Leaders for Swing Wets

[letumgo]

I came across this article by Dave Whitlock last weekend. On page three, he shows a recipe for a leaded set up which may be just what you are looking for.

FFMS-150028-WHITLOCK.pdf

(913.49 KiB) Downloaded 1059 times

Link to Dave's website.
http://davewhitlock.com/wp-content/uplo ... ITLOCK.pdf

You might also be interested in this great article about winged wet flies.

http://davewhitlock.com/wp-content/uplo ... -Flies.pdf

And here is a helpful on-line tool for various leader designs:

http://globalflyfisher.com/leadercalc

[Roadkill]

This is a great read on the subject...

https://www.amazon.com/Fishing-Tandem-F ... ndem+flies

[zen leecher]

here's some pre-tied leaders for sale. The owner also has a nice DVD on wetflies for sale. I have it and it's worth watching.

http://www.wetflywaterguides.com/Produc ... anchor_285

[hankaye]

Howdy All;

When WiFlyfisher posted the following it raised my basic curiosity level to the "go-n-seek" point.

Sorry I am not a fan of Dave Whitlock.

Mark Libertone had an article I saw online that mentioned fishing 3 wingless wet together but never said what the leader construction was. I know in a couple of older books I have they mention swinging wets but again the leader construction is not mentioned in detail.

Thanks!

What I found is that the troutnut site owner (Jason), has rejuvenated Mark's old websites (after disuussions
with Mark's kids), and they are online here;
http://www.troutnut.com/topic/8260/The- ... -Libertone

the article that was mentioned by WiFlyfisher is, I believe, in the following link about half way down.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/feature ... art402.php

Sure do miss Mark.

hank

[daringduffer]

For your consideration: http://www.flymphforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2938 . Leaders have been discussed previously on the forum but these discussions are not always easy to find.

dd

[Old Hat]

Hey John, that link you found is a decent one and the leader set up will work fine and is similar to the one I use. If you haven't, check out Davy Wotton's DVD "Wet Fly Ways with Davy Wotton." It is a great one. Gives you the full run down. The leader set up really is a small part of the picture. What patterns go where on the leader so it fishes correctly and selecting the right water to use it in is very important. I have by far and away had my best days with multiple-fly rigs fishing the tailouts of knee deep riffles just before they transition into a pool. Smaller water can make this set up quite a bit more difficult to fish with. If you haven't seen the video I may be able to find it in my moving boxes (still boxed up) and send it your way. It used to be on Netflix as well, I don't know if it is still there or not.

[William Anderson]

John, in the past few years I've moved through a series of steps to work out leader constructions. John Shaner shared a few of his favorite leaders built with Maxima mono. These were a serious game changer for me. His leaders are tied to an exceptional tolerance. I never achieved that but I did manage a pile of leaders that I enjoyed very much. His formula used a longer stiffer butt section than other wet fly leaders I've seen. They do roll over really nice and mend beautifully. I never went to a three fly set up as he has on occasion, sticking with two flies keeps me from getting into too much trouble. I have enough trouble avoiding wind knots. The series of blood knots catching my tippet in wind caused enough trouble that I opted for a 9' or 12' Trout Hunter mono leader to 4x or 5x, and added 18 to 24" fluorocarbon tippet to allow for a dropper to be created at the tie in. I like this set up very much. I'd like to work with the hand built leaders again next season.

Thanks for posting this question. It's cool to have all these resources piled up in one slick thread. Thanks guys for all the links.

W

[joaniebo]

John

I've been using Maxima Ultragreen in tying my leaders for many years ... using Oliver Kite's leader formula (or as close as I can get to it) of 20# (54"), 12# (10"), 6# (10"), 5# (10")& 4# (36").

Bob

[joaniebo]

John

For many years, I have been using Maxima Ultragreen when I tie my own leaders ... using Oliver Kite's leader formula (or as close as I can get to it) of 20# (54"), 12# (10"), 6# (10"), 5# (10")& 4# (36"). I usually fish only two flies at a time tying the second fly to the hook bend of the first fly. Have never tried three in a row but probably might do it this season.

Bob

[Greenwell]

For what it's worth, the leader I tie for fishing Spiders is outlined below. I prefer Maxima Chameleon (Brown) for the larger diameters as it will straighten perfectly with a good strong pull and hold; no need for rubber leader straighteners, which, by the way, are detrimental to nylon. Trout Hunter mono is my preferred tippet material. I use mono for all my trout fishing as after extensive personal testing I find no advantage to fluorocarbon.
Notice that the butt diameter is much smaller than most leaders. This gives better energy transfer from the line to the leader and results in better turnover. The majority of the time I use 3 and 4 weight rod/line set ups and .017 works best with these line sizes. For 5 wight or above you may want to go to a .019 or .020 butt.
Feel free to modify this leader to suit your personal needs as to length, diameters, etc.

I am something of a leader fanatic and firmly believe that in most cases the leader and how it performs is at least as important as fly pattern. And in many cases is more important. If the fish are refusing my fly, especially when fishing dries (off topic!), I am much more apt to modify my leader than to change fly pattern.

Spider Leader

40" .017 M
20" .015 M
8" .013 M
8" .012 M
8" .011 M
8" .009 M
12" .008 (3X) T (Can add second Dropper (3X) at this point if desired.)
12" .007 (4X) T Add 4" - 6" 4X Dropper at this point. (4X to 5X)
18 - 24" .006 (5X) T

M = Maxima Chemeleon Brown
T= Tippet material. I prefer Trout Hunter
Measurements in inches. May be adjusted to suit water, fly size, and casting style.
Diameters are .001 Inch