Leader Design

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There are three sections of a leader

1. the "butt" (the thickest, longest section, that attaches to the fly line and provides the "backbone" to the leader);

2. the graduating "mid-section" (provides the transition/taper between the butt and tippet segments);

3. the "tippet" (the thinnest segment that attaches to the fly).

If you use a "knotless, tapered leader" ("store-bought"), you won't visually see this transition, as the leader material is one continuous piece that tapers from butt to tippet with no noticeable segmentation.  If you tie your own leaders, or when you need to repair them, shorten or lengthen them, this relationship is more meaningful.

The typical/traditional distribution of the 3 component parts generally is:

• 60% of the total length is the stiffer butt section

• 20% is the tapering mid section

• & 20% is a single length of tippet section

This is a general guideline that is useful to remember for creating or repairing leaders used for average freshwater fly fishing conditions.  You will learn with time, however, that particularly for the tippet section, that the 20% "allotted" to its length may well be less than what is actually used.  In situations where clear, slow moving water and finicky fish demand longer leaders and small flies, the tippet could end up being as much as 40% of the total length of a leader.

(For a mathematical approach using this "60/20/20" rule, review "leader formula.")