Leader length

[psummrnl]

I'm looking for some insight on the leader length for different fly fishing situations. As a newcomer to the sport, I am still trying to play with things. Thus far, I have concluded that I prefer a shorter leader for streamer fishing but what is the rule of thumb for nymphing and dry fly fishing? What is the corresponding tippet length and how fine do you get for each style. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all. You are a wealth of knowledge and I have learned a lot by reading these forums regularly.

 

[Fishidiot]

PSU,
Some folks take leader lengths to absurd lengths (okay, pun intended).

Anyway, truth be told leader length can be a matter of personal preferance although the trend is definitely toward longer leaders for dry flies. I agree with you that short leaders are fine for streamers. I also like very heavy tippets for streamers, usually in the 8-15 pound test category. Nymph fishing is somewhat in-between.

I'd say that for most of my trout fishing it would go something like this:
Streamer fishing: leader length of 5-8'
Nymph fishing: 7-10'
Dry flies: 8-14'
Dry fly fishing in very tough conditions (flat water, spooky, selective fish etc): 12-16'

Generally I consider myself a shorter leader guy and you'll usually see me fishing a leader of around 8' or so on average.

 

[dryflyguy]

Fishing strictly dry flies, I like 11-12 foot leaders for large streams.
On small streams, I use leaders in the 8-9 foot range

 

[GreenWeenie]

My advice is to keep things simple. My standard leader is a 7.5’ Rio tapered to 2x. To that I add 12 inches of 3x and if streamer fishing that’s my leader. If fishing nymphs, wets or dries (excepting midges and tricos), I’ll add anywhere from 36-40 inches of 5x tippet onto the 3x tippet dependingon the situation. If I need to go 6x, I’ll clip the 5x at about 10 inches and add 36-40 inches of 6x tippet. This gives you a standard leader in the 10-11 foot range, which is more than adequate for most fishing situations. If for some reason I need to go lighter than 6x or longer than 10-11 feet, I’ll switch to a 9’ Rio tapered leader to 5x and add an 18” of 6x and then 36-40 inches of 7x or 8x giving you 13-14 feet. Very rarely do I ever need to go longer than that.

 

[pcray1231]

Leader length: always a trade-off between castability (short) and getting a good drift (long). 8-10' is very typical for me for nymphs and dries, it varies a little cause I constantly vary my tippet length, but that does the lion's share of my work. Anything else falls under the exception category. And I'll try to describe those exceptions. Streamers, I'll go shorter, in the 7-7 1/2' range. Tight brookie streams, depends how tight, but I can go anywhere from 5' to 9', even with dries. For dry flies, if its midges or tricos or something tiny, I occasionally go as long as 12', but usually only after a 9 or 10' leader was tried and I determined it to be insufficient.

Tippet size (diameter): I like stout tippets for streamers like Fishidiot does. But for everything else, divide fly size by 4 and add 1, except I try to avoid 7x unless I absolutely need it.

Size 10: 3x or 4x
12: 4x
14: 4x or 5x
16: 5x
18: 5x or 6x
20-24: 6x.

Tippet length: This is something that has to be constantly adjusted for the conditions. The shorter it is, the more accurate you'll be, the tighter your loop will be (so you can get it up under that branch or overhang), your fly will turn over better (helping with roll casts, bow and arrow casts, etc), you'll have less knot and tangle problems, etc.. The longer it is, the more curves you'll get in it and thus get a longer and better drag free drift. Also, with nymphing or streamers, the farther up you go with fine diameter material, the better you're leader will cut water, meaning less drag and ability to get it deeper.

So, as a very broad generality: Tight conditions = short leaders, short tippets. Wide open conditions = longer leaders, longer tippets.

 

[gfen]

To keep it simple, start with a 7'6" leader and add another foot or so of 5x to the end. Figure out how you like that, get your casting proficient, and start to identify places where its an issue.

If you're doing tiny little dry flies, another 12-18" of 6x will probably be what you need, and notice the difference in casting.

If you're throwing bigger streamers, you could just put 4-5' of mono, or maybe 2x to 3x tippet, or even 2x-3x-4x. Notice the way it casts versus the streamer on the end of that tapered one you normally use.

Begin to put two and two together, start to identify places where the out of the box 7'6" version is lacking. Modify it and see the differences in performance.

 

[afishinado]

gfen wrote:

To keep it simple, start with a 7'6" leader and add another foot or so of 5x to the end. Figure out how you like that, get your casting proficient, and start to identify places where its an issue.

If you're doing tiny little dry flies, another 12-18" of 6x will probably be what you need, and notice the difference in casting.

If you're throwing bigger streamers, you could just put 4-5' of mono, or maybe 2x to 3x tippet, or even 2x-3x-4x. Notice the way it casts versus the streamer on the end of that tapered one you normally use.

Begin to put two and two together, start to identify places where the out of the box 7'6" version is lacking. Modify it and see the differences in performance.

All good advice. Gary (above) has a real KISS suggestion that should work great for those starting out.

 

[gfen]

I like to think I excel in stripping away the excess stuff to help grasp the basics.

Once those are in place, personal preferences and technical requirements start to make themselves known, and neccessary. Since you spent the initial mental capital at the start to just get basics, its easier to realize that this is a place that a 10' 7x leader works presenting a cripple BWO emerger in lieu of just tying a sz18 Adams to the end of your 7.5' 6x leader.

As for the leader itself, I will 100% recommend spending the initial outlay of cash for a Bluesky (et al) furled leader and learning to just apply some tippet at the end to make it the length and taper you need. I think that helped me immensely, really. The 7.5' Bluesky, to some 3x and 4x lengths, then finally consistently using, trimming, and adding 5x to the end of that.

After a few 5x adds, you replace the 4x bit.. The actual furled butt is 100% usable for that whole season that way.

 

[afishinado]

Simple things for simple ___s...... ;-)

 

[gfen]

afishinado wrote: Simple things for simple ___s...... ;-)

+---\
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This is hangman, right? Do you have any E's? ??

 

[wsender]

I prefer 9ft for most dry fly applications. Does the job 95% of the time.

Nymphing, while it seems like it should be much easier, is where I think you'll find the majority of the differentiation in length in construction methods. I'm finding out it's more about what works for YOU, which means you'll get skunked a lot.

 

[gochs]

What type of nymphing do you do? Do you like to use an indicator?

 

[csoult]

Does anyone use the braided leader? what are your feelings on these?

 

[gfen]

The braided leader?
The?! They only made one? Better keep it precious, its a collector's item!

Seriously though, braided leaders are not furled leaders, and generally it would seem braided leader get no respect. I've been told, because I've never used one, they hold alot of water on casting that will spray down while you're laying out your superstealthy presentation.

However, I suspect if you dress it up with mucilin, gink, or whatever they float like the ****ens.

I'd treat 'em like any other furled leader, buy a 6.5' or 7.5' leader and just apply lenghts and diameters of tippet at the end to meet your fishing desires.

 

[BPS]

I love using a braided leader for streamer fishing.