Building a Tapered Leader

Detailed instructions on how to build a 10 foot, 4x tapered leader.
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#flyfishing #trout #flytying

[@eklepac1395]

These guys are good teachers. Just enough words to instruct. But all words that are necessary to explain the process. I never knew about using five turns to close the leader for storage. I did not know about a tippet ring. Thanks for sharing these ideas.

[@PRACERZ]

Could NOT have been shown and explained any better than what you did, thank you very much for the education !

[@russellfraser9826]

I have been tying my leaders for 35 years, learning from my grandfather. As the tippet gets used, replacing on the stream is a breeze. In the long run it is a money saver considering the price of knot less leaders, which you can also carry tippet material to refresh if it gets damaged. I have my kit at my tying station and replenish through the winter months. Nice video, Good to know others still do this, I was starting to question myself. Mine lay out very nice!!

[@camerannC]

Your untangling trick at the end is awesome!

[@mfluder7095]

Best tying and other instructional videos I've found online. Thank you!

[@bpplus9713]

I've never payed all that much attention to tying my leaders, and now, have found that I was tying too long a mid section. Just fished with my buddy and my dries were laying out perfect and he was struggling. Thanks for the formula!

[@kevinjtoner]

Excellent video!!! Very well thought out and explained. Thank you!!!

[@gilleslafreniere]

Thank you for the clear instructions. I'm finally after all these years fishing, gaining some invaluable instructions by these KZbin videos.

[@gilbertleighton5143]

At long last a simple but great instruction to solving my leader issues .THANK YOU

[@lineshooter5w]

Best tutorial on this topic. I'm inspired to start building my own. Thanks!

[@seanarney9]

great video - all your videos are really nicely done and very helpful!!

[@sirmegallot3276]

I like how your knots are seated quickly and without fuss; i always would try to drive myself crazy making sure every turn seated perfectly, but with 20 and 15 pound mono, the knot surely must be strong! the knots on your tippet and fly are sure to break first! I'm getting a kit and I'm gonna bang these out, one more thing to learn and craft to my preference. Your videos have been beyond helpful, thanks for your dedication and efforts. scott

[@pkettler]

Very nice instructional video. I have been tying my segmented tapered leaders for years, but have not yet used tippet rings, nor have I adopted the ‘five wrap’ method of putting them away. Great tips, now part of my repertoire!

[@skjeggmennkniver-skjeggmen5600]

Excellent video! Right on target!

[@amandahammond2691]

Pre-building leaders seems like a fantastic idea. My Dad builds them when he gets to the water he’s going to fish and just builds a leader to suit.

[@severito33]

Priceless!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thank you very much!!!!!!!!!

[@dtrout]

I used to build leaders from Maxima and generally they worked very well, but I found I could tie a double nail knot with the Sierra club tool and the knots were much easier and were stronger than my blood knots. Fast forward a few years and I found I could pick up manufactured knotless tapered leaders from Sierra Trading post and a couple other sources at pretty steep discounts. By getting a 1x store bought in 7.5 feet I just had to add a couple sections of tippet and I could end up with 4x or 5x at the fly. Less issues with knots catching the tippet etc ..... just my preference. I have not used the tippet rings but I like how it reduces the need to replace the segment above..... worth a try .... nice video narration BTW..... always enjoy your relaxed tone and minimalist approach. Perfect.

[@bjonesy]

Tim, love this tutorial. Informative and interesting, and with the mark of production quality we have all come to expect from your channel. Curious, however, have you thought about making a video in the future going over different formulas for different applications? Keep up the great work.

[@elonmust7470]

I was taught by the salesman Doug, how to tie leaders when I bought my first fly rod at like 12 or 13 at Angler's Lane in Lynchburg VA.

[@keithcorodimas8093]

I live in Forest, and saw Doug last week.

[@elonmust7470]

@@keithcorodimas8093 Well that's good to hear. I used to live off of Roaring Run in Goode. Still have a house on Wiggington that I rent out. The place has grown so much that it's crazy. Ever do any smallmouth fishing in the James?

