Custom Leaders - My next adventure

[letumgo]

I recently bought a set of Maxima leader material, with plans to make up some custom leaders.







First on my list is making a few of wet fly leaders:

12ft 3-weight North Country Spider Leader Formula
40” – 0.017 (20lb)
20” – 0.015 (15lb)
12” – 0.012 (10lb)
8” – 0.011 (8lb)
8” – 0.009 (6lb)
8” – 0.008 (5lb)
12” – 0.006 (3lb)
36” – 0.005 (2lb)

Followed soon after by tying some of Dana Reed's wet fly leader rigs, and John Shaner's spider leader formula.

I will share my results, once I've played around a bit. Hopefully this will spark some conversation around custom leader set-up. Please share your own leader formula, if you can recommend others to try.

Dana Reed's Dropper Loop Leader Section:
Maxima Chameleon (5# / 0.008")
Total Length = 66"
Perfection Loops at each end, and dropper loops at 24" and 56". The dropper loops will extend roughly 5/8" from the leader.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Ray, Donald Nicholson sent me some cards that are designed for multiple fly and leaders set ups. I'll dig them out and send you a couple.

Instead of dropper loops, I've been using tippet rings, either 2 or 3 mm rings. I like the ones from RIO.

Are you using loop to loop to attach to the fly line or nail knot?

[Ron Eagle Elk]

The cast is made by Donald before he mailed it. I've never had the heart to fish it. I've used the cards and they work very nicely, no tangles, no fuss. Would be nice to get them in a water proof or at least resistant stock though.

[hankaye]

REE, Howdy;

Got some old milk jugs??? You have a template ...

hank

[Mike62]

That's a nice idea, Hank; I wouldn't have thought of that. I sat around the wood stove one cold winter practicing my blood knots and ended up with a pile of leaders. They fish well but aesthetically my blood knots still need work. I'm looking forward to what you come up with, Ray.

I like Ron's idea of using the tippet rings as opposed to the loops.

[Ron Eagle Elk]

Mike, I suck at blood knots as well so I don't use them. I use a double triple surgeon's knot instead. When I was young and dumb we used to use that knot to join climbing ropes together. If it's good enough to keep me from falling to my death... Any way, it's a good strong knot to tie, even in the middle of a river. I used to make my own leaders when fishing with two hand rods or switch rods.

Hank, your brilliant, my friend. I never would have thought of milk jugs either.

[Theroe]

great stuff - love the milk jug idea, Hankaye!!
In the late 19080's, I was on a custom leader kick - it is a lot of fun. Plus you can fabricate leaders for any purpose, and get your tippet to behave exactly how you want. Anymore, I just buy 9' tapered to 3X, and add my 5' of 3X with three loops on the end. It is fast, easy, and suits my fishing. Changing flies and the 5' looped tippet only takes seconds....


One other point - the absolute very best tippet material is Damyl Tectan Superior - NOT their fluorocarbon. It has the suppleness of the very early pinkish DaiRiki(pre oblong spools), color of Umpqua mono, and strength of ANDE Tournament monofilament.
I use .20mm 8.2# test for the looped tippet, and .18mm 6.6# test for the dropper flies. I snell all of my flies on 4 1/2" looped droppers. When Im out of DAMYL, I use Maxima green.

just my 2 cents FWIW

[Roadkill]

Ray,

I still suggest this little book...
the used ones are quite a bargain.

https://www.amazon.com/Drag-Free-Drift- ... way&sr=8-1

[narcodog]

Waaay back when I tyed my own leaders also. I started with an Orvis kit then added Maxima for the butts. Then I went to the furled leader which I use for the most part now. A year or so ago Shaner shared his leader formula's and I started tying some of my leaders again. Using Maxima and his suggestion for Trout Hunter tippet.
Now I was not really looking for leaders for wets but long dry fly leaders. I'm talking about 20ft leaders. Now they work but I just can't cast them.

[joaniebo]

Ever since I bought and read Oliver Kite's book "Nymph Fishing in Practice" (quite a few years ago!), I started tying my own leaders. Last week, I put together 5 more leaders for an upcoming trip to Michigan's Au Sable River. Have been using Maxima Ultragreen for many years ... using Oliver Kite's leader formula (or as close as I can get to it) of 20 lbs (54"), 12 lbs (10"), 6lbs (10"), 5lbs (10") & 4 lbs (36").

A couple years ago, I started putting a tippet ring between the last two lengths (the 5 lbs and 4 lbs lengths). This allows me to add a dropper length to the tippet ring and also a new length of 4 lbs mono when the last length gets too short.

Bob