it just goes to show you can miss the most important simple message if you dont see the results as today beleive it or not i tried tapered leaders for the first time which resulted in sheer magic as far as my casting a full straight line out as previously i had just been using an 8/9 ft lleader well tippet really of 3lb line which didnt get the desired affect at all often collapsing arond the end of the main fly line but last night i made a few tapered leaders which gave me the answer to all my casting problems as i knew my basic casting was good but the end product was a flopped leader ,well not now and i know this may sound obvious but for you people out their like me making the mistake i made get your head together get tapered leaders its what your needing its what could be missing in your presentation.

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dont you just love nature

Interesting. I am pretty new to this game, so I have just gone fly line, braider to fishing line .......... tippet I suppose .... I have no idea why or what I should be leading with

tapered leaders are a series of mono peices that gradually get thinner till it reaches your tippet strenth usually comprising of 3 parts or 4 but im not really good at explaining this so here goes

http://www.fishandfly.co.uk/tledit0201.html you should find what you need here. or do a google on tapered leaders

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dont you just love nature

Here's a reply to a thread last year on the same subject. It is how I make mine. Instead of Super Shinobi line you need to choose a different Co-Polymer line for the tippets now as Daiwa have dropped Super Shinobi. At present I am using up Super Shinobi bought off eBay and Hardy's Co-Polymer that is easily found in most fly fishing shops.

Spool of cheap 22lbs BS monofilament like Bayer Perlon
Spool of 15lbs Maxima monofilament
Spool of 8lbs Daiwa Super Shinobi co-polymer
Spool of 5lbs Daiwa Super Shinobi co-polymer
Spool of 3lbs Daiwa Super Shinobi co-polymer

A needle
A lighter
A pair of scissors

Knowledge of tying: Needle Knot; Four Turn Water Knot; Grinner Knot

Tie one to two yards of the 22lbs monofilament to the fly line using the needle knot. This is the sacrificial butt of the leader.

Tie to the butt another one or two yards of the 15lbs Maxima using a four turn water knot.

Tie to this another one or two yards of 8lbs or 5lbs Daiwa Super Shinobi co-polymer using another four turn water knot. This is the tippet.

If you need to make a finer tippet, use one yard of the 8lbs Super Shinobi and then tie a tippet of whatever length you want of 3lbs Super Shinobi to the 8lbs using another four turn water knot.

Decide on tippet thickness based on the fly size: 8lbs for Drakes, Spent Gnats, Daddy-Long-Legs and big Sedges; 5lbs for flies from 12 down to 16; and 3lbs for 18 down to 26. You want the thickest line that doesn't interfere with the fly behaving as if attached to nothing. Too thick and it will push the fly about, too thin and it will break off at the knot through fatigue.

This method means you always have perfect leaders. It is a few moments work to make a new one. You can fine tune them to suit the conditions on the day. If you can get used to managing longish leaders, over time, you will catch more fish.


Hope that helps you along.

richard

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Who resides on the right bank of the Derbyshire Wye and is lulled to sleep each night by the mutterings of a weir, dreaming that "When the rivers and their inhabitants come first, we ALL win..."

Richard that is a really clear, well-written recipe.

(I have been using Roman Moser braided loop to Hardys Co-Polymer tapered leaders but the braided loop can become waterlogged and need greasing ... oh and a new Hardy leader costs £3!!)

Can I ask a questions please: how frequently do you find that you need to replace the 22lb Bayer Perlon section, and when you do does it involve losing an inch of fly-line each time?

Thanks
Andrew

I fish from 2 to 4 times a week in the season, on calm days I use my #5 line on windy days the #6. The 22lb sections last me two to three seasons each. When it gets to less than a foot in length I replace it with another yard or so of the 22lbs sacrificial butt. It does indeed mean cutting off about half an inch of fly line for each new needle knot. I have usually worn the line out before the tiny bit of shortening could ever even begin to interfere with the line's performance!

richard

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Who resides on the right bank of the Derbyshire Wye and is lulled to sleep each night by the mutterings of a weir, dreaming that "When the rivers and their inhabitants come first, we ALL win..."

why make life hard for your self... make your own furled leaders dead eaasy and you can make them out of tippet the same line ad you use for your tippet, only one knot involved hence much stronger... if you decide you need a shorter or longer tippet at the waters edge then you you can make one in a minute...

A full court press of this to that, to that, to that, may be the best way to go if 'presentation is everything.' If not, just stick to the 60-20-20. 60% butt section, drop by half to the next 20%, then 20% tippet. Works a treat with heavier 'tapered' leaders (think Salmon).

Fred