[@horseshoeshandgrenades5384]

Great video. Thank you

[@TheFlymanJim]

Great video!

[@delwigzieful]

Absolutely fantastic you have saved me a small fortune thank you so much ALIEN

[@Twinhemlocks]

Awesome video! I want to start tying my own leaders, and Im wondering what sites you use for formulas? The number of sites that come up are a bit overwhelming, so if you could point me towards a few that are good I would greatly appreciate it! Also I love all of your tying videos so plz keep up the great work. Tight lines and dry waders!!!!

[@paulgarrigan2472]

Excellent video 😎

[@marespinoza1]

Great video.

[@michaelgreen5515]

Excellent video

[@billruland1494]

Thanks! The key to tying leaders is practice. Once you get good at blood knots, it's easy.

[@johndosha9183]

I use a three to three to four feet of tippet ratio and it works for me I attach the tippet four foot section on with the double surgeon knot I feel it's a slimmer knot at the most important part of the leader. I tie 10 leader recipes back to back to back and spool them on an old spool of line at the beginning of the season and keep that spool in my fly vest till it empties then I refill it. Norman I suggest you pre make yourself several leaders and keep them with you opossed to tying them on the river it's too problematic you can drop spools of line in the river or have line strung down the river!!

[@GeorgeSemel]

I had one of those Orvis kits too, its got to be 40 year now. I build my own, once you understand how, its simple, I tie mine a little long and make adjustments on the stream with what ever fly I have on. 80% of the battle is getting the leader to turn over and put the fly where you want it. You will increase your hook ups by a 100 % if you take the time to adjust your leader to the conditions you are fishing.

[@Awhliv111]

George Semel The first

[@normanbfifteen3468]

Thanks Man... Does anyone know the name of the video where a man shows how to make a tapered leader from tippet in about a minute or two while standing with his rod on his arm on the river rocks. . He also showed a trick on attaching the fly so it can rotate mote freely. I cant find it anywhere.

[@MikeWitmerNatureJournal]

Good stuff. Recall my brother tying leaders using the "George Harvey formula" and we enjoyed using them...It was specifically for dries I think and had a "hinged" section.

[@tightlinevideo]

The newer "George Harvey" dry fly leader made with all soft mono is by far one of my favorites. Hopefully, I'll get to do a video on constructing one of them soon.

[@zenbooter]

Mike's Nature Journal unhuh, it was a feature in FFM mag way back there somewhere.

[@glennpayne704]

Was taught that method in the 70's...Ritz formulas work well for Lake, Rivers and Streams... never used rings....triple surgeons knot for tippet works well too...

[@rickconyers5873]

I was searching for leader info and this video popped up. Very useful! Do you still use this formula and these materials or have you found something better? Does this lend itself to a particular weight of rod, or any reasonable trout rod in general?

[@LumberjackLeetch]

@tightlinevideo Is the Maxima line specially made for leader tying? Or could I use any typical brand mono to tie my leaders (Trilene, Berkly, Stren, etc..) Thanks for all your videos, very inspiring and helpful. Also what do you think of the Tie-Fast knot tying tool. I haven't mastered the blood knot yet and it looks like a pretty convenient little tool.

[@tightlinevideo]

+LumberjackLeetch Maxima is not made specifically for leaders but it's fairly stiff stuff, particularly the Chameleon so it can really help to get a leader to turn over and propel larger flies. The downside of its stiffness is that it tends to land on the water in straight line rather than wavy curves the way a more supple mono would. In other words, it's not the best for getting long drag free drifts. You really need to experiment to get the right combination that works for you and the waters you fish. I do like the Tie-Fast Tool especially for nail knotting a leader butt to the fly line.

[@nashkraft4387]

What is the best wt and length for a fly rod for fishing in maine

[@Thalarctos.]

Excellent

[@OUTDOORSWITHDOMINGO]

Thanks !

