Is making your own leaders worth the trouble?

PennypackFlyer wrote:
Yes I can, Why do you ask?
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lol....we should try feeding salmon we catch to grizzly bears.
mosquitoes refuse to bite him purely out of respect.
 
afishinado wrote:
LeaderCalc is a great place to find nearly every kind of leader configuration for all types of fishing. You can download it in an XL spreadsheet from the link.
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I don't know how I missed this post, but thank you very much!
 
I don't have any problems with knots catching anything. The problem that I do encounter quite often is the hooks not catching what I want. Thus spinning and creating line tangle from time to time.
I thought about using a swivel somewhere along the line - however I believe that this would change the dynamics of the cast too great. maybe one of those new plastic light weight ones.

I have seen TV shows where salmon are taken by bears from flyfisher lines. Talking about scary. Not something I would like to encounter.
 
I have two close friends who were my mentors when I started to fly fish. One is a member here. They both taught me to tie my own leaders from the start. I have never bought a leader from a store. IMO tying your own leaders just adds something extra to the mix. To me it's as natural as tying my own flies.
 
Six-Gun wrote:
I believe that he's just pointing out that a tapered, store-bought leader doesn't have connecting knots between sections that can pick up junk (loose plant matter, mud, etc) during casting, drifting and reeling in fish.
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Yep...
And if you're using a long leader, say 15+ ft with a 9 ft rod...when you're reeling in a fish you will have to bring some of the leader into the guides which can cause the knots to get stuck, this can be a bad time for a malfunction...there must be many that don't get this logic since you usually find bargains on 12ft tapered leaders...
 
The knot that I have trouble with is the line-->leader connection, which is gonna be there whether it's store bought or not. I do use the Loon product to smooth it up, and it helps. But I don't see the homemade leaders as any more of a problem for guide issues than the storebought, tapered ones.

I would echo the picking up weeds, though. Rarely a major problem, but it happens on occasion, and tapered leaders are better for this. Of course, then you can mention the advantage of having a "stop" to keep your indicator from slipping too far, if you use one.

Plus's and minus's to everything, I guess. For me, flexibility outweighs everything.
 
Buy a few silk furled tapered leaders attached your tippet and fish.

Joe E
 
I have looked at the furled leaders as another option, but I also kind of admire the notion of making your own, purely as another way to enjoy the sport. I guess wanted to get a sense of whether or not the level of effort justifies the pursuit. Seems like a lot of guys do enjoy the satisfaction of making their own.

On that note, any suggestions on which kit to get? Is there even a difference worth noting?
 
Absolutely not. For self grat sure. For about 5 years I used one straight piece of 5x tippet. However long you want it. And ill be straight honest I've only had more problems when making my own. More knots more break offs. People say well that makes no sense and doesn't seem "ethical." If you can cast a leader and not turnover a straight piece of tippet you can't cast. Easiest way to get ready and setup too. Sure ya use more tipp. But everyone has their way. I was never lucky enough to have anyone teach me. I am self taught fly fishermen.
 
I used the following website to make my own furled leaders:

http://www.hatchesmagazine.com/page/may2006/187

It's really not that difficult and I have made them with different material - fluorocarbon fishing line, fly tying thread, Monofilament fishing line. It was a good winter project.

Don
 
I haven't bought a leader for about 3 or 4 years - been fly fishing for about 6 years. I enjoy it, and tend to tie a few at a sitting, while watching a movie or something. It's also part of my preparation the night before I go fishing.

Like others have said, I don't do it necessarily to save money, I just enjoy it. If you do start, I STRONGLY recommend investing in a blood know tool.
 
Ok, this thread piqued my interest enough to make a cursory go at tying some blood knots in spare mono/fluorocarbon line I had laying around of various weights. I actually found myself to be pretty good at it, even minus the tool. So, I may be taking my father-in-law up to a creek in Utah for a brief run tomorrow with my first hand-tied leader just for the hell of it.
 
To me tying your own leaders is much like tying your own flies. You can customize either one anyway you like and don't have to accept whatever the fly shop may offer. ;-)
 
You really do not need to screw around with a blood knot. A water knot also known as a surgeons knot will do just as nicely and is so much easier & faster to tie.
 
lv2nymph wrote:
You really do not need to screw around with a blood knot. A water knot also known as a surgeons knot will do just as nicely and is so much easier & faster to tie.
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The surgeons knot is easier and faster to tie but the downside is the two pieces tied together are not straight. They are straight as a new arrow when tied with the blood knot.
 
You are correct they are not arrow straight, "barely". That being the only downside when comparing these two knots I'll take the one I've been using a long time without issues. But I can see where a certain number of people would have an issue with what you have brought up. Like a lot of things in fly fishing everyone has their tried and true way of going about things. Just wanted to give someone new to making leaders a good, fast way to make a leader, and or repair a leader with time running out quickly in fading light. Honestly with fish rising (you have a hot pattern)and 15 minutes of light left and you have to put two knots in your tippet to be back fishing which two knots would you want too tie? It's an honest question please do not take this as a punch.
Jack.
 
put it through a third time for a "triple surgeon's loop," and it lays straight.
 
There ya go, problem solved for everybody. Oliver showed me that knot many years ago in my bsmt, he called it a two turn water knot. Never bothered to do it any other way. Until now. Thanks Gary.
 
pcray1231 wrote:
The knot that I have trouble with is the line-->leader connection, which is gonna be there whether it's store bought or not. I do use the Loon product to smooth it up, and it helps.
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pc - I use rod wrapping silk over the nail knot and then 3 coats of softex to provide a smooth flexible connection.

that prevents hinging on the cast and the line connection hanging up on the top eye with a big fish on.



 
Man, I'm all over the place about this. I love furled leaders for the longevity and ease of simply tying on a new tippet. Then I get into a small spot and want something that has a taper that will turn over smooth and easy in a tight loop. Then I just think a knotless leader that I can clip off at the tippet, tie on a surgeon's and keep clipping back simply gets me through a day with little fuss and better accuracy when I'm fishing on top. Sometimes I forget it's just fishing....Jeez, just I write that???? :)
Coughlin
 
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