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Leaders
Leaders are very important.
Now if you have seen a fly line you would probably wonder how you tie
a fly onto such a thick piece of material. That is why leaders were
invented, they used to be made out of silk worm gut and would have to
be soaked thoroughly before using to prevent them from breaking in two.
Now a days mono is a better substitute. A leader is attached to the
end of your fly line and tapers towards your fly. A leader is thicker
and stiffer at the fly line section and tapers to what is called the
tippet. A tippet is a piece of mono that is tied to your leader usually
softer material and also matched to the size of your fly. There are
three types of leaders.
Knotted-which is usually
hand tied pieces of mono from thick to thin. Better at absorbing shock,
and easier to replace sections of.
Knottless- which is just
one smooth leader thick to thin with no knots to tangle back into your
leader or weeds.Braided- which consists of a braided section
of nylon and a tippet of mono. Absorbs plenty of shock but is highly
visible to fish.
Leaders come in different lengths
for different situations. The spookier the fish, or for stillwater the
longer your leader will be. 10'-18' may be suitable. 9' is ideal for
small streams or fast moving water. If you see fish rising with no hits
and you have changed the size of your fly try increasing the size of
your leader.
Leaders are tapered
and consist of three sections.
(1) The Butt Section- which
is attached to the fly line, should be very close in diameter and flexibility.
It is responsible for transferring the casting energy from the fly line
to the tippet.
(2) Midsection- The diameter of joining monofilament should be
no more than .002".
(3) Tippet- Should provide natural movement of your fly and low
visibility.
You will need to know the Blood knot to join sections together. Remember
to moisten the knot before tighten to prevent stress from friction.
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