Hand tied leaders

[RickZieger 0]

23 hours ago, DFoster said:

I with you on complicated leader formulas.  A world class caster might notice the difference but I can't.  I like simple.  I use store bought tapered for dries and my own knotted leaders for everything else.  I mostly fish for trout and smallmouth and my leaders without tippet run about 5'.  20lb down to 4lb at which point I tie a small perfection loop that is essentially my tippet ring.    I like having the knots to prevent slip shot from sliding.

  Using a piece of straight mono will cast but I tapered leader will cast better.  I keep my leaders very basic-. A few feet of heavy but section and then tie on progressively lighter and shorter sections.  I don't go crazy with the step downs usually no more than 4.

I should have said that my leader are off 5 foot furled leaders.

Rick 

[DFoster 0]

4 hours ago, RickZieger said:

I should have said that my leader are off 5 foot furled leaders.

Rick 

Ah..... that's an important detail.  

[Bryon Anderson 0]

On 2/16/2024 at 4:05 PM, Philly said:

Once I discovered furled leaders, I quit making them. 

I used to make my own furled leaders (even sold a few, before making them became popular some years back, and suddenly everybody and their cousin started selling them on eBay alongside mine 😄). I used Kathy Scott's formula - she had a DVD on how to make them; I'm sure some others on here have seen it. Super-simple to make, and they were the best dry fly leaders I've ever used. The only thing I didn't like about them was that, no matter how well I greased them up with Mucilin before using them, water tended to eventually work its way into the braid, and then they would release a fine spray of mist on the backcast, which could spook fish.

I just discovered my old jig for making them while rooting around for something in my shop the other day -- reading this thread has me thinking about breaking it out again and making a few. 🙂

[robow7 0]

I mostly fish smallies and often in low, slow, and clear water so longer leaders can make a difference.  A long time ago I read one of Lefty's articles on making leaders and he suggested keeping it simple with 3 pieces of Berkley Big Game Mono.  And so from that came my typical 4ft of 30 lb test, 3ft of 20 lb test and 2-2.5  feet of 10 lb test which has worked well for me for a very long time.