Posted by Jim E (24.116.99.140) on October 02, 2003 at 18:32:07:
Leaders and tippets, what works for me.
For a new fly fisherman I would recommend using a 7 1/2 foot tapered leader (it’s easier to get a good turnover) rather than a 9 ft. or longer one. If trout are your quarry a 7 1/2 ft. 4x leader with a 5x tippet will pretty well cover most situations. But, how wary the fish are and what size your fly is will dictate what your setup should be (again, for now, beginners stick with the above leader/tippet combo).
As a general rule (after you've gained more experience fishing and casting) if you want to fish with a:
1. Streamer-7 1/2 3x leader + 4x tippet
2. Nymph-7 1/2 4x leader + 5x tippet
3. Small (#18 >) nymph-7 1/2 4x leader + 5x tippet + 6x tippet or a 9ft. 5x leader + 6x tippet
4. Large dry (hopper, stimulator)-7 1/2 4x leader + 5x tippet
5. Med. to small dry-7 1/2 4x leader + 5x tippet + 6x tippet or 9 ft. 5x leader + 6x tippet
6. Midge dry-9 ft. 6x leader + 7x tippet (then, sometimes, + 8x tippet or smaller)
You might see a pattern here. Larger flies = shorter and heavier leader/tippets. Then, the smaller the fly is the longer and lighter the leader/tippets are. Usually, fish that are interested in smaller flies are picky about the tippet size and also require more of a delicate presentation. Longer leaders tapered down to smaller tippets will help offer just that.
With my system, if I'm on the river fishing streamers and then a hatch of small mayflies starts, I just add smaller tippet sections to my 7 1/2 3x leader + 4x tippet (what I use for streamers) making my complete setup - 7 1/2 3x leader with 4x+ 5x + 6x tippets for a total length of 10-12 ft. This, of course, lengthens and down sizes my setup to what I need in order to fish small dries without going to the trouble of getting out and tying on a new longer leader, then tippets.... etc. Then if I want to switch back to a streamer, I simply remove the added tippet sections leaving the 4x tippet at the ready for the tying on of the streamer. To attach all of these different tippet sizes I tie a perfection loop on each end and then loop the two together forming what is called a handshake knot. I prefer this connection over nail knotting the two together because once the perfection loop is tied I don’t loose any more length from my leader or tippets to change or remove other sections. With nail knotting you do.
As always, there are other factors that to consider when choosing what leader/tippet combo to use, i.e.; different rods, line weights, rod lengths, casting skills, wind, weight of fly, etc. You might have to sacrifice a little bit of delicateness to help overcome these, but I think you will be rewarded if you stick as close as you can to a leader/tippet formula such as this. Others might disagree with what I have found to work the best (at least the best for me), so feel free to experiment some on your own.
Thanks for reading. Always, if you have any tips that you would like to share just email them to me. Also, feel free to comment.
Jim Enns <*))))))))><