In Hemingway's short story "Indian Camp" he makes a reference to a "tapered gut leader." What is it, and what would it look like?
that's from the Nick Adams stories. my fav's
back when your grandparents were around, they used cat gut as the strong leader section you tied a hook on to, and then the bait. the worm.
think a ball of clay, rolled out into a worm.
got it?
okay, one end is skinnier than the other.
it was made of gut. gut gut was stronger and more resistant to being bit thorough by the big fishe's teeth.
now a days we use steel leaders with swivels on each end, and sometimes the line, not the leader, but the line still breaks.
happy reading
read big-two hearted river, by hemmingway. my fav.
esp. the grasshopper hotel, and. oh, all of it.
peace
f.c.
2007-10-09 15:30:53 by Ernest
Array
Harry discusses the Murray's Bright Butt Knotted compound tapered leader and why he prefers them to others on the market for all of his fly ...
What line comes after the tapered leader?
Ok, so , my backing line is attached to my fly line, I have a 9 ft tapered leader attached to the fly line, then I have a mini tippet ring to protect the leader.. so then I attach around 10 ft of mono or fluoro to that...
But I have found it difficult to get my presentation right. Am I using too much or too little mono after the tippet ring? (I usually use mono as I find fluoro gets tangled really quickly)
What would you advise to help with presentation of the fly? I've just bought some tapered leaders, 3x 4x and 5x which are reduced wake.
***In short... how much line do you think is the best length after the tippet ring?***
***Cheers for the info and keep it coming lol. I usually waddle around in my waders in 150 acres of my local Fewston reservoir or in the shallows of my local fast flowing river Wharfe. I use different rods and tackle of course. Greys G series 9'6" 7/8. A Greys G Series 8'6" 4/5. And new this season a Greys Platinum XD 10' 7 weight. Hope this helps you to help me*****
************ Thank you all so much for your advice. I cannot pick one over the other as a best answer so I'll let the answers community pick one. *******************
Unless you're fishing for tarpon from a boat with a 8 or 9 weight rod, you've got WAY too much tippet, my friend. I'm assuming your skill is that of a beginner or perhaps intermediate -- a 9-foot leader is a bold move all by itself, and then to put 10 feet of tippet on the end of that... wow. You either have crazy good casting skills or you have crazy amounts of confidence.
Remember, it's your fly line that directs the cast. The fly line has the weight and the visibility for you to aim your cast and put the fly where you want it. The leader and tippet just follow the fly line. So, you've got 20 feet of leader/tippet out there -- you've got to pull out another 10 feet of line to get the cast going. So, you're making 30-foot casts at a minimum. It's not easy to make good casts under those conditions. No wonder your presentation is off.
If I were you, with intermediate casting skills, I'd cut back to, say, a 7-foot tapered leader and then finish it off with about 3-4 feet of tippet (with the size based on your fly choice, right?). See if your presentation doesn't improve. Longer leaders and tippets can improve your chances of getting fish to take your flies, but again, unless you're saltwater fishing and/or double-hauling on a big river, you don't need anywhere near that much tackle on the end of your fly line.
Unfortunately, if you ARE fishing in a situation where you must routinely make 40-60 foot casts, then you've probably got the right amount of leader and tippet, and you're just going to have to improve your casting skills to get it all under control.
A note about mono vs. flouro -- I also use monofiliment as a rule because it's less tangly and (more importantly) less expensive. If I get around some really line-shy fish, I'll whip out the flouro -- flouro is very nearly invisible in water. But your question doesn't really touch on the mono vs. flouro issue. You've just got too much stuff out there.
Edit -- someone here commented that you shouldn't be using a tippet ring. I don't agree with that. A lot of fly fishers are going to tippet rings to make their leaders last longer. People also say it's easier to tie up new tippet with a tippet ring because the knots are easier (even a surgeon's knot is hard to tie when your fingers are fuh-rozen). I have tried the tippet rings and don't care for them, but I can see how they are useful (especially the tiny ones -- they only 1 and 2 mm!). What I wanted to add is that, given what you've said, the tippet ring is causing your presentation problem. That's all.
