For those of you that make your own leaders.
How do you decide on the leader butt size?
When measuring the line tip size…do you measure the very tip which is usually a 6 to 12 inch long level section?..or somewhere else along the taper?
isnt the rule of thumb 2/3 the diameter of the fly line??
from the web
“When building a leader according to the 60/20/20 formula, it is usual to begin with a butt section that is about 2/3 the diameter of the tip of the fly line. In most cases this will be approximately .019-.021" in diameter. A leader butt of this diameter will bend smoothly with the fly line, and will not cause a collapsing “hinge” effect which will prevent the fly from turning over. The butt section is joined to the fly line with either a nail knot, needle knot or uni-knot.”
The rule of thumb is having the leader butt measure at 2/3 of the fly line tip but the part that’s not often mentioned is that this rule applies if the fly line and leader have approximately identical flex factors. Most butt material does not approximate the fly line flex and is a bit stiffer so dropping that leader butt down a bit more in diameter will put you in the bll park.
ducksterman- 6" of level is pretty normal, but 12" is a little much. But I hold a length of butt material along side the line tip, and form an arc with both. If they flex evenly, they’re a pretty good match. If not, I can see if the butt needs to be thicker (stiffer) or thinner (less stiff). A good reason to find a butt mono that works well for you, and stick with that brand. The ideal is to have the greatest mass in the butt that still matches the flexibility of the line tip- thus the success of braided and furled leaders.
Chuck
I use all loops these days and i choose the butt section according to what i want the leader do do once on the water. If i want most of the leader to stay on top in the film i’ll use a butt section close to the diameter of the tip of the flyline, loop notwithstanding. If i want the leader to completely sink, i’ll choose a butt section quite a bit smaller in diameter than the tip of the flyline. This takes a bit of experimentation but hey, that’s some of the fun of it all i’ve always thought.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose