Building your own leaders for fly fishing is a skill that can truly transform your fishing experience. Learning this skill fosters self-reliance and can address many issues you might otherwise attribute to your rod, line, or fly. It is one of the most effective ways to adapt and customize your fly fishing setup to match the unique conditions of the waters you fish. With just a few supplies, you can easily build or adjust your leader, giving you unmatched flexibility and convenience—and ultimately helping you fish your local waters more effectively.
What You’ll Learn in this Article
In this article, we’ll explore the process of building hand-tied leaders. It is a technical article, and we are really going to dive into several details about fly fishing leaders. There will be a lot of information, but learning to build your own leaders, and then going out and casting them, will deepen your understanding of:
The design and purpose of leaders and how to modify them for different flies and rigging setups.
The properties of different monofilament materials and their impact on leader performance.
The fundamental principles of how leaders function (which will develop your skills at casting).
How to design and build a leader from start to finish.
How to repair a leader instead of throwing it away when it breaks or becomes too short.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a solid foundation in building your own leaders. Learning to build your leaders will increase your self-sufficiency as a fly fisher and can also save you some money. You can build a dozen leaders for about a third of the cost of buying the same amount of store-bought packaged leaders, and a dozen built leaders will provide you with enough to last you through two seasons of consistent fishing.
It’s also worth noting that every angler develops their own preferences for making leaders. This article is simply a general guide based on techniques and insights I’ve learned from fellow anglers. Information within this article also comes from the wisdom and generosity of Bruce Richards who designed fly lines and leaders for Scientific Anglers for decades and played a key role in creating the Casting Instructors’ Certification Program (CICP) for Fly Fishers International. So a huge thanks to Bruce for sharing his expertise and insights.
Again, this article is quite technical, but I want to provide the best information possible because I believe this skill is essential for anyone looking to fully embrace fly fishing. It’s also a skill that many experienced urban fly fishers I’ve spent time with value, and I think it can make a significant difference for those who want to dive deeper into this unique and fun fishing experience.
What is a Fly Fishing Leader?
The fly fishing leader is the line that is between your fly line and the fly. Fly fishing leaders can be bought at fly shops and online (i.e., knotless tapered leaders) or you can build your own. Leaders are typically made out of a clear monofilament, and you cannot go fly fishing without one. A leader serves several crucial roles, such as:
providing a way to attach your fly, since tying a hook directly to your fly line isn’t practical.
creating separation between the fly and the fly line, reducing the chance of fish being spooked by the fly line.
influencing the casting performance of your fly line and rod.
That last bullet point is something fly fishers often overlook, making it a source of great frustration. Put simply, the leader transfers energy from the fly line to the fly during the cast. A leader made mostly of long, thin monofilament will dissipate more of this energy. If too much energy is lost, the leader may fail to straighten out, causing your fly to fall short. On the other hand, a short leader made from thick monofilament will transfer more energy, which can cause the fly to hit the water too forcefully, potentially frightening fish away.
One of the other great things about leaders, unlike fly rods and lines, is that they can be built and adjusted to alter casting performance, allowing you to present different flies more effectively.
Limitations of Building Leaders
Building and modifying leaders does have its limitations. Every fly line has a range of flies it can effectively cast, depending on factors like the weight and design of the fly line and the weight, air resistance, and size of the fly pattern you are attempting to cast. If you’re struggling to cast a particular fly pattern, even after experimenting with different leader configurations, it may be because the fly line itself doesn’t have enough mass to properly deliver that fly. This limitation highlights the importance of considering the types of fly patterns you plan to cast before buying your fly line. Once you’ve determined the flies you’ll most often be casting, you can choose the appropriate fly line, then match that line with a fly rod and reel.
There are also potential headaches with hand-tied leaders. The process involves tying knots to join sections of monofilament together, and these knots create weak points, they may snag in between rocks, and, in weedy or algae-filled waters, they collect unwanted gunk. Applying a product like UV Knot Sense over the knots can help mitigate some of these issues.