2009-03-23 11:33:38 by jcdmk
what is the best way to attach tapered leaders to braided loops ?
Use a loop to loop connection, simply form as small a loop as you can in the braided loop and pass it through the braided loop on the end of your fly line then pull it back to make it tight, you can also tie it on via a half blood knot or a grinner knot like you would use to attach a fly, you may want to add a little super glue or "fishinglue" to the knot to secure it and make the best of the leaders/fly lines turn over.
whats the difference between leader material sold by the spool & regular fishing line?
I know that when you buy a leader it's ussually tapered, but when you buy leader materials to make your own, aren't you more or less tying progressively lighter weight fishing line together for the same effect, just most likely not as seamless?
Yes, there is no difference, unless you buy a tapered leader, as for fly fishing.
I sometimes make my owned tapered leaders with 3 different line weights.
2007-08-17 17:27:55 by me
tapered leaders?
what is the advantage of these tapered leaders and how do you make your own? does anyone know of a guide which shows the best line strenghts and which knots to use? thanks for any help
Follow some of the links, you should find them helpful. I'll admit I didn't read all of the other answers word for word, but here is the WHY of using a tapered leader:
Your leader serves one main purpose, to connect the fly to the fly line. But if you were to simply use one level (same diameter) leader from the fly line to the fly, you'd run into a few problems. When you cast, part of the leader's job is to "Turn Over" your fly. In other words, the leader should straighten out, and flip the fly as far away from the tip of the fly line as it can, so you can control the fly, have a tight line to set the hook, and so the fly isn't right next to that thick fly line that might spook the fish.
In order for the leader to turn over the fly, it needs a certain level of stiffness, so its usually thicker. But the thick leader will be either too larger for smaller flies, and it will also be so stiff next to the fly that it won't float naturally.
By the same token, a thin leader that will allow the fly to drift the way you want is too thin, and not stiff enough to turn the fly over.
Tapered leaders solve this problem by giving you the best of both worlds- a somewhat stiffer butt section fastened to the fly line, and a thinner part down by the fly.
You can buy tapered leaders, or if you have the desire, time, and inclination, you can learn to custom tie your own. You might save some money in the long run, and you can fiddle with the different sections until you get a leader that performs exactly as you like. Me, I never have the time for that, I spend my time tying flies.
Most people, myself included use tapered leaders, to which we attach tippet, a thinner piece of leader. This is useful, because as you tie knots and break off flies, the tapered leader becomes ever shorter, and less effective at fooling the fish. Using tippet allows you to keep adding new leader to keep the leader long enough and supple enough.
I usually will fish a 9 foot tapered leader down to a 3X (The size of the end) and add flourocarbon tippet of 18-24 inches depending on the fish and flies I am using. I use a lot of 5X-6X and sometimes 7X tippet- (The fly shop can show you this stuff)
The fluorocarbon tippet is much more expensive- 3 to 5 times as much- 13-15 dollars a spool as opposed to 3-5 dollars for standard tippet, but theres a big payoff that makes it worth it- the flurocarbon is thinner and stronger, and has special properties that make it a lot harder for the fish to see. So you will hook more fish and you'll be less likely to lose them. Skimp in other areas, but not on your tippet, it will be worth it.
Good luck!
2008-03-31 18:20:52 by evilscarytiger
How do I set up a fly rod?
I have backing(how much do i use) fly line(how much do i use)and a tapered leader with a loop in the thick end...help me i am clueless
How to set up a fly rod--------------
Can you go to a person who knows what they are doing to get help? If so, I would strongly recommend it. Otherwise, give this a try. You need to learn it anyway.
Did you buy a package deal, that gave you a rod, reel, backing, line, leader and flies?
