How to Set Up Your Fly Fishing Leader and Tippet

This video from The Itinerant Angler (www.itinerantangler.com) will show you the knots you need to attach your leader to your fly line, then add tippet and tie on your fly. This is a follow-up to the "How to Set Up a Fly Reel (Full)" lesson.

[@YoungJosh98]

I’ve spent 25 minutes looking for for a video with this content. Many large youtube accounts and as usual it’s always the small guys that are very useful for beginners. i know the know. but wasn’t sure when to add tippet. Years later this video is still useful.

[@billyjoe4180]

Damn bubba, you're a good teacher. No yellin' or nothin.

[@skipdavis8964]

Thank you SO MUCH for showing the leader to tippet connection. I have been searching for an easy way to get that done and here it is. I'll use it this afternoon when I hit the river!

[@elo9078]

The absolute best video for learning how to setup your rod to start fishing. Bern watching video after video explaining how to setup your rod for dru flies and nymph fishing and the more i watched the more complicating it seemed to get with everyone over explaining the process. Yours was straight t the point and also using kids balloons as strike indicators was a bonus!! Subscribed because pf this video. Thanks so much.

[@angelgbra]

You do a great job explaining how to do this! Thanks for a beginner, beginner, beginner!

[@RickMarshallMaps]

Great video. I am a new fly fisherman and this has been very educational

[@JamesEnTennessee]

I really do appreciate you taking the time to share your knowledge with us.

[@PRACERZ]

An ABSOLUTE great video for beginner fly fishers like me, thanks a ton !!

[@Joseywales414]

I Haven’t fished in many years and you have to get refreshed on this stuff also.

[@UK-Blue]

Good knot 👍👍👍 I'll remember that for when I'm out of tippit rings. They are ace!

[@AdrianGeorgeADI]

Many thanks for explaining this. I'm new to fly fishing and this has been very valued learning.

[@terribleatfishing]

I am going to purchase my first fly fishing rig and this is crucial. thank you

[@cyborgvampirebell3059]

I'm a newbie to fishing and got the bug with my bait caster and want to start fly fishing as well; what you provided informational wise was invaluable, easy to understand and fun to watch. Thank you Zack, going out today to buy my first fly package. :) Wish me good fishing lol.

[@permaculturedandfree2448]

Thank you my friend for this upload!..I am a fly fishing virgin

[@kabuki395]

thank god i found this one!! new to fly fishing and i have no idea how to set up my fly!! thank you so much.

[@calitosanto4343]

Awesome video

[@MinusStatue11]

Such an amazing and well explained video. Thank you!

[@garykilcourse208]

I like all these shows

[@tonyk2796]

Thank you for these videos, they are very helpful!

[@719angler]

This was exactly the video I needed💯

[@Joseywales414]

Same here, l like the traditional way of fishing, not the new cheating ways or lazy ways. I cut that loop off and use a normal nail knot. I haven’t fished in years but back to it now. This helped, you kind of forget exactly how and you want to be sure, so this helped , thank you.

[@rawrfishing]

genius idea on the balloon! probably give ti a shot this spring

[@fraser5754]

that fly clinch knot pulls out! you've got to put it through the loop you leave after outing it through the loop at they'd or it pulls through!

[@BassRowe97]

Thanks man, super helpful! Can't wait to start fly fishing in April!!!

[@fohat2517]

Well done simple to follow, thank you

[@iainnicholson4399]

As informative as it gets. Thanks

[@glennplatvoet7111]

Great for beginners

[@spadelugs]

The ballon trick would really work great for ice fishing or any fishing actually

[@kathyjones3963]

Well that was helpful

[@oddarnebeck]

Great video, great explanation!

[@keithtomkins3406]

Very informative. Thank you.

[@706d]

Excellent video, THANKS!

[@coltonjackson3425]

thanks for the video. Very informative. I hope you make more.

[@firearmsfreedomcanada7169]

Great video. Thanks allot! :)

[@jeroenleppers3711]

very helpfull, thank you very much!

[@paulduckworth316]

Thanks very useful

[@robertbrander2074]

Well Explained setup and knots for Fly Fishing ! .... But , if one fly on your line is good ... How can you attach a second or third fly for wider presentation ? Cheers !

[@joranwood12345]

Thanks for this.

[@rabbit5717]

Dang wonderful

[@tiffanythomas2313]

thank you very much for this content

[@abahmufishing]

Nice thanks

[@paulduckworth316]

Would you recommend using a balloon or similar every time you fish no matter the water IE River , lodge etc

[@aranha9365]

Thanks man! This video is very good! My only disagreement is to crimp lead ( very toxic metal) with the teeth.