Components of a Fly Fishing Leader
Hand-tied leaders (similar to their knotless counterparts that you can buy at a fly shop) are made of three main sections: the butt section, tapering section, and tippet section.
The butt section is a thick, level piece of monofilament designed to transfer energy from the fly line to the rest of the leader.
The tapering section is where the leader decreases in diameter from thick to thin which transfers and dissipates energy from the butt section to the tippet section. As the diameter decreases, so does the mass, allowing energy to dissipate as it travels down the leader.
The tippet section is the final portion of the leader to which the fly is attached. The tippet section is thin, level diameter. This section is designed to break first during a snag, preventing damage further up the leader (or fly line). The tippet section also gives you room to change flies before cutting into the tapering section.
A common leader design follows a 60/20/20 ratio: 60% of the leader is the butt section, 20% for the tapering section, and 20% for the tippet. This ratio is a good starting point when learning to tie leaders. Below are the basic components of a hand-tied fly fishing leader:
Knots and Tools
In order to tie your own leaders, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with a few essential knots: the Perfection Loop, Blood Knot, and Triple Surgeon’s Knot. These knots are not only useful for leader building but also for many aspects of fly fishing. The best way to learn them is by watching instructional videos, such as those available on the Orvis Fly Fishing Learning Center or similar online resources. Also, check out this other article of mine on how to tie these essential knots for fly fishing.
To build your own leaders, you’ll also need two basic tools: nippers (or nail clippers) and a tape measure or ruler.
Material for Building Leaders
For materials, you’ll need a few spools of monofilament in different diameters. Before buying any spools of monofilament, we first need to look into some of the details of what monofilament is.
Understanding Monofilament
Monofilament is what most modern-day fly fishing leaders are made out of. But selecting and buying monofilament can be confusing, given the wide range of products and labels available, so let’s break it down.
Nylon versus Fluorocarbon
Technically, monofilament refers to a single strand of fiber (mono = single, filament = fiber). The two most common types are nylon and fluorocarbon, though people often use "monofilament" and "nylon" interchangeably, which isn’t entirely accurate. Nylon can also appear under names like copolymer or multipolymer, which refer to blends of nylons coated in resins.
Here’s a quick comparison of their properties:
Neither material is inherently better; it depends on the fishing situation. For instance, fluorocarbon’s abrasion resistance makes it a better choice for when fishing close to rocks or riprap while nylon’s low density may be preferred by using floating flies because the leader will ride on top of the surface better.
Note- If a spool of monofilament doesn’t specify the material on the package, it’s likely nylon or a copolymer blend. Fluorocarbon is almost always labeled on the spool.
Diameter and Break Strength
Monofilament is sold on spools, with all the monofilament on a single spool being the same diameter. Manufacturers label each spool with two key details: the diameter of the monofilament (measured in thousandths of an inch) and its break-strength (the maximum force the line can withstand before breaking, as measured in pounds). Below is an example of two different spools of monofilament. On the left is Rio's Powerflex 4X with a break strength of 6.4 pounds. On the right is Rio's Powerflex Plus 4X with a higher break strength of 7.5 pounds. There is also a difference in prices, with Rio's Powerflex costing almost half the amount of their Powerflex Plus.
It’s important to understand that diameter and break-strength don’t always correspond directly. For example, in the image above, one spool of monofilament has a diameter of .007 inches with a break-strength of 6.4 pounds, while the other spool of the same diameter has a higher break-strength of 7.5 pounds. The spool with the same diameter but higher break-strength is made from stronger material—and it is more expensive than the first spool.
When buying spools of monofilament, pay close attention to the diameter. Diameter correlates with mass. Thicker monofilament has more mass, making it better at carrying energy during casting. Thinner monofilament, with less mass, is less efficient at energy transfer. For example, monofilament with a diameter of .024 inches has more mass and transfers energy more effectively than monofilament with a diameter of .010 inches.
Note- The stiffness of monofilament does not significantly affect energy transfer compared to changes in diameter. If it did, anglers would use stiffer fly lines with much stiffer leaders.
