The leader is a length of tapered, fine diameter line that connects the fly line to the fly. It helps transfer the energy of the fly line to the fly. A leader also helps the angler to properly present the fly.

 

The leader comes with different lengths. The right length depends on the type of size of fly, the wind and water condition, and the wariness of the fish. The general rule is the shorter your leader, the better your presentation, i.e. how accurate and delicate you present the fly to the fish, which is the key to catch the fish. Here are some typical leader choices:

 

Fly Type		Fly Size		Wind (high/low)		Wariness of Fish		Leader Length
Streamer		#6		high		n/a		6–7.5′
Dry		#14		low		high		12′
Wet		#12		n/a		high		9′
Nymph		#16		n/a		high		12′
Popper		#4		high		low		6′
Bass bug		#2		low		low		6′

 

Generally, leaders have three sections, butt, body, and tippet.

 

Butt is the end with the largest diameter attached to the fly line. It is important that the size of the butt match the end of the fly line in stiffness and diameter. A diameter near .020” to .026” is often good choices to start with.  Stiffness is another factor to consider in the butt section. It should not be too soft or too stiff, too soft will make the leader collapse and too stiff will not roll over the line properly and not transfer the energy to the body section.

 

The butt is followed by the midsection body which contains smaller diameter lines and is used to relieve the energy from the fly line and then the section to which the flies are tied, called the tippet. Selection of tippet size is important. A tippet too big the fish may not take the fly; a tippet too small will likely break before you land the fish. The general rule when choosing a tippet size is the “rule of four.” This means taking the size of your fly and dividing it by four to arrive at the tippet size. (e.g., A #16 fly divided by four equals a 4X tippet. A #20 fly divided by four equals a 5X tippet. ) The greater the number before the X, the finer the tippet. Typical tippet size ranges from 0X (0.011") to 7X (0.004"). You may adjust based on your own experience and situation. Keep in mind smaller diameters of your tapered leader setup down to the lower breaking strength you are trying to achieve.

 

A wide variety of leaders are available. Most are made of monofilament. Others are made of fluorocarbon or a blend of mono and fluorocarbon. They may be purchased as a continuous piece of line that tapers from the butt to the tippet or you can tie your own using gradually smaller diameters of monofilament until the desired tippet size is reached. Here is a picture of fly fishing leader.

 

This is how the leader is used in surgeon’s knot.

 

 

Here are some fly fishing leaders for sale on eBay.