Or, did you buy separate pieces.
If you bought the package deal, then everything should match up, however I have seen some all-in-one outfits that were not fit to be called fly rods.
If you bought separate pieces, then I hope someone guided you through the purchases. Like is the fly rod the size (as in the weight of the rod, not the actual weight (yes, here is where you start scratching your head trying to figure out what I am saying) but the indicated weight of the rod. Like is it a 5 weight or a 6 weight, or did you buy a specialty rod, like a 2 or 3 weight or a 8 or 9 weight?
What kind of fish you are going for, is the determining factor in what size rod to buy.
Then your reel has to match up fairly close to the rod. Reels are sold with designators indicating that they are for a 5 or 6 weight or a 7 to 8 weight or a 2 to 3 weight rod. This is important. You can not use a 2/3 weight reel on a 6 weight rod. The line will totally fill the reel and there will be no room for backing or anything else. Also, the reel helps balance the rod while you are casting. So, if you have an ultra light reel on a heavy rod, the balance of the reel is going to be way up the rod somewhere, not down at the cork handle you are holding on to. That means you will have a hard time casting and wear yourself out faster than you should.
So, let's hope the reel matches the rod.
Eric is right, use the Arbor knot to tie on the backing to the center spool of your reel. But first, do you want to reel this in with your right hand, thus holding the rod with your left hand, or do you want to reel it in with your left hand holding the rod with your right hand? I am going to assume you are right handed, if not the question simply needs to be reversed.
With small fish you can get away with casting with your strong hand and then switching the rod over to your other hand to reel in the line when you have a fish on. However, if you are going after big fish, then it is best to hold the rod with your strong hand and reel with your other hand, since it is your strong hand that has to hold the rod during the fight. Your muscles and mind-hand coordination are better with your strong hand.
Stop right here: You want to have at least one guide to put your backing through before you tie you it to the reel, so make sure you thread the backing and later the line through a guide. Some rods require you to put two pieces together to get a guide to use.
The line has to come off the bottom of the reel. Let's say you are right handed and decided to reel in with your left hand (best choice). Tie the backing on so the line comes onto the reel from the bottom front and wraps up behind the reel then back out the top front, tie your arbor knot.
Reel in all of your backing if it is a complete outfit, otherwise you will have to play around with finding the right amount of backing. The papers that came with your reel should tell you how much backing in 20 pound Dacron or 30 pound Dacron your reel will take, but how are you to know how much you have reeled on? (I usually take my reel to my local fly shop and have them load it for me).
The backing serves two purposes. First, it helps fill the reel with line so your fly line does not have to be wound up in such small circles (that really causes a problem with the line). Also, if you hook into a big one or hook a tree or rock then you have some extra line to play with to get to shore or back up to where you snagged up the line. Fly lines are expensive and you do not want to be loosing those.
Eric is right, the nail knot is an excellent knot to use to tie the backing onto the fly line. In fact, once you learn to tie the knots, then you can tie two nail knots in a row onto your fly line. If the first nail knot should fail, the second one should hold.
Below are some websites you can go to in order to learn to tie the knots you need to learn. Practice with some string, two different colored ones if you can, and learn how to tie the knots we mention.
You now have the backing tied onto your line. Usually there is a little tag that mentions which end should be tied to the backing. If not, then if you are using a weight forward line, the backing gets tied to the end that has the really long and slender line. The other end has a very short slender line then very quickly thickens up, then slowly thins back down. That is the end you tie your leader onto.
So, tie your backing onto your fly line and now you need to reel it in. I prefer to take a small long box and punch a pencil or small 1/4 inch dowel through one side, push on your lines plastic holder then push the pencil out the other side. Now your line will come off the spool nice and straight and not twist on you.
Once you have reeled in all the line, now you will find out if you used too much backing because your line will not fit smoothly onto the reel. Best bet, strip your line out, and then take off some backing, cut it and tie the line back onto the backing and reel it in again.
