leader specs.

[steve98]

I have tried several different leader formulas.

Orvis from their leader tying kit. (my first)

George Harvey from the book Memories Patterns and Tactics

As well as others above are just to name a few.

The Orvis recipe is cut and dry.

The Harvey recipe calls for different materials ex. Climax Umpqua Cortland etc.

I seem to have iconsistent results with the leader turning over.

No matter which I try.

Looking for a good/consistent leader recipe for general conditions as far as wind water flow etc. Using floating WF line

Using all types of flies in all of the more common sizes 16 to 12

Does matching the tippet size to fly size really matter EX.

What if water clarity calls for a 5x or 6x tippet yet the fly size to match the hatch is 12?

Steve98

 

[salvelinus]

I assume you are talking about dries. It can be difficult to cast larger flies with smaller tippet sizes. The more wind resistant the fly the more it tends to twist the tippet in my experience. I remember reading about an experiment, I think by Harvey or Humphries, where flies with pieces of tippet attached were presented to trout by floating them over the fish, no casting, just drop them in the water upstream and observe what happened. What he observed was that the fish readily took the flies no matter what size the tippet was, because the drift was totally drag-free. Now a finer tippet can help with drag-free drifts, but not at the expense of mini birds nests and knots. I'd just use 4x and a long leader. Choosing tippet size

 

[steve98]

thank u for the response
u answered my question on fly size to tippet size ratio.

any advice on a recipe or one other that i have NOT tried that will lay out STRAIGHT and lay my fly as delicately as possible

ty
Steve98

 

[blackandgold4ever05]

Harvey's formulas

Hope this link shows up. Never put a link on here from my phone. This is just a start but some leaders I've used and liked. When I built mine, I used Maxima ultra-green down to 8 or 10 lb. After that I think I we t to tippet. Hope this helps some.

On a side note, I am now using furled leaders but have yet to try it with dry flies but seems like it will turn over anything I've put on so far. They claim it will make the worst caster look very good.

 

[FrequentTyer]

steve98 wrote:
Looking for a good/consistent leader recipe for general conditions as far as wind water flow etc. Using floating WF line

Steve, that is the problem. There is no leader that will work under all conditions. You have to adjust them to fit the situation. If you are using the Harvey leaders and tying the butt and taper sections with stiff material, you should be able to get the leader to turn over. You don't want the tippet to lay out flat.
If the whole leader is collapsing on you, it may actually be your casting stroke. try slowing down and make sure the line is straight out on the back cast. How long are your leaders? You really should not need anything longer than your rod. Longer leaders can be turned over, but it is more difficult. Lastly, what kind of connection are you making to the fly line? If it is a loop, make sure it is a small loop. Or try a nail knot connection to see if that helps.
If it is just the tippet that is collapsing, then try shortening it or tapering it more gradually to stiffen up the first third or so. You want to see it land in curves, but not a birds nest. Lengthen for smaller flys and shorten up for bigger flys.
I know a lot of folks will probably disagree with me on this, but I don't think going below 5X is necessary in almost any case if you have supple tippet material and a slack cast. This is based on the Harvey experiment that Sal pointed out, and the underwater videos I have seen. If fish were put off by the viability of the tippet they would quickly starve.
Mike.