Understanding Labels on Monofilament Spools
Manufacturers sometimes label spools as “leader material” or “tippet.” Despite these names, it’s all just monofilament, so don’t let labels confuse you. What matters most is the diameter, break strength, and material it’s made out of.
For the thicker parts of your leader, like the butt section and most of the tapering section, you can save money by using less expensive monofilament. However, for thinner sections (such as .011 inches in diameter and thinner), you may want to choose materials with a higher break strength-to-diameter ratio, such as using “tippet spools,” because the thinner portion of the leader is where breaks are most likely to occur.
“Tippet spools” are, again, just spools of monofilament, but they often have a higher break strength-to-diameter ratio. For example, a spool of Rio Powerflex Tippet with diameter .008 inches has a break-strength of 8.2 pounds. Compare that to a spool of Maxima Clear, also with a diameter of .008 inches, with a break-strength of just five pounds.
Tippet spools are also labeled with an X-size ranging from 0X to 8X, which corresponds to diameter:
0X = .011 inches
3X = .008 inches
8X = .003 inches
To calculate the diameter from the X-size, subtract the X number from 11. For example, 4X is 11 - 4 = .007 inches.
Recommended Brands of Monofilament to Buy
You can find spools of monofilament at tackle shops, fly shops, big-box stores, and online retailers. For thicker monofilament, reliable brands include:
Maxima Clear, Ultragreen, or Chameleon
Cortland Leader Material
Scientific Anglers Leader Material
Rio Butt Material
Orvis SuperStrong Plus
For thinner monofilament that has a higher break strength-to-diameter ratio, most fly shops carry a wide range of options (again, usually labeled as “tippet” on the spools). Explore the options and find what works best for your fishing needs and budget.
Designing Your Own Fly Fishing Leader
Now that we have a better understanding of what monofilament is, the next step is deciding what diameters of monofilament to buy, and that is based on the leaders you want to design. To guide you through the process of designing a leader, I’ll break down each section of the leader and walk through a couple examples.
Determining the Overall Length of the Leader
The overall length of a leader (butt section + tapering section + tippet section) can be as short or as long as you want to make it. Some anglers use leaders that are only three or four long, while others use leaders that can be eighteen feet. The decision of how long to make a leader really comes down to your preferences and casting abilities, the species you’re targeting, the behavior of the fish, and the conditions you are fishing in. The only things that would make you alter the overall length of the leader are not catching any fish and physics working against you. However, to give you a starting point, here are some common leader lengths for fly fishing:
For floating fly lines: 7½-, 9-, and 12-foot leaders.
For sinking/sink-tip lines: 3- to 5-foot leaders.
Once you determine an overall length for your leader you want to build, next is figuring out the diameter and length of the monofilament within each section of the leader. If you are not sure what length of leader you want to build, my recommendation is to build a nine foot leader.
Choosing the Length and Diameter for the Butt Section
The butt section transfers energy from the fly line to the rest of the leader. For floating fly lines, the diameter of the butt section should closely match the mass of the tip of the fly line. For sinking or sink-tip fly lines, where turnover is less critical, thinner material can be used to help the leader sink more effectively.
Here are some general guidelines for choosing the diameter of monofilament for the butt section:
3- to 5-weight floating lines: .021 to .026 inches
6- to 7-weight floating lines: .024 to .029 inches
8- to 9-weight floating lines: .027 to .030 inches
4- to 6-weight sinking/sink-tip lines: .017 to .024 inches
7- to 9-weight sinking/sink-tip lines: .020 to .024 inches
Note- For those curious in the more technical details, the measurements for floating lines above are based on using a digital micrometer to measure the diameter of the fly line tip (a couple inches before the welded loop) and calculating 70% of that diameter. You don’t need to buy a micrometer; the guidelines above will work as a reference (maybe the information above will be printed onto fly line boxes one day). And the fly lines listed above are in reference to the true line-sizes as per the AFFTA standard (American Fly Fishing Trade Association).
