Matching Leaders To Lines

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The chart below outlines the proper relationship between various sizes of fly lines and the size (butt end diameter) of a balancing/matching leader. Although this is somewhat "technical " for a beginning flyfisherman, it is important to know that not just "any old leader" will work efficiently with just "any old fly line."

To select the proper leader, you have to consider BOTH ends of the leader: the "butt" & the "tippet".  This selection depends upon:

(1) what size fly line are you using? . . .
Leaders that are made for use with heavy-duty fly lines & rods (designed for catching large fish) are not suitable for use with "delicate" fly lines & rods (made for catching small fish).

(2) what size fly(s) are you going to be using with this fly line? . . .
Likewise, it is not practical to use a stout, "thick" leader with a small, diminutive fly; and, conversely, it doesn't work well to attach a big, heavy fly to a "thin", light leader.

So, of course, this all goes back to the fundamental question:  "what are you fishing for? & what fly are you going to try to catch that fish with?"

This chart shows what size leaders balance with various sizes (weights) of fly rods/lines...and what size flies work best with these rod/line/leader combinations.

It is this diameter we consider when deciding what leader butt section diameter to use to balance with the line.

Note in the chart here that the diameter of the butt of most factory ("store bought") leaders ranges from .017" to .025".

Keeping the difference between these two diameters (fly line tip and leader butt) at a minimum is advisable in order to produce a fluent transition from fly line to leader when casting.

Previous topic  The segment on "Matching leaders to flies" gives us a good start on the relationship between the leader and the fly size: