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.  

[DrLogik 0]

I've been making my own leaders off and on for years.  I still do occasionally.  I seldom use furled leaders.  I like them, especially silk furled leaders but they send off too much spray like Bryon stated.  On large streams it's not too much of a problem but on the small streams in the Smokies that I fish it turns the fish off in a hurry.  I mostly use Orvis leaders and my own tied leaders now.  

My leaders don't follow the norm though.  I make them a 70/30 formula instead of the standard 60/40 formula.  In windy or short casting conditions I find the more aggressive taper turns over the leader and fly better.  A 70/30 leader also works better for long leaders (14-16+ feet).

I also use a max of five sections and often just four.  I don't notice the difference.  I used to tie them with the 6 or more sections and it took too long and it was too aggravating.  I tried a simpler leader and it worked just as well for my use.

I also follow the George Harvey philosophy of using the softest mono I can find.  I used to use Mason hard mono for the butt but figured out that Harvey was right, it's just too stiff and doesn't accept the transfer of the energy in the line well.