After determining the diameter of the butt section, next is figuring out the length of the butt section which depends on how much energy you want to conserve and transfer from the fly line to the rest of the leader. For a leader designed to cast a variety of flies (i.e., an “all around” leader) the butt section should make up at least 60% of the total leader length to provide sufficient mass and energy transfer.
To help this make more sense, let’s say you want to design a 9-foot (108 inch) “all around” leader. In this example, let’s also say you are using a 6-weight floating fly line that is labeled "all around" or "all purpose" on the box it came in. The diameter of the butt section for that fly line would need to between .024 and .029 inches, and let's say you decide to go with .027 inches. So, for this example, the length of the butt section of your leader would be sixty-five inches (that’s 60% of 108 inches) with a diameter of .027 inches.
Choosing the Length and Diameter for the Tippet Section
After determining the initial diameter and length of the butt section, the next step is selecting the diameter and length of the tippet section (we’ll address the tapering section shortly). The tippet needs to pair well with the fly pattern you’re using, which can be tricky to determine. Factors like the size, weight, and air resistance of the fly significantly impact how the leader performs, so there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to the question, “What size tippet should I use?” However, these tips can help guide your selection:
Fits through the hook eye: Ensure the monofilament is thin enough to pass through the hook eye.
Knot strength: If the knot keeps breaking when tying the tippet to the hook, try using thicker monofilament.
Strength for larger fish: If you’re concerned about breaking the tippet during the hook set or while fighting a fish, opt for thicker monofilament.
Soft landing and reduced drag: If you want the fly to land more gently on the water (reducing the chance of spooking fish) and/or minimize friction (i.e., "drag") between the leader and the water, choose thinner monofilament. Reducing drag allows the fly to drift more freely either on top of or below the surface of moving water. For example, in the image below we're looking down onto a leader and fly drifting on top of moving water. Reducing the diameter of monofilament (going from 2X to 6X) reduces the amount of drag caused by the movement of the water.
The guidelines above require time on the water to familiarize yourself with leaders and fly patterns—it’s a process of trial and error. With the wide variety of fly pattern designs available today, and new ones rapidly being created, it’s challenging to provide a definitive chart that matches specific monofilament diameters to fly sizes, especially for urban fly fishing where there are so many species of fish to catch and fly patterns to choose from.
For those learning to build leaders, I recommend using tippet sections that range from .011 to .008 inches in diameter (0X to 3X). Once you’ve built and tested a few leaders on the water, you can experiment further by designing leaders with thicker or thinner tippet sections to suit your needs.
To help this make more sense, let’s revisit our example of building a 9-foot (108-inch) “all-around” leader for a 6-weight floating fly line, designed to cast flies like Wooly Buggers and Chubby Chernobyls. In this case, the tippet section is going to be made with monofilament that has a diameter of .009 inches (2X). Following the 60/20/20 ratio, the tippet section will be approximately twenty inches long (20% of 108 inches).
Now that we have the butt and tippet sections figured out for our 9-foot, 2X leader, let’s look at the last piece of the puzzle: the tapering section.
The Tapering Section
The role of the tapering section is to connect the butt and tippet sections together. The difference in diameter between the monofilament used in the butt section and the tippet section can be quite significant. If you were to tie these two sections directly together, the knot would be extremely weak and prone to breaking.
For example, using our ongoing scenario, tying .027-inch diameter monofilament from the butt section directly to .009-inch diameter monofilament from the tippet section would present three major problems. First, it would be difficult to tie a secure knot because of the extreme size difference. Second, even if you managed to tie the knot, it would likely fail because the diameters are too dissimilar to form a strong connection. Third, the leader would exhibit a “hinging” effect, where the abrupt transfer of energy from the butt section to the tippet section would cause the leader to hinge aggressively during casting, negatively impacting performance.
The tapering section prevents these issues by providing a gradual transition in diameter, ensuring strong knots, smooth energy transfer, and effective casting.
Now, figuring out the tapering section does take a little more experimentation and creativity on your part. Here are some guidelines to help you out:
The tapering section is typically made up of two or more pieces of monofilament with different diameters, allowing for a gradual step down from the thicker butt section to the thinner tippet section.
When stepping down between larger diameters (greater than .011 inches), avoid reducing the diameter by more than .005 inches in a single connection. For example, tying .020 to .015 works well, but jumping from .020 to .012 creates a hinging effect and the knot is weaker due to the abrupt change in diameter.
When stepping down between smaller diameters (less than .011 inches), avoid reducing the diameter by more than .002 inches. For instance, transitioning from .009 to .007 is fine, but going from .009 to .006 (a difference of .003 inches) results in a weaker connection.
The monofilament at the end of the tapering section should have a higher break strength than the tippet section. This helps ensure that breaks occur in the tippet section (hopefully at the fly) rather than higher up in the leader.
Going off our example, here is one formula/recipe for building a 9-foot 2X leader to be used for our 6-weight floating fly line:
In this example (table 10.1), the leader isn’t exactly nine feet long, nor does each section perfectly adhere to the 60/20/20 ratio—designing leaders is more of an art than an exact science. The key is achieving a smooth transition from the butt section (.027 inches) to the tippet section (.009 inches) using three intermediate pieces (.022, .017, and .012). This approach avoids abrupt diameter changes that could cause a hinging effect while also keeping the number of spools manageable, so you don’t end up needing ten different spools of monofilament just to build this leader.
Again, designing leaders is an art more than an exact science and there are endless combinations. As an example, here’s one other design for a 9-foot, 2X leader:
Okay, now that we have walked through how to design a leader from start to finish, next is how to actually go about connecting the pieces together.
Building Your Fly Fishing Leader
When measuring out the sections of monofilament, you will want to cut the sections a couple inches longer to accommodate for tying knots. For the butt section, you’ll first want to tie a Perfection Loop onto one end so you can attach the leader to your fly line using a loop-to-loop connection. The knots you’ll want to use to connect the pieces of monofilament together are the Blood Knot or Triple Surgeon’s Knot.
The Blood Knot creates a very clean, neat knot and is great to use when tying together larger diameter material (.009 and larger). Use the Triple Surgeon’s Knot when tying together monofilament smaller than .009 and when tying two different monofilament materials together such as tying nylon to fluorocarbon. The Triple Surgeon’s Knot is considered stronger by many anglers, but it’s not as “neat” as the Blood Knot.
To provide an example of when you would want to use these two knots, let’s look at a formula for a 10-foot, 4X leader:
In the leader above (table 10.3), you will use Blood Knots for connecting all the pieces of monofilament together except when connecting the 2X and 4X together. To attach those last two pieces together, you would want to use a Triple Surgeon’s Knot.
Below is an example of a Blood Knot that I tied used colored monofilament to show what the knot looks like when properly tied:
Modifying a Leader
You can modify your leader to match the fishing conditions you’re facing. Maybe the leader isn’t turning over properly during the cast, you’re in a location with limited casting room and need a shorter leader, or fish just aren’t striking your fly. There are several ways to adjust your leader, as we’ll explore below, and carrying a couple of monofilament spools gives you the flexibility to make changes on the water.
Modifying your leader takes experimentation and careful observation of how the fly line, leader, and fly perform during casting. Try making adjustments to your leaders, then test them out on grass or over water to see how they perform and which configurations work best for you.
When modifying a leader, if you forget what diameter a piece of monofilament is, just compare it to the spools of monofilament you have on hand to see which diameter is closest (see image below as example).
Adding Tippet Back on the Leader
The most common leader modification is adding monofilament back to the tippet section. As you fish, you’ll inevitably lose flies to snags, experience break-offs from poorly tied knots, or cut off tippet when swapping fly patterns. Over time, this shortens the tippet section, and you’ll need to add monofilament to restore its length.
To avoid cutting into the tapering section, add tippet when you’re down to about six inches of the original tippet. Simply attach a foot or two of new monofilament to extend the tippet section. Let's look at an example. Here, we are fly fishing with a 9-foot 4X (.007 inches) leader and have clipped off and changed our fly multiple times. Our original leader had about 2 feet of 4X tippet, now we are down to just a couple inches:
We want to get back to our original leader length with roughly 2 feet of 4X tippet, so we will just tie ~1.5 feet of 4X onto the end of the leader using a triple surgeon's knot:
Now, let's say instead of adding that 4X on to the leader we kept tying and clipping off flies until we were further back into our leader. At this point, we have eaten up all of that original 4X tippet and are now at a larger diameter of material. Before we can add 4X back on to our leader we should figure out what diameter of material we are at:
Now we need to figure out what diameter we are at because:
When stepping down between larger diameters (greater than .011 inches), we want to avoid reducing the diameter by more than .005 inches in a single connection.
For example, tying .020 to .015 works well, but jumping from .020 to .012 could create a hinging effect and the knot is weaker due to the abrupt change in diameter.
When stepping down between smaller diameters (less than .011 inches), we want to avoid reducing the diameter by more than .002 inches.
For example, transitioning from 2X (.009 inches) to 4X (.007 inches) is fine, but going from 2X (.009 inches) to 5X (.006 inches) is a difference of .003 inches would likely result in a weaker connection.
Here's what I mean: after eyeballing the end of our leader and comparing it to other spools of monofilament we had on-hand, let's say our leader now ends at 1X (.010 inches). We can add 2X or 3X, but if we skipped over two sizes and added 4X then that jump in diameter will create a hinge point and reduce the knot strength between the 1X and 4X. Instead, to get back to 4X will should add a few inches of 2X or 3X and then our 2 feet of 4X:
Modifying Diameters for Improved Casting Performance
If your leader isn’t turning over properly during casting (in other words, it just collapses and falls to the ground), it may be because the leader doesn’t have enough mass to carry the fly through the air. If you’re struggling to cast a specific fly pattern, start by increasing the diameter of the tippet section. Ensure that the tippet remains thinner in diameter and has a lower break strength than the monofilament it’s attached to (i.e., the end of the tapering section).
If increasing the tippet diameter doesn’t resolve the issue, consider adjusting other parts of the leader. You can try increasing the diameter of the butt section and the individual pieces in the tapering section to add more mass. Additionally, experimenting with the overall length of the leader can also improve its ability to carry the fly effectively. Just keep in mind that while modifying your leader can improve its performance, there are inherent limitations. Remember, the fly line itself has a fixed amount of mass. No matter how much you adjust the leader, you cannot increase the mass of the fly line.
Modifying Diameters to Improve Fly Presentation or to Reduce Break-Offs
Adjusting the diameter of the tippet section can restrict or improve the movement and depth of a fly. Thinner diameter monofilament has less surface area and thus less drag. When nymphing, smaller diameter monofilament slices through the current better which helps the fly achieve greater depth. If you are dry fly fishing and want the fly to float with a more drag-free drift, thinner tippet is more supple and permits the fly to move more freely with the movement of the water.
When adjusting to thinner diameter for the tippet section, the original tippet section will be shortened and become a part of the tapering section. To explain this, below is an example of taking a 9-foot, 1X leader modified into a 9 ½-foot, 3X leader. Here is our starting leader:
Cut back the “original” tippet section, which will become part of the tapering section, and add 3X (.008) to form the new tippet section:
Going to a larger tippet diameter (i.e., greater break strength) may be necessary when casting a larger fly and when dealing with fish that strike hard, such as streamer fishing for largemouth bass. When fighting fish around any sort of structure (bridge piers, sunken shopping carts and tires, tree limbs, etc.), going to thicker diameter monofilament can help avert break offs and allows you to exert more force on the fish to pull away from the obstacle. Increasing the diameter of the tippet section can be as easy as cutting off the original tippet section and extending the last piece in the tapering section.
Modifying the Length of a Leader
You can extend the length of the butt section of the leader. This adjustment helps conserve energy during the cast and increases the distance between the fly line and the fly, reducing the likelihood of the fly line spooking a fish when it lands on the water. You can also shorten the overall length of the leader which will transfer more energy, and a shorter leader is advantageous when casting in tighter areas or if the fish are not easily spooked by the fly line and leader landing on the water.
Lengthening out the tippet section is a quick way to add distance between your fly line and fly. It can also aid with creating improved drifts for dry flies by bleeding off energy and laying slack on the water, or it can help nymphs to achieve more depth while drifting underneath an indicator.
Lengthening the tapering section and incorporating additional diameters for a more gradual step-down can help smooth the energy transfer from the butt section to the tippet. This adjustment can result in a gentler, more controlled turnover during the cast which can improve accuracy.
Modifying the Ratio in Your Leader Design
Changing the formula ratio of the butt, tapering, and tippet sections also alters the casting performance of the leader. Ratios that have longer butt sections, 60 percent or greater, conserve more energy during the cast helping to turnover leaders, especially longer ones like 12- or 18-foot leaders. Alternatively, going from a 60/20/20 ratio to a 50/30/20, or even a 40/40/20 ratio, will bleed off energy and provide a more delicate presentation for fly patterns, particularly smaller dry flies. For example, in the first leader we discussed (the 9-foot 2X leader), we can change the ratio from something close to 60/20/20 to more like a 40/40/20 ratio that will dissipate more energy providing a much softer cast:
Mess around different ratios and remember there’s no “right way” to creating leaders. The only thing stopping you is physics. If you want to build a leader that is 80/10/10 or 20/20/60, go for it.
Now that we have seen a few examples of building and modifying fly fishing leaders, let’s look at some other ideas to demonstrate just how much you can experiment with creating custom leaders.
Using Tippet Rings and Swivels
To extend the life of your leader, consider attaching a tippet ring or swivel between the tapering section and the tippet section. When the tippet becomes too short from repeated trimming, simply cut off the remainder and tie on a fresh tippet section to the ring or swivel. Using a tippet ring or swivel can help your leader last much longer. To attach monofilament to a tippet ring or swivel, a standard five-turn Clinch Knot or Trilene Knot works well.
Tippet Rings
Tippet rings come in various sizes to accommodate different monofilament diameters:
2.5mm or 3mm rings: Suitable for a wide range of monofilament diameters.
2mm rings: Best for smaller diameter monofilament, such as 2X and thinner.
Swivels
These are especially useful if your leader tends to twist due to the motion of certain flies, like poppers or large streamers, during casting or retrieval:
Look for “micro” swivels with a break-strength of twenty-five or forty pounds.
The 40-pound swivels are easier to tie to larger-diameter monofilament.
There are many ways to incorporate tippet rings and swivels when building a leader. Below are two examples to demonstrate their versatility.
Example of a Leader Used for Sinking and Sink Tip Fly Lines
Leaders for sinking and sink-tip lines are generally short, ranging from three to five feet, and incorporate thinner-diameter monofilament for the butt section. This shorter design is intentional and serves several purposes. When using sinking lines, the primary targets are often more aggressive fish that are not particularly leader-shy, so a longer leader isn’t necessary. In fact, a longer leader can reduce your connection to the fly, increasing the likelihood of missed strikes. Additionally, a thinner butt section and shorter overall leader allows the leader to sink more efficiently with the fly line.
Below is an example of a leader for a sinking line:
Note- The short piece of .015 is primarily needed because it is difficult to tie thick .020 monofilament to a swivel.
Example of a Leader Used for Indicator Fishing
There are several ways to create a leader for indicator fishing. Using a gradually tapered leader, that you either bought from a fly shop or tied yourself, can work with indicator fishing. But those looking for improved depth control in moving water may benefit from building a more advanced indicator rig called a “hinge-indicator rig" (or also referred to as the "right-angle indicator rig"). The big advantage of the hinge-indicator rig is the ability to get a fly deeper in moving water and helping the fly stay at-depth.
In moving water, leaders that gradually taper end up riding too high in the water column because the thicker diameter gets pulled by the current and drags through the water. When the leader drags, it pulls the fly upward. To get the fly further down in the water column (when using a leader that gradually tapers), you have to add a considerable amount of weight and/or monofilament to the tippet section.
