In Part I of this article, we talked about the basics of choosing a fly fishing leader and focused those discussions primarily from the perspective of the trout angler. In Part II, we’re going to take things further and discuss a few more details which will surely come up, such as nylon leaders vs. fluorocarbon leaders, leaders for large, weighted or air-resistant flies, and leaders as they relate to common casting issues.
Nylon vs. Fluorocarbon
Both nylon and fluorocarbon are materials used to make monofilament fly fishing leaders. They are both clear and look pretty much the same, but they have different characteristics which can make them better or worse for different fishing scenarios. Here is a breakdown of each and when it may make sense to use one over the other.
Fluorocarbon
- Fluorocarbon is denser than nylon, so it sinks more quickly. This makes fluorocarbon a great choice for the tippet section when nymphing in rivers, chironomid fishing in lakes, or any time you could use a hand getting the fly to sink faster.
- Fluorocarbon also does a good job of being invisible underwater. This is because fluorocarbon refracts light similar to how water does, so it disappears underwater. Fluorocarbon is a great choice when we need our leader/tippet to be as stealthy as possible for fish with stellar vision and clear water.
- Fluorocarbon has less stretch than nylon
- Fluorocarbon is harder than nylon and has greater abrasion resistance so it is often chosen for many saltwater species when you’re fighting the fish long battles and the line can break from abrasion on the fish’s jaw or body. However, the hardness of fluorocarbon can also make it harder to get knots to tighten properly, so it is important to pay extra attention when tightening knots with fluorocarbon.
- Fluorocarbon is more expensive than nylon leaders or tippet.
- Fluorocarbon lasts much longer and doesn’t degrade in UV light or over time the way nylon does.
Nylon
- Nylon is what standard monofilament fishing line has been made from for many decades.
- Nylon isn’t as dense as fluorocarbon so it doesn’t sink nearly as fast. Because of this, nylon is certainly the material of choice for fishing dry flies because it won’t sink like fluorocarbon will. A short section of fluorocarbon tippet when dry fly fishing is fine, but a whole leader of fluorocarbon will likely leave you frustrated.
- Nylon is softer than fluorocarbon so it can be difficult to get a good knot when tying the two materials together. This is because the denser, harder fluorocarbon can bite through the softer nylon.
LEADERS FOR LARGE FLIES
Casting heavily weighted flies or large, air-resistant flies can suck the fun right out of fly fishing if the casting becomes too much of a hassle. Well, the good news is that a little thing like having an appropriate leader can go a very long way to help in this situation.
The most fundamental principle to fly casting is that we use the rod to cast the line and the line has to then cast the fly. When we’re casting heavy or air-resistant flies, the fly is fighting the ability of the line to move it through the air. The heavier the fly is, or the more bulky and air resistant the fly is, the harder it is for the fly line to do its job of completing the cast.
Shorten the Leader – One of the ways to tame these casting issues with heavy or air resistant flies is to shorten the leader. A shorter leader brings that fly closer to the fly line and reduces the amount of play between the two. Imagine a big dog on a 20-foot-long leash. You’re trying to control him as he sniffs every bush, chases that squirrel, and lunges towards other dogs going by. That’s pretty hard to do on a 20-foot leash. Now imagine a five-foot leash. You have way more control to keep Rover at bay, and a shorter leader works the same way. The ability of the unruly fly to fight the direction of the fly line is minimized with a shorter leader compared to a long leader. So, instead of putting on a 9-foot leader for that big conehead articulated trout steamer, maybe try a 6-foot leader. The casting will certainly be better and the fish are usually okay with the shorter length when fishing large flies.
Long tippet works the same way – Having a long tippet section can be a great way to help with long, drag-free drifts with little dry flies, or help that nymph sink as fast as possible. With large flies, however, too long of a tippet section can make a dramatically negative impact while casting. Just like with the scenario described above for too long of a total leader length, too much of that skinny tippet allows the fly too much freedom of movement. The result is a battle between the fly and the line for what they are supposed to be doing. Keeping the fly closer to the taper of the leader (via a short tippet section or no tippet section at all) allows the taper on your leader to keep that fly under control as much as possible.
Leader Stiffness – Leader stiffness is the final factor that can make casting large and/or heavy flies more bearable. Leaders specifically designed for larger flies, such as redfish leaders, bass leaders and salmon/steelhead leaders are generally made with a stiffer formula of nylon/fluorocarbon than your normal trout leaders. Stiffer leaders help us in the same way shorter leaders and tippet lengths do. The stiffer leader material reduces the amount of freedom and play the fly has in the air. The result is a tighter, more controllable cast which performs better in control, accuracy and distance.
So, in summary, when using large flies keep the leader as short as possible, keep the taper as close as possible to the fly, and use stiffer leader material. If you look at the off-the-shelf leaders for bass, redfish, salmon, etc. from the leading manufacturers, you’ll see these are the factors they are incorporating into their leader designs, and they can really make your fishing more productive and more enjoyable.
LEADERS AND CASTING PROBLEMS
Leader choice isn’t often associated with casting problems but a poor leader choice can turn a good caster into a bad one. Here are some common casting frustrations, some tips on how to solve them, and some thoughts on how the leader can come into play.
