Hand tied leaders

[CLSports]

I tie my own leaders and store them in a leader wallet. My question to everyone is how you wrap long leaders to avoid any tangles when you take them out for use?

For example, I will tie a 12' or 14' - 6x or 7x leader and wrap it around my hand several times and then use two twist ties to secure the opposite sides of the loop and put them in the leader wallet.

My frustration comes when I am on the water nymphing and I see risers and need to switch quickly to my 12' 6x dry fly leader and when I try to unravel it more than half the time I end up with a tangled mess that I either spend 10 minutes trying to unravel or just say *&$# it and get another one out.

So, back to my question. Is there a trick to wrapping the long leaders up so they won't tangle so easily? I start at the thick end and wrap them out from there. Sometimes I will wrap the butt end around the loops a few times to secure them in place.

Any other advice or should I just deal with it and slow down? I am so impatient when I see risers and I want a quick change over.

 

[dryflyguy]

Well - if you fish drys only, you don't have that problem!

Seriously though - I store my leaders the same way. And there is no real trick to unwinding them - other than just being very slow, and careful with it. And even at that, I still get a tangle occasionally.

You might want to try a different storing method that one of my buddies use. He wraps his leaders on old tippet spools. No tangle problems with that I'm sure

 

[CLSports]

I do fish mostly dries actually, but there always comes a time to switch leaders. Going from a Trico to a hopper in the summer for example.

That is a great idea. I would prefer to use a larger spool though like the Maxima ones so it does not get too many tightly wound loops.

 

[DGC]

Similar to how you wrap or unwrap an extension cord around your elbow and hand but on a smaller scale. This video is close to how I have always done it:

How to Unravel a Tapered Leader

I think it is easier to leave the thumb outside of the loop so you can use it to hold on to the bunch as needed.

For leaders with long, fine tippets of 5X or smaller, there can be looseness that is hard to control so check the length of it for overhand knots before stretching. And yes, a knotted leader does offer a bit of resistance here and there but just pay attention.

When you put it away, hold the tippet between thumb and index finger, then spread fingers a bit and wrap around your hand until you have 6 inches of butt left, then wrap that around the bunch.

Much easier to show than explain but this is how I have alway done it with no problems. I just use the same size poly bags that the commercial leaders come in, storing a few of the same taper in each.

 

[PatrickC]

When you unwind them, put your fingers back into the leader just like when you wound it up. Putting that tension on the inside of the leader will let it unwind essentially just like you wound it and generally eliminates the tangles. Took me a couple years to figure that out and quite a few bird-nested new leaders, but once I started doing it, I have not tangled any since.

 

[CLSports]

So when I wrap them up initially is it better to start with the tippet end or from the butt end? It seems the pre-packaged leaders are wrapped from the tippet out to the butt and then the butt is wrapped a few times around the loops to secure them. I am doing it backwards if so.

I like the idea of putting your hand in the loop for tension. I will try that too.

Thanks for the tips.

 

[PatrickC]

I start winding the tippet end and then use the butt-end to make a couple wraps to hold it in a loop. It's a live and learn thing bro. You'll find a way that works for you no doubt!

 

[StarvinMarvin]

I unravel the butt end and place al my fingers inside and then unwind with my left hand and I have never tangled a leader, I just keep outward tension with my right inside the leader

 

[CLSports]

It's a live and learn thing bro

Oh I have lived, I will just never learn.

 

[PatrickC]

I hear you!

 

[JeffK]

I wrap my leaders on old tippet spools. When I store multiple leaders I tie a loop in each end of the leader and connect the string together with loop-loop connections.

 

[pcray1231]

I wrap them around my hand, starting with the tippet end. Then slide it off, and wrap the butt through the middle and around 3 times. That's how it goes in the leader wallet and stays pretty good.

When I take a new leader out, I have to remember to unwrap the butt 3 times. From there, it just "falls" out. Forgetting to unwrap first, though, leads to trouble and DOES occasionally happen.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

How long does it take you to tie one together? If it only takes you 5 minutes - I think your better off just bringing the small spools of line in your pocket. I use either a rubber band around the spool or a hair tie to keep the line from unraveling in my pocket.

 

[surveyor06]

I use old Rio tippet spools. The elastic band holds them down. Just wind them on, and then wind them off. Never a tangle.

 

[mike_richardson]

I'd wait to put your smaller DIA. tippet on. That is where I end up having issues.

 

[mcwillja]

PatrickC wrote:
I start winding the tippet end and then use the butt-end to make a couple wraps to hold it in a loop. It's a live and learn thing bro. You'll find a way that works for you no doubt!

This is how I do it too. Works for me. The key is winding the tippet end first so that you can use the butt section at the end to keep the leader wrapped.

 

[Foxgap239]

I do not mean or want to derail this thread but I'm curious how many people are like me. I tie on a new hand tied leader every spring and don't think I've changed that leader until the following spring. I use the same leader for dry and nymphs. Am I the odd ball here or is this something a lot of guys do?

For this reason I really can't add value to your thread since I change them in the comfort of my living room.

 

[pcray1231]

I really use 4 "base" leaders, and each of those gets adjusted some.

1. Dedicated dry fly - pretty soft in comparison with most, similar to the older style of Harvey slack line leaders, though he got "slacker" later on. For those evening, hatch chasing outings, and trico's/midge outings as well.

2. Dedicated nymph - This is typically a mostly "flat" leader, butt straight to 7 ft or so of 3x tippet, then tapered quickly right at the end. Takes a dropper well with the blood knots near the business end. For those days where you know you'll be dredging the deep, fast stuff.

3. Jack of all trades. Generally follows the rule of 3rds. Formula came from the FFP booklet that came with my original leader tying kit. I often use this on days where I'll be switching back and forth between dries and nymphs. Also works well when I plan to "skip" dry flies around, rather than aim for drag free.

4. Brookie. Generally follows the Humphrey's tight brush formula.

The first 3 generally last more than a year, but I do change them fairly often. The last one needs rebuilt dang near every outing. When brookie fishing, I rarely lose many flies cause you can just go get em. But I destroy my tippets and leaders.

 

[JeffK]

I use a similar assortment plus a steelie leader. Don't like to have any leader on more than a year - UV will weaken them. Other than that there is a big variation in wear. Steelie leaders get beat up and need to be 100% to hold a hot fish. Therefore, they get rebuilt for practically every trip. Nymph and dry fly leaders last fairly long. However, if I am taking a trip to a place where large, strong fish are common (like Delaware, some Western rivers) I will use a new leader if I have any doubts at all. The trout in my local streams are forgiving to a less than perfect leader - a 22" brown on the upper East Branch is not.

I also like to carry spares for some unforseen damage to a leader. It's no fun accidentally damaging your leader after driving 2 hours to a spot where the fish are rising and not have a ready spare.

 

[CLSports]

Fox,

One leader would never work for me. I have 5 different ones tied up that I use:

Dry fly (12'-14')
Nymph (9')
Brookie (7')
Streamer (4'-5') &
Heavy dry fly (i.e. hopper leader)