[@jacobstarr9010]

I just bought some maxima chameleon to build my own. Hopefully it'll help me save some money and catch more fish!

[@dulasha1]

nice 1 thanks.

[@Squivey3577]

Do you have a video for attaching the leader to the fly line? More specifically using the needle knot splice?

[@BwBandit446]

Thanks tim

[@Charsept]

As a lazy fisherman, that tippet ring seems very interesting to me. Might have to look into that one.

[@Freddo4J]

I like those tippet rings. Watch Tim's video about them! It's great! :)

[@davidgregg6703]

Thts a lot of work to catch fish. I use a fly line and leader and don’t have a problem catching trout lol.

[@stefang6213]

I'd imagine this works the same with surgeons knots? I make tapered leaders.. but I taper down from 10lbs to 6-4-3.... And they work fine.. but I wonder if going a bit (alot) heavier at the start, would make a difference?

[@hardtomello364]

So can I just use 6 lb chameleon maxima and go down to a 4lb tippet I use fluoro fly leader as my tippet is that ok or the guy at the store said it was tippet material

[@J0Gu7]

Question?? Wouldn't the knots in the leader create more of a disturbance in the water, spooking shy fish? Or am I wrong in thinking so? I used your formula to tie myself some leaders, but when I came across finicky fish, I switched to a standard tapered leader thinking I might have a better chance.

[@tightlinevideo]

J0Gu7 I really don't think the knots spook fish, but then again, I'm not a fish. To me, how the fly lands and then drifts would be more likely to be the cause of spooking.

[@zenbooter]

Well I'm stoked, put off buying those rings forever, no more!!!

[@crazyobservations3080]

Fly fishing in Indiana almost isn't a thing. There are only a few brick and mortar stores in the whole state to buy leaders. Making your own is a handy skill to learn living here.

[@mikesauro83]

would it work as good if I nail knot tied the 4 ft 30lb test to my fly line and joined the remaining leader to that section with perfection knots?

[@mikesauro83]

@tightlinevideo

[@bryanbabb9462]

I think the perfection knots looped together would probably give you a significant 'hinge' effect as well as making some pretty big connection points that could give you trouble pulling them through your rod guides.

[@3cheese711]

Can I do 30,25,20,15? Maybe 12. I'm fishing bass so 8 or 4 is not strong enough.

[@JC-yp6vd]

Tappered Leader Formula 5wt Butt section .015 to .022 diameter of Maxima leader material, depending on Tippet diameter. 6wt Butt section .017 to .023 diameter etc... ButtLen = LeaderTotalLength * 0.275 LenSection = LenPrevious * 0.55 * (diameterPrev^2/diameter^2). (^2 means squared) Example 8wt 9ft Ox ButtLen = 108 * 0.275=29.7 ButtLen = 29.7 (tied with 0.024) LenSection = 29.7 * 0.55 * (0.024^2/0.022^2) LenSection = 19.44 (tied with 0.022) Each section is calculated from the Previous Sections Leader Length and Diameter. Each section gets shorter based on diameter of leader, no shorter than 6 inches. Adjust the Tippet Length.

[@dmm3124]

Tim, why not use another perfection loop instead of the tippet ring?

[@trolologuy02]

Dmm M it’s a very bulky knot near the end of the leader, not only can it mess with the way it unrolls (as compared to a more flush knot), but it also has the chance of spooking some really finicky fish if they see a big knot moving near the fly they were previously thinking about eating.

[@simmias9397]

Been looking for this. I’d rather build 8-9 leaders instead of spending the extra money.

[@CGlacrosse74]

Please tell me if this is good or bad because I never had any problems with it. I use just a straight piece about 10 ft long of any fishing line without a taper.

