235 |
I bought me a furled leader from a company that others seem to be using, but I can't seem to figure out what to do with it. It mostly stays in its little baggie.
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