Show me your leader

An now for some flyfishing talk,

Yes I know. I’m a geek when it comes to leaders. Basically the commercial tapered leaders sucks. Big time. They are too short, far too thick in butt, and by far too stiff.  As everyone has learned in kindergarten it’s the mass in the line that transfers energy. The stiffer the line, the more it will resist turnover. So to build a good leader you need as soft and subtle mono as possible. A furled type leader is soft enough, but has its own disadvantages.

So what is the solution? This is a rhetorical question since the Answer is to build my own leaders. I have done this over the years, and found the ones that suits my fishing and not-so-perfect casting. I don’t claim this to suit you, but feel free to try J

The setup is simple, a butt and middle part of some el-cheapo mono, currently Suffix Elite Camo. A non-knot loop towards the flyline, and a mini-ring in the end of mid-part for tip.

Here are my all my leaders that I carry with me. I could do with I, IV and V only:

		Pre-made
		Butt(60%)		Mid (20%)
	Tot length [feet]	diam [mm]	length [m]	diam [mm]	length [m]	Ring, diam [mm]	diam [mm]	length [m]		Usage
I	16	0,50	2,88	0,35	0,96	1,50	0,25-0,20	1 – 2		Dry fly, L salmon
							0,16	1 – 2		Dry fly, trout
II	12	0,45	2,16	0,30	0,72		0,16 – 0,14	1 – 2		Dry fly L, trout
II	16	0,45	2,88	0,30	0,96		0,16	1 – 2		Dry fly, L trout
IV	12	0,40	2,16	0,25	0,72		0,12	1		Dry fly, UL  trout
i I	9	0,35	1,62	0,25	0,54		0,12	1		Dry fly, UUL  #1-2 trout
i II	9	0,50	1,62	0,35	0,54		0,16	2 – 5		Nymp + indicator ________
V	12	0,50	2,88	0,40	0,72		0,20 – 0,25	1-2		Large dries (SC), Kola, Pocket-water salmon riwers.
							0,16	2 – 4		Nymph