The hinge-indicator rig, on the other hand, uses only a small portion of thick leader material (the butt section) which abruptly stops at a swivel. Beyond the swivel, it is just thin diameter monofilament down to the fly, and the result is less drag and a "hinging effect" that helps the fly sink further in the water.
The hinge-indicator is straightforward to build and easy to reconstruct on the water. While both nylon and fluorocarbon can be used to make this rig, fluorocarbon is preferred for its abrasion resistance and higher density (it sinks better than nylon).
The hinge-indicator rig features a very short butt section made with thinner-diameter monofilament followed by a swivel and then thin monofilament for the tapering and tippet sections. This design creates an aggressive hinging effect during the cast, and this action helps to kick over and drive the fly into the water first before the rest of the leader and indicator land on the surface.
Below is one example of how to build the hinge-indicator rig:
Check out this article for more information about the hinge-indicator rig and the basics of indicator fishing.
Adding a Second Fly
With fly fishing, you’ll often find yourself casting into waters with sparse fish populations. Covering near-empty water with a single fly can make for a long and unproductive outing. To increase your chances of hooking into a fish, try tying on a second fly. There are several ways to add a second fly to your leader, but one of the most versatile methods is by creating a “tag-end" because this method lets you swap out one of the flies without having to clip off the other.
With a tag-end rig, you can experiment with various fly combinations. For instance, you could tie on a dry fly and a nymph to create a "dry-dropper" rig. Or you could pair a bass popper and a nymph for a "popper-dropper." Or tie on a popper and streamer, or tie on two streamers, or two dry flies, and so on. It's really is up to you. There’s no wrong way to mix and match flies.
Here’s how to create a two-fly rig:
Choose the right monofilament: Start by checking the diameter of your tippet section. Select a piece of monofilament with a thinner diameter than your current tippet. This ensures that if a snag or break occurs, only the second fly (the “point fly”) will be lost.
Cut the appropriate length: Take a piece of monofilament from the spool. The length will depend on the depth and speed of the water you’re fishing, but eighteen to twenty-eight inches is a good starting point.
Tie a Triple Surgeon’s Knot: Tie the new piece of monofilament eight inches above the end of your tippet section using a Triple Surgeon’s Knot. After tying the knot, do not clip off any ends just yet.
Clip the waste end: The knot will leave you with three loose ends. One end points back towards the butt section of the leader—this is the waste end and needs to be clipped flush to the knot. If you leave this end and tie a fly to it, the knot could come apart if a fish strikes.
Tying Your Flies On: After clipping the waste end, you’ll have two remaining ends:
The tag-end: This is the original end of your leader and will measure about four to six inches after tying the knot. This length allows you to change flies a few times before needing to tie a new tag-end.
The point fly: The thinner monofilament you tied on to the leader is for attaching the point fly.
With this setup, you can effectively fish two flies at once and adjust your rig to suit the conditions and the behavior of the fish. Experiment with different fly combinations and observe how they perform in the water to find what works best.
Below is a photo of a two-fly rig using a triple surgeon's knot. The larger, red fly is the "point fly" which is on thinner/weaker monofilament. The tan/yellow fly is the "tag-end fly" which is tied onto thicker/stronger monofilament. If the point fly gets snagged on something (or a fish breaks it off) the line should break close to the point fly saving our tag-end fly from being lost as well.
Practice Building Fly Fishing Leaders
The leaders discussed in this article provide a starting point for what you can create and modify using just a few spools of monofilament. Experiment with the leaders you build, and practice casting them to observe how they perform, both with and without flies. Pay attention to what works well and what doesn’t.
Many fly fishers become frustrated with how their fly rod or line casts and performs, which can lead to abandoning the sport or investing in expensive new gear. However, a lot of these casting issues can be addressed, and money saved, by creatively adjusting your leader to better match your fly pattern, fly line/rod, fishing conditions, and casting style. Embrace experimentation and let your creativity guide you to solutions that work for you.
Lastly, here are some additional leader formulas, along with suggestions of what they could be used for, to give further inspiration and ideas:
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