Tying Your Own Leaders!
Your source for flyfishing and flycraft resources since 1975.
If you haven't tried this, you owe it to yourself! All you need to know is the blood knot which takes a little practice in order to do quickly and correctly. You can learn it here: BLOOD KNOT on Grog's Animated Knots.
Some fly shops and catalogs sell a leader making kit, but want to have more fun by teaching you about leader material, so you can make your own choices. You can experiment with the recipes below, by using Maxima Tippet if you want the leader to be particularly stiff. Or you can just use Maxima on the butt sections, but use nylon or fluorocarbon for the thinner sections.
Just like making your own flies and rods, nothing beats the feeling when you catch a fish on a leader you made yourself. Also, the simple skills you pick up by making your own leaders will help you repair your old leaders in order to get more usage out of them. 
If you want to make leaders in the simplest fashion, you can also try our Dennison Leader Making Vise for just $8.95. It's a nicely constructed tool, pictured right, that'll make this process even easier and quicker. Also, when you don't have your materials to tie flies, but are waiting or just sitting around, you can pull out a small bag of tippet materials and get going in a minute, just about anywhere you are. (I like to make these on airplanes because it doesn't take much room and you can carry on this tool and a pair of nippers or small scissors. Plus, if I'm on my way somewhere like Montana to go fishing, making my leaders helps to get me in the groove and relaxed.)
HAND TIED LEADER RECIPES
|
.023 | .021 | .019 | .017 | .015 | .013 | .012 | .011 | .010 | .009 | .008 | .007 | .006 | .005 | .004 |
| Tippet Size | 0X | 1X | 2X | 3X | 4X | 5X | 6X | 7X | |||||||
| 4X | 36" | 16" | 12" | 6" | 6" | 6" | 26" | ||||||||
| 5X | 28" | 14" | 12" | 10" | 6" | 6" | 6" | 26" | |||||||
| 6X | 28" | 14" | 12" | 10" | 6" | 6" | 6" | 26" |
|
.023 | .021 | .019 | .017 | .015 | .013 | .012 | .011 | .010 | .009 | .008 | .007 | .006 | .005 | .004 |
| Tippet Size | 0X | 1X | 2X | 3X | 4X | 5X | 6X | 7X | |||||||
| 5X | 36" | 24" | 16" | 12" | 8" | 8" | 8" | 32" | |||||||
| 6X | 36" | 24" | 16" | 12" | 8" | 8" | 8" | 32" | |||||||
| 7X | 36" | 24" | 16" | 12" | 8" | 8" | 8" | 32" |
|
.023 | .021 | .019 | .017 | .015 | .013 | .012 | .011 | .010 | .009 | .008 | .007 | .006 | .005 | .004 |
| Tippet Size | 0X | 1X | 2X | 3X | 4X | 5X | 6X | 7X | |||||||
| 0X | 36" | 16" | 12" | 8" | 8" | 8" | 20" | ||||||||
| 1X | 36" | 16" | 12" | 8" | 8" | 8" | 20" | ||||||||
| 2X | 36" | 16" | 12" | 8" | 8" | 8" | 20" | ||||||||
| 3X | 36" | 16" | 12" | 6" | 6" | 6" | 6" | 20" | |||||||
| 4X | 36" | 16" | 12" | 6" | 6" | 6" | 6" | 20" | |||||||
| 5X | 28" | 14" | 12" | 10" | 6" | 6" | 6" | 6" | 20" |
|
.023 | .021 | .019 | .017 | .015 | .013 | .012 | .011 | .010 | .009 | .008 | .007 | .006 | .005 | .004 |
| Tippet Size | 0X | 1X | 2X | 3X | 4X | 5X | 6X | 7X | |||||||
| 3X | 36" | 25" | 17" | 14" | 8" | 8" | 8" | 28" | |||||||
| 4X | 36" | 24" | 16" | 12" | 7" | 7" | 7" | 7" | 28" | ||||||
| 5X | 36" | 24" | 16" | 12" | 7" | 7" | 7" | 7" | 28" | ||||||
| 6X | 36" | 24" | 16" | 12" | 7" | 7" | 7" | 7" | 28" | ||||||
| 7X | 28" | 18" | 16" | 14" | 12" | 7" | 7" | 7" | 7" | 28" |