[@time2fishman]

Your system of just using a long section of leader material at the same diameter has draw backs but we'll work in certain situations. The time I would personally consider it ok is when fishing heavy streamers. But I would shorten the length a few feet to avoid tangling and have better placement control. But for nymphing and dry flies tapered leaders are important. They allow the fly to land softer and to float/sink more naturally resulting in more takes. In a lake it's not as critical as long as you don't have too thick of line for the fly you are using. The fish will see it and refuse it. Also it will just look like a fly on a stick instead of a natural "bug" swimming in the water.

[@krishnanscott6911]

Do you know how to make tube flies?

[@Detroit3Pistons]

What is the difference between the 3 Maxima lines? Clear, Chameleon, and Ultra Green?

[@fullstrutn]

what prevents the fly from sinking [dry fly] with all that leader attached?

[@davidcooper6141]

Nylon Mono (which I believe makes up the butt and mid sections ) floats. He stated this leader was for wet flies.

[@jasonmullins6638]

Tim, do you have a good, simple bass leader formula?

[@Captivehonour17]

Not Tim, but for top water with a floating line and streamers with a sink tip, I use 10" 25lb, 10" 20lb, 10" 15lb, 10" 8lb. It turns over heavy or wind resistant flies with ease and I found 0 issues using short leaders with streamers for bass or trout. I use longer leaders for nymphing and dry flies, but streamers work great with short leaders.

[@OceanyangTW]

actually can use "surgeon knot" to replace "blood knot"

[@jds4935]

Where can I buy a leader gauge please???

[@chriswalter8092]

What is the diameter in X for the 6 ft butt section and mid section?

[@amieflyfish2577]

Jesus who’s clipping their toe nails with that! Lol 😂

[@realhardballify]

instead of a blood knot , can you use a Uni to Uni knot???

[@tightlinevideo]

Sure, they are just a little bulkier is all.

[@christophercook723]

Yes and much better.

[@bybyskieausai2587]

Somebody please help me! I want to build a 7.5 feet leader from 0x to 7x line diameters, and don't know how much centimeters I need of each tippet

[@oliverkraft1532]

Could you use a surgeons knot?

[@tightlinevideo]

You can but they are a bit bulkier than blood knots and the tag ends don't snip off as nicely.

[@oliverkraft1532]

sweet thanks

[@casualobserver3145]

Guess I’d better up my blood knot game.

[@gregorycox3]

Ypu dont by chance have the formulas for those leaders on hand?

[@travisturner5294]

This is the video you look for when you get a hit on a couple of fairly big large mouth bass and they just rip your fly right off your little 12lb tippet tied to your 12lb leader.

[@Thwarptide]

No reason to use blood knots. I simply use a nail knot to reverse nail knot for splicing. Its a Much stronger splice than a blood knot. I’ve had blood knot fail more often that I’ve lost confidence in em. However, nail knot, reverse nail knot ….never a failure.

[@alwynvanderlinde9507]

Surgeon's knot??

[@daniellevalade3752]

Why are you saying NEVER lubricate a blood knot. Everywhere else they say to hyper lubricate it. Very confusing… Can you please clarify Tim? Thanks

[@tightlinevideo]

I said “make sure to lubricate the knot before seating”

[@daniellevalade3752]

@@tightlinevideo okay, great!!! It sounded to me like : “Again it’s important to not lubricated….” Thanks for clarifying Tim. Have a great long weekend. Hope you’re fishing 🤠🎣

[@RustyShacklefardd]

Or just use 2-4lb test Leaders are ridiculously expensive

[@Flyfishfever]

I know this was 9 years ago but STILL who actually used yahoo search?!

[@cradford875]

Blood knot is way too hard with thin line. Triple Surgeon works just as well and the same thickness as the Blood Knot leading to the same results.

[@kevthewev2674]

Dark lines against a dark background doesn’t make for easy viewing! Things looked up for a while when you used the printed sheet but sadly soon reverted to the darkness again. A small detail which should have been spotted before uploading.

[@jezs3749]

This video is super helpful in so many ways - the ability to see the same not getting tied five times in a row isn't one of them. Kev Thedonkey