Now you come to your leader. It has a loop on it you said. That makes it handy, but then you have to have a loop on the line or you can not use it. Some lines being made now have loops built into them. If you do not have one of those, then the best thing you can do is tie a short piece of mono onto your fly line then tie in a loop at the other end.
For now, use the nail knot to tie the mono to your line. The thicker the leader, the fewer the wraps you need to form a nail knot, but the rule of thumb is 4 or 5 turns. You can buy a nail knot tool, I would strongly recommend it, and it makes tying nail knots super easy with just a little practice. The key to any nail knot is to pull the tag end of the leader quickly and smoothly. If you go slow you end up with a horrible looking knot. If you practice ahead of time, you will tie a good looking nail knot.
For a short piece of mono I have often just cut off a foot of my leader, the thick end, and tied it to my line, then tied in a small loop using a Perfection Loop knot. If the leader came with a loop, then you have a built in loop, but you will then have to tie a Perfection Knot loop back into your leader.
It is important that this short, 4 to 5 inch piece of leader be just about as thick as the line, you can not use a real limp and small size piece of mono. If you do you will not be able to transfer the power of the cast into your leader.
If you are going to tie on a tippet to the other end of the leader I suggest learning the Blood Knot or the Improved Surgeon's Knot. The blood knot may be the best one to use.
When putting the rod together, line up the guides and push the pieces together with an equal amount of pressure from both hands. The guides have to line up for proper casting. After an hour or so of casting, make sure you test the sections to keep them from slowly coming apart.
Now tie on a small piece of yarn and learn how to cast.
Here are three sites you can go to and learn about knot tying for fly fishing. I really love the Animated Knots by Grog site, the first one listed.
On Friday, February 20, 2009, I was fishing on the Hoh River in the state of Washington with my wife Shirley. It was a wonderfully clear day, the temperature a little below freezing and a herd of elk were grazing in a riverside pasture. The river was running exceptionally low and clear and we were swinging flies through some attractive water. I was using my 15-foot Loomis Spey rod.
The Hoh is a wild, glacial river that begins in the Olympic Mountains and empties into the Pacfic Ocean. It’s a classic steelhead river, a Spey fly-fisher’s dream, with plenty of braided gravel bars, logjams and deep, slow pools and pocket water. From December to mid-April the majority of the steelhead arrive. March and April are the prime months if you are after big fish—and the Hoh is known for monster fish, hard-fighting 20-plus pound fish that can humble even the best of anglers.
I’m not in that best-of-angler’s league. I had fished the Hoh River for more than 10 years and, despite spending at least 14 days a year walking its wild and tumbling course, I had never caught a single steelhead in all that time. For me, fishing is more of a Zen thing. I love to walk rivers where wild fish live and, on any day, I would rather be casting well than catching well. This is God’s country and here in the Pacific Northwest no river is wilder or more beautiful than the Hoh.
Integra LifeSciences Launches CUSA ShearTip(TM) for Fibrous Tissue at 2009 ReutersThe tip creates shear stresses within fibrous tissue by directing intersecting waves of ultrasonic energy from tapered serrations on the tip end. and more »
:. AJK President rejects plea to postpone electoral sessionKashmir WatchThe race for new premiership tapered to a dramatic turn when on Wednesday morning Sardar Yaqub re-filed a reference with the Speaker of the assembly seeking and more »
Studies Point to Growth for Search Ads, and for BingNew York TimesMr. Karnstedt noted that Bing was released with a massive marketing blitz whose intensity appears to have tapered off. “Clearly the big push in Bing and more »
AP News in Brief at 5:58 pm EDTThe Associated PressViolence tapered off significantly after local tribes decided to align themselves with US forces instead of al-Qaida in what is widely considered to be one and more »
Come and see the mallardsDL-OnlineNot as great as the Dakotas, where hunting has tapered off a bit this year, but still very good. Don't give up on Minnesota pheasants.
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