Some Thoughts on Leaders and Tippets

The subject of leaders and tippets is second only to fly selection in causing confusion and frustration for beginner to intermediate-level fly fishers. Let’s discuss a few key concepts.

As with so many other things in fly fishing, you have a myriad of choices in leader and tippet types and products. This only complicates further what is already a very complex problem. So, to keep things relatively simple, we will limit this discussion to knotless, tapered leaders. This is the most common and readily available type.

Once you’ve decided on a knotless tapered leader, the first question concerns material. The common choice is nylon or fluorocarbon. Fluorocarbon leaders typically go for roughly twice the cost of a comparable nylon leader. What are the issues involved, and when is this added cost justified? 

First, let’s compare and contrast fluorocarbon vs. nylon as a leader material. Fluorocarbon is, due to its refractive index, much less visible in the water than nylon. This is the primary selling point. Fluorocarbon is also somewhat more abrasion-resistant. There are small (and probably not significant in most cases) differences between fluorocarbon and nylon in dry and wet knot strength. Finally, fluorocarbon degrades much more slowly than nylon when it gets lost or discarded in the stream environment. 

Let’s face it, there is a certain “Zen” element to fly fishing. Every decision we make regarding our equipment and approach has potential pros and cons. And although most fly fishers have very strongly held opinions on some or all fly fishing choices, most of these assertions can neither be proven nor disproved conclusively. Therefore, it becomes a matter of what you think is important. For some anglers, a less-visible leader instills a great deal of increased confidence. Others (like your author) tend to feel that other concerns about how the fly is presented are much more important. If you fall into the former camp in your thinking, and the relative invisibility of fluorocarbon material trumps any other issues, you should use it.

The next big decision is how you plan to attach your leader to the end of your fly line. Without question, the easiest method is to have a loop of some kind on the end of your fly line and a loop on the end of your leader. You then do a “handshake knot” or “loop-to-loop” connection between the two. This system makes it very easy to put on or replace a leader as needed. Again, many people will have another preference. I only assert that this is the easiest way, not necessarily the absolute best. There are several choices in how to make the loop on the end of your fly line, and each of them has both advantages and disadvantages. Again, in the interest of ease and simplicity, I favor the use of a braided loop connector.

It also makes things easiest if you buy leaders that already have a loop in the butt end. The loop is usually a Perfection Loop, which is not terribly hard to learn. An easier to tie but bulkier alternative is the Surgeon’s End Loop. It’s wise to learn one or both of these knots, just in case you happen to buy a leader without a loop or otherwise have need of forming such a loop while fishing.

How about the length of your leader? Different manufacturers of leaders offer various lengths. I’ve seen knotless tapered leaders ranging in length from 5 feet to 18 feet. What are the implications of leader length, and what concepts govern the choice? Short leaders are easier to cast, and turn over larger flies with greater ease. The are also better suited to small streams where you typically make very short casts, otherwise you have little or no fly line working to help load your rod for efficient casting. Longer leaders present the fly with greater delicacy. They increase the distance between the point at which your fly line hits the water (with the inevitable splash, however small) and the point at which your fly lands on the water. Three commonly available leader lengths are 7-1/2 ft., 9 ft., and 12 ft. A good rule of thumb is to use the shorter leaders in early season, when the water is higher and less clear, the fish less sophisticated, and larger nymphs and streamers are being used most often. As the water drops and clears, insect hatches become more prevalent, and the fish become more wary with increased exposure to the wiles of the fly fisher, it’s best to go longer with your leader if your casting skill will allow it.

Next you must consider tippet size. Tippets are sized by “X” numbers, which is a measure of the diameter (and therefore the relative stiffness) of the material. It has nothing to do with the weight of your fly line, you don’t necessarily fish a 5X on a 5-weight fly line. There is no direct correlation between “X” size and breaking strength, either. These are but a few of the common misconceptions on this subject. You do not really need to know how many thousandths of an inch a given “X” size is, but you do need to use an appropriate tippet for the fly you plan to fish. For beginners, it’s definitely better to stick with the standard recommendation about balancing fly size and tippet size. Some leader packages have a chart printed on them with suggested hook sizes for a given tippet size. Lacking that, take the hook size number, divide by 4, and add 1. So, for example, let’s say you’re fishing a size 16 dry fly. 16 divided by 4 equals 4. Add one to get 5X. For a bigger size 12 hook, 12 divided by 4 equals 3, plus one equals 4X. 

Finally, you have to decide how long your tippet should be. A fresh out of the package knotless tapered leader includes, depending on manufacturer and design, anywhere from 18 inches to three feet of tippet. For the beginner, it’s best to stick with that length. You will consume tippet as you use a leader, by tying on flies or getting tangles or so-called “wind knots,” which are really bad casting knots. (Never leave a wind knot in your tippet, by the way, because it weakens the material substantially and your tippet can break at that point under the strain of a large fish.) When you have lost about a foot or two of tippet, replace it with a roughly equal amount. Plan to do this before you have cut back too far into your leader, otherwise the large disparity in diameter between your new tippet and the existing leader will cause a weak knot and the leader will not turn your fly over properly on the cast. 

For those with adequate casting skills, you may want to tune the length of your tippet to get the presentation you want. This issue is most significant when fishing dry flies to fussy trout and trying to achieve a very good drag-free presentation especially in complex currents. What you need is a certain amount of controlled slack in your line, leader and tippet. If your leader and tippet lay out perfectly straight, your fly will drag immediately. This indicates that your tippet is too short, too heavy, or both, for the particular fly you are fishing. If your tippet is too long, or too fine, or both, your fly will land on the water in a nest of monofilament. This is also not desirable. The proper length and size tippet will land on the water in soft curves and provide the desired presentation. 

If you are getting refusals to an otherwise appropriate fly, it’s much better to tune your tippet by going longer, not lighter. Many anglers make this mistake. If they are fishing a size 16 fly on two feet of 5X, and getting refusals, they immediately go to 6X or even 7X. This creates a couple of problems. First, the relatively heavy fly flexing against its attachment to the tippet with every cast can weaken the material at the hook eye, this increasing the likelihood of a break-off. Also, the light tippet makes it necessary to play a large trout longer, decreasing its chance of recovery and survival. 

Once you understand the concepts, choosing and using leaders and tippets becomes much less puzzling. I hope this discussion has helped.

--Mary S. Kuss--
Fall 2005 Issue