[@yuranuclear]

Thanks. Very helpfull video

[@Benchwarmer1038]

Can I run like a crazy Alberto or soothing like that? I do quite a bit of float fishing with beaded like and that’s normally what I use for my floro to my braid.

[@paulduckworth316]

I'm totally new to fly fishing and bought. New rod and reel with sinking line on it. I've got some flies and didn't know how to attach them, also will put a split shot on. Can u fish effectively with a floating fly on sinking line?

[@TheMurphycrew2]

Brilliant idea thank you

[@hanau73]

So the tippet just prevents your tappert leader from getting shorter and shorter from cutting ?

[@fishingtrippy]

The main thing to focus on is how thick the line is. You want a good length of the thinnest possible line for the weight of the fish you expect to catch. Otherwise the fish will see the line and swim away. Especially for slow moving water. If I'm fishing steep waterfalls or thick bushy creeks I'll usually use a shorter leader over all.

[@aggyuvf]

I just use mono as my leader the rivers i fish usually have a bit of colour in them so even a 6lb line is almost invisible (i live in Scotland where it rains a lot :) )

[@matteoveneruz9096]

Punkarama I use mono for dry flies and fluorocarbon for anything that sinks, mono tends to be more buoyant so it helps to keep dry flies floating, and fluorocarbon tends to sink and I find it is harder to see in that water.

[@ragingrob4]

thank you!

[@stephenlewis2429]

I put 2 half hitches in after the fly is tied just to be sure. My dad called that a sissy knot because of the fish I lost. So now I put the half hitches in to be sure.

[@moody2840]

Sorry if this is a silly question but can I not just attach the leader to my fly line and not use tippet? I fish lakes for trout mainly.

[@november8039]

You can but after a while of changing flies and cutting line your leader will begin to shorten, and as it is tapered it will be more difficult to cast the shorter the leader gets.

[@nhwnhw02]

Why not use a Palomar to tie on the fly? It is strong and very small. With minimal use you can tie it without even really looking at your hands. I always retie after every fish.

[@pavleljutic9511]

Thanks !

[@mdfmonkeybayden]

👍🏻

[@28Zonzon]

Ive been dying to learn to fly fish. That is until i watched your video and realized what a pain in the ass this is to set up everything. I bought a reel, pole, and flies. Now im ready to sell it all cuz i dont have the patience to do this everytime i break a line. Too much bs to make it worth while. Great video though.

[@AnonymousOtters]

You really only ever break tippet (the lowest strength section). You don't have to do this setup more than once, and I encourage you to look up other peoples set up, because this one is way over complicated.

[@p4fizzle]

thanks man!

[@Josh-bf6ht]

What is the purpose of the red piece of line with a perfection loop?

[@ZachMatthews]

It serves as a de facto strike indicator, and it lets you swap out leaders easily using the loop to loop knot.

[@MC-tm2uy]

can I just create a perfect loop knot at the end of the leader, and another perfect loop knot at the beginning of the tippet and connect them loop to loop? second question if the first question doesn't work: if I have to change flies, I will be cutting into leader...so at what point do I change the leader? thank you in advance

[@sferris5316]

The balloon slipknot didn't work for me. The second I put the line in the water the balloon popped out and floated downstream. I even double checked this video to make sure I tied it right afterward.

[@oceanair684]

yeah, alot of work and then you have a rubber balloon littering a stream.

[@bscotts6694]

nice!

[@fishingtrippy]

Good video I'll be using your cheap bobber technique. #TroutBum

[@remigiobarrenaserrano672]

SI VAS A USAR UNA SECA PORQUE LE PONES PLOMO PARA QUE SE HUNDA, NO ENTIENDO

[@TheReelDmak]

Your dentist hates you hahaha ;) Everything is done with your teeth.

[@Peripatetic_bum]

Why are you using the red line instead of just tying the leader to the fly line.

[@fishingtrippy]

I'd assume it's all in an effort  to prevent a larger fish from snapping the line by spreading the load across various knots

[@kodycunningham3958]

He does it so you don't have to cut into your fly line when you want to change a leader

[@locsi4543]

Can somebody tell me the name of that fly?

[@ZachMatthews]

It's a Stimulator. Imitates a stonefly.

[@robertbranham3244]

Send this video back to me plz.

[@fraser5754]

oh he'll yeah great idea, put lead shot in your mouth!

[@evilnemesis4339]

he uses to many knots which makes the line weaker i prefer the floats with pegs

[@patrickriley9419]

I’m so fucking lost