Leaders for Trout.

There are a lot of different types and brands of leader on the market these days and it can be a bit confusing for the less experienced fly fisher. Hopefully the following advice will make things easier to unravel than the leaders themselves.

The leader serves a few purposes in fly fishing. First and foremost it keeps the fly well away from the fly line and therefore the fish are less likely to spook as it lands on the water. The taper and design aids in this and it also gives us some thinner less visible line to tie our fly to.

Leaders are made up of three parts. The butt section - heavier nylon. The taper section - with most of the taper, and the tippet - the fine nylon we tie the fly to. Many years ago a fly fisher by the name of Charles Ritz came up with a basic taper design that has stood the test of time an will handle nearly all normal situations.

Basically it's based on 60% butt, 20% taper and 20% tippet. This design usually allows good turn over and presentation into all but the strongest of winds. It's also necessary for the butt to be about 60% of the diameter of the fly line to allow the power of the cast to travel through the leader so as it will unroll correctly. Obviously some reasonable casting ability is also required. Interestingly I've seen at least one brand of leader marketed as " a fine butt for better presentation".

There is also some argument on wether stiff nylon or more supple nylon is best. Horses for courses -I personally don't mind stiff butt material but definitely prefer supple nylon for tippets - especially when dry fly fishing.

These days most people buy factory leaders rather than tie their own. This has a few advantages such as less knots to catch weed and scum and of course, less time and hassle. Sadly not all leaders on the market are well designed. The cheaper ones are usually to thin in the butt and are simply a single taper. This equates to 30% butt, 30% taper and 30%tippet and likely a 30% chance of turning over properly!
Generally a butt section of at least .021of an inch or 0.55mm.is best. I prefer them even heavier. You may also have noticed that as in most things fly fishing, imperial measurements are still used.

So as you can probably note some leaders are better than others, especially when it comes to tapers. Most of the well-known brands offer correct tapering and therefore turnover better, but you may have to experiment.

As far as length is concerned, it depends on the water you intend to fish. A small overgrown stream with plenty of hungry fish will be fished well with an 8ft. leader, where as fish in slower clear water may require a leader of up to 16ft. to be successful. Then there's every thing in between.
I often find less experienced fly casters using short leader as they do turn over far more easily, but the down side is that you'll catch less fish. Just as good stalking skills are important so as not to spook wily trout so is a suitable length of leader. The fine and far rule comes to mind. In other words always use as long a leader as you can handle and the situation requires - and if you're having trouble, then try to become a better caster.
When attaching leaders to fly lines it's important to have a smooth join. I use two methods. The tried and proven nail knot (you can get a tool to make these easy) or a super glue join. The super glue method is time consuming and fiddley. I work a hot needle into the end of the fly line until I can easily insert about ½cm. of the leader butt and then glue it in place. Careful you don't get you fingers stuck!

Many people use a loop connection, but this tends to slow the transition of energy down the fly line and if your using a leader longer than your rod it can cause problems at the worst times. Fish can be lost if the knot catches in the tiptop. Oh well we're releasing them anyway!
I hope this helps, but as you can see there are never any truly simple answer when it comes to catching a few trout on the fly.

 

Getting Ready for the Fly Fishing Season

The N.S.W season starts in about a month - the October long weekend to be exact, so now is a good time to check all your gear and make sure everything’s in order.

Starting with the fly rod - it’s a good idea to give it a clean up with a bit of mild detergent. While your wiping it down and removing any old slime or weed etc. Caught on the guides and you can also check the reel seat to make sure its working ok and is secure. Also that the guides themselves aren’t loose or misaligned. I find giving it a clean up lets me find anything wrong before it becomes a problem. The tiptop should be free of grooves that can prematurely wear an expensive fly line and effect the rods smooth casting ability. These are usually held in place with hot melt glue and are fairly easy to replace.

Drag out your fly reel and give it a good clean as well. You should take off the spool and remove any old grease that’s probably been contaminated with dirt and other grime. I usually use a bit of methylated spirits or kerosene for this. Give the spindle a good wipe and apply some fresh reel grease and it’ll be running smooth again. If the reel has a drag system it should also be checked for smooth operation.

If you’re a bit lazy like me, you probably haven’t cleaned your fly line since last season - it’s hard to keep enthusiastic about maintenance at the end of a season. You should strip off the line you regularly use (40 to 70 feet approx) and give it a good clean with a quality line cleaner. This will keep it running smoothly through the guides and help it float high (floating lines) and last longer too. While doing this you can check the condition of the line. Look for signs of fine cracking in the first 15 feet or so and if it’s a weight forward line you should also check for wear at the rear of the head/start of the running line. A cracked fly line won’t cast or float well. Sadly fly lines don’t last forever and if it’s starting to show fine cracking it’s time to invest in a new one. While where at it we might as well tie on a new leader.

It’s also the time to shake the dust off your fly vest We all tend to load these up with all sorts of things so now is the time to check they’re serviceable. Check that your nippers and pin on reel are still there and working properly, your forceps are ok and the fly floatant container actually has some floatant in it - nothing’s worse than finding a good early season hatch and you can’t keep your fly floating! Vests have a lot of pockets so check them all and make sure every thing is ok. This can also be the time for a spring clean and the chance to toss out anything you think is simply dead weight. Are you carrying a few spare leaders and enough tippet material in the sizes you need? Any spools older than a season or two should be replaced as most nylons have a limited lifespan - flurocarbon is said to last a little longer. Check and top up your fly boxes and remove any used and matted flies. You can revitalise dry flies by holding them over steam with forceps for a while and wet flies and nymphs can have dried scum removed in a bit of hot water. You should also check used flies for hook sharpness. A quick touch up with a hook hone will do the trick.

Those small leaks in your waders should also be repaired before they get any worse. Simply fill them with water and mark the spot with a pen. Hang them up to dry out and apply some Aquaseal.

Now we’re ready to go and the seasons only a month away.