- Tue Dec 06, 2005 11:33 am
#92239
Hand-tied. I use George Harvey formulas mostly with great success. Just do a web search on George Harvey leaders there are tapers all over the web. Usually the butt consists of ~even lengths of butt material, with taper sections about 1/2 to 1/3 the length of the butt sections, and a 2-3 foot tippet. I also make my own indicator leaders. Those are usually 3 1.5' lengths of tapering mono for the butt section with a loop in the end. I loope to a much thinner section, 1 or 2x heavier than the tippet, so that the line below the butt is thin and doesn't drag in the water. I tie a tippet to the end of this section. I use and adjustable indicator so some of the butt will go in the water if I need to go deeper, the ~4.5' long butt gives me a lot of leeway for changing depth.For me, store leaders are just too damned expensive, and many of them are too efficient i.e. they straighten out so well that you get drag instantaneously. I have enough Maxima stored in a dry, dark place where it will last long enough to tie leaders for the rest of my life.Speaking of Maxima, my dry fly leaders are tied with Maxima chameleon butts and either umpqua tapers and tippets (for small creeks and smaller opportunistic fish) or fluoroflex tapers and tippets (selective, larger trout or steelhead). Chameleon is so stiff you can use thinner diameter material in the butt which has less drag and cuts through the wind better.The exception to hand-tying is on spring creeks or weedy tailwaters. On Grey Reef, Henry's fork, etc. when there is a lot of junk in the water I use a store-bought knotless leader. Otherwise I'm pulling moss off my leaders every 5 seconds, which isn't too much fun.If anyone out there is getting going tying their own leaders spend a few bucks on a set of digital calipers. Harbor freight has decent ones for about $30. That way you'll always know what diameter line you're using. It's especially handy for re-building an old leader where you've forgotten the taper you tied.-John
<small>[ December 06, 2005, 11:40 AM: Message edited by: bigtj ]</small>