Casting into the wind – Unfortunately, dealing with wind is part of fly fishing on some days. For new fly casters, it makes bad habits worse and can simply ruin the day. The solution to casting in the wind is being able to cast tight loops. Casting tight loops takes skill and practice but those skills aren’t that difficult to learn once the fundamental concepts make sense. (More on that in soon to be released articles and videos).
Regarding leader choice, an appropriate leader can help in windy conditions as well. The big culprits here are going to be the same as above. Too long of a leader will result in your leader and fly being blown off track before the fly hits the water. A long section of tippet will not transfer enough power to the fly and have a similar result. Finally, too soft of a leader and the leader will be more likely to be manhandled by the wind before it can turn over all the way down to the fly. So, if you’ve fished all morning with a 9-foot 4X leader with two feet of tippet but are experiencing issues with an afternoon wind, changing that leader to a shorter 7.5-foot and stiffer 2X leader with only one foot of tippet could be all you need to make the wind more tolerable.
Leaders Not Landing Straight – If your leader is landing on the water in a pile instead of a straight line, there are several reasons that could be the issue. It could certainly be a casting problem but, overall, if you’re able to cast a reasonably tight loop then the problem may be very simple. Throughout many years of observing anglers during casting lessons, I’ve noticed that even after we’ve managed to get an angler casting nice, controlled, tight loops, there can still be issues getting the leader to turnover to the fly for a good presentation cast. The solution is simply aiming that tight loop downward, closer to the water for that final presentation cast. If the loop is opening up too far above the water, by the time it falls to the water it may be blown off course by wind. It can also be that the cast and turn over were great but because all of this happened twelve feet above the water, the line has recoiled back and looks like a plate of spaghetti by the time it hits the water. To solve this, practice false casting three or four times, then on the last cast to present the fly, aim your backcast higher behind you and the forward cast lower and closer to the water’s surface in front of you. Aim for your leader to straighten out just a couple feet above the water. For some, bending slightly forward at the waist for the last cast helps achieve this. Find some targets on the lawn or water while your practicing and keep working on getting that loop to open up with the fly just a foot or two above the target.
This sounds oversimplified for experienced anglers, but those anglers have become used to doing it without thinking about it. For new anglers, it can be a five-minute fix which can play a big role in fishing success. Yes, you guessed it… Your leader can also be part of the problem with leaders not straightening out. Usually, the issue would be that the fly is too large for the length and stiffness of the leader.
In Part I of this article, we talked about the following formula:
Fly Size / 3 = Leader Size (diameter)
For trout leaders, this formula makes it easy to know what size leader to use. It is based on the size of the fly, so if you’re using a size 18 fly (18/3 = 6X) a 6X leader would be a good choice. If you’re using a size 6 fly (6/3 = 2X) a 2X leader would be a good choice.
Leaders for salmon/steelhead, bass, or saltwater leaders generally don’t use an “X” number to identify the diameter but the same principles apply, nonetheless. If you’re fishing a small, size 6 bass popper on an 8-foot 12lb leader, it may cast great. But, if you change to a much larger bass popper, that 12lb leader may not have the stiffness to turn over that big fly. Changing to an 8-foot 20lb leader will usually make things much better and will likely cast the fly much more smoothly and with more accuracy.
For length, just know that the longer a leader is, the harder it is to get the energy from the fly line to transfer all the way down the leader to the fly and get it to straighten out. If the wind, or the fly, your casting skill, or any other factors are keeping the leader from straightening out, the shorter the leader is, the easier it is for the line and leader to turn over the fly. Long leaders, say 12-feet long, may be necessary for some fishing conditions but casting and presenting flies with those leaders will be challenging sometimes. If wind comes up or if you change to a larger fly, adjusting to a shorter leader length may make sense.
Leaders becoming twisted while casting – The problem of twisting leaders comes from too soft of a leader for the fly being used. The fly is spinning in the air during the cast and causing the twisting in the leader. Increase the stiffness and/or diameter of the leader to eliminate the issue. For example, change from a 5X leader to a 3X leader.
Wind Knots – Using our formula to keep an eye on leader stiffness/diameter can also help with Wind Knots. Wind knots are primarily a casting problem in the form of a “tailing loop”, which is caused by one or more casting faults which cause the rod to load too late in the forward casting stroke. This can take some time to identify and some practice to alleviate, but in the meantime, wind knots can also be minimized by increasing leader/tippet stiffness so that more energy transfers down the leader to the fly to aid with turning over the fly. In other words, use a stiffer, larger diameter leader if you’re having issues with wind knots and it will help. But know, if the problem is consistently happening, that solving the problem of casting with a “tailing loop” is probably the real culprit.
Summary
Well, there you have it. Hopefully this two-part article on how to choose the right fly fishing leader has helped you generate some ideas which you can apply to your own fishing and result in having even more fun and success on the water. Check back for more fly fishing articles, videos and product reviews and we hope we’ll be your source for all of your fly fishing and fly tying products for many years to come.
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Good Fishing,
Michael