**Do you make your own leaders or buy them premade? I prefer the latter. Don’t like getting all that fine vegetables caught up on the knots. Besides I don’t have the patience any more. **
I do use the home made cause I can get any taper I want. I will use storebought knotless however when I am using a break away indicator, but still have at least one knot (tippet to leader) or just use straight 4 or 6lb florocarbon.
By the way, Dryrod, it’s back up to the Lodge for me next Tue and Wed.
Hate the drive, but love the scenery and money[;)]
I don’t use that many leaders. appears to be a pain in the butt to me. I buy what I need. I always add tippet to the end of the leader bought leader. it is that part that generally gets broken and abraded and twisted and knotted and all that stuff.
Likewise I always add a length of tippet to my leader. Better to use up my tippet when changing flys than my leader.
Hey Dryrod,
I pretty much always use my home made leaders. I still have a bunch of commercially made leaders(they are many years old now). I don’t mind the salad hanging on my knots, but I try to clean it off as I can. When the greenery is on my flies, that is a different situation.
I make my own. I don’t think it makes that much difference for dry fly fishing but I still make dry fly leaders. But I think it makes a big difference in nymphing leaders. The problem with knotless leaders is that I use the yarn type strike indicators and they slide down the leader too easily. I start with about 6 feet of very heavy leader (20 to 30 lb test) then a couple of feet of 8 lb test then tippit. The heavy leader that does not taper holds the strike indicator in place where ever I place it but I can still slide it up and down according to the depth and speed of the water to get my nymphing rig to just bounce on the bottom.
Good idea campfire. Nymphing doesn’t require the delicate touch that dries do. On rivers however, I use the same leader for both (although you have a very good point-maybe I will make some nymph leaders with less taper)
My normal leader for a 9 ft. 5X is:
6" - 35 lb - 0.017
14" - 26 lb - 0.015
10" - 20 lb - 0.013
10" - 15 lb - 0.011
8" - 13.1 lb - 0.010
6" - 11.1 lb - 0.009
6" - 6.2 lb - 0.007
24" - 4.9 lb - 0.006
this is Frog Hair weight chart.
As you can see, heck of a taper, but not sure it is that important in nymphing. Will try yours.
Dry fly is my furled with 3 - 5 ft tippet, no brainer on that one.
me as well.. i wanted to make it on my own
How do your furled leaders hold up?
I have made a few, but they seem to fray very quickly when in use.
Really? I have never had one fray. Maybe, knock on wood[;)]
I use Uni thread 6 and I like the Kathy Scott’s 14, 10, 6. I also play with flouresent thread off the first peg, then switch to Cahill for a strike indicator thing.
I have never had on fray however. Loop to Loop off the fly line then I put an Surgeon’s Loop in about 3 to 4 feet of flourocarbon tippet.