Rigs Lab · Gear & fly fishing rigs + leaders
The rig builder and library for fishing. Lay out every cut, knot and turn to scale, start from a photo of a formula in a book, on a website or in your notebook, then publish it for anglers everywhere to tie, clone, share, print and fish.
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1 to 20 of 134 rigs
I built this rig to get a weighted hex fly down to the lake bottom where trout are waiting for natural hex emergers to rise up the water column. It uses a slip bobber to suspend the fly 12 to 24 inches above the bottom in 15 to 35 feet of water, letting me fish without casting while the fish camp in place before they start moving up to chase the hatch.
This is my go-to setup for Fall/winter nymphing on the Lower Yuba River. I adjust the weight between AAA, SSG, and AB as well as move the indicator up and down fish varios depths and speeds of water... shallower water lighter weight.
A 10' 8" indicator nymphing leader on Maxima Chameleon. The butt steps from .017" to .010", then 18" of .009" runs to a 4 mm heavy tippet ring, with 24" of 3X and 24" of 4X fluorocarbon below it. A 3/4" trapped-air indicator, one No. 4 split shot and a #16 Tungsten Bead Pheasant Tail make it a ready-to-fish indicator rig for riffles and runs.
A tight-line mono rig for euro nymphing with a 5X point. It runs 288" of 20 lb Maxima Chameleon (.017"), 24" of 12 lb Maxima HV, a 12" red sighter section and 12" of Umpqua Sighter (.009") with a backing barrel marker, then a 4 mm tippet ring. Below the ring, 14" of RIO Two Tone, 36" of 4X and 20" of 5X fluorocarbon lead to a #16 tungsten Pheasant Tail. No indicator or split shot: the fly carries the weight.
A tight-line mono rig that fishes a dry and a nymph together. It runs 288" of 20 lb Maxima Chameleon (.017"), 24" of 12 lb Maxima HV, a 12" red sighter section and 12" of Umpqua Sighter (.009") carrying a backing barrel marker, then a 4 mm tippet ring. A 6" tag of 3X mono off the ring holds a #12 Stimulator; below the ring, 14" of RIO Two Tone, 24" of 4X and 24" of 5X fluorocarbon lead to a #16 tungsten Pheasant Tail.
A long thin mono rig for euro nymphing: 312" of .012" Maxima Chameleon, a 24" sighter of 12" of Umpqua Sighter and 12" of RIO Two Tone Indicator (both .009"), and 48" of 5X fluorocarbon tippet to a tungsten bead nymph. Triple surgeon's knots join the sections. At 384" overall the thin butt does the work a fly line would, with far less sag.
A 10-foot tarpon leader for an 8-10 wt rod, aimed at juvenile and mid-size fish. The butt steps down from 42" of 40 lb mono (.024") through 30" of 30 lb (.021") and 18" of 20 lb (.017") to an 18" class tippet of 15 lb mono (.015"). Last comes a 12" bite tippet of 30 lb fluorocarbon (.020") to stand up to a tarpon's rough mouth, with a 1/0 Tarpon Toad on a non-slip loop knot.
A simple euro nymphing leader that attaches to a standard fly line: 18" of 30 lb Stren (.022") and 18" of 20 lb Stren (.017") as a butt, 48" of 10 lb P-Line fluorocarbon, a 15" Amnesia sighter, and 36" of 3X P-Line fluorocarbon (.008") to a tungsten bead nymph. Three 4 mm heavy tippet rings join the lower sections, so the sighter and tippet are easy to replace. It is 135" overall and carries no indicator or split shot: the fly is the weight.
A thin mono rig for tight-line nymphing on freestone and tailwater rivers: 288 inches of .008 Maxima Chameleon, a 24 inch RIO two-tone sighter (3X, .008), and 36 inches of 5X fluorocarbon to a tungsten jig nymph. There is no indicator and no split shot: the weighted fly takes it down and the sighter shows the take.
A simple all-fluorocarbon saltwater leader for 7 to 9 weight rods. It steps down from 36 inches of 40 lb (.026") to 12 inches of 30 lb (.022"), 24 inches of 20 lb (.018") and 24 inches of 15 lb (.016"), joined with triple surgeon's knots, for 8 feet in all. The fly is tied on with a non-slip loop knot so it swims freely.
A mono rig that switches between streamers and nymphs without rebuilding the leader. It runs 288 inches of 20 lb Maxima Chameleon, 24 inches of 12 lb Maxima HV, then a sighter of 12 inches of red mono (Amnesia or Sufix Neon Fire) and 12 inches of Umpqua Sighter with a backing barrel marker. A 4 mm tippet ring holds 14 inches of RIO Two Tone and 36 inches of 3X fluorocarbon to the fly.
A tight-line mono rig sized for rivers. It runs 300 inches of 20 lb Maxima Chameleon, a 24 inch step of 10 lb Chameleon, 12 inches each of 0X and 1X fluorocarbon, then a 14 inch sighter of Cortland bi-color indicator mono. A 4 mm tippet ring below the sighter holds 36 inches of 5X fluorocarbon to a tungsten jig nymph.
A 9-foot (108 inch) streamer leader for floating lines. It runs 48 inches of 25 lb mono (.021"), 36 inches of 16 lb mono (.016") and 24 inches of 10 lb fluorocarbon tippet (.011"). The extra length keeps the fly line away from wary fish in clear or slow water, and the stout butt still turns over a streamer.
An 8-foot snook leader with a heavy butt and a fast taper, built to turn over bulky baitfish flies into the wind. It runs 48 inches of 60 lb mono (.030") to 36 inches of 30 lb mono (.022"), joined with triple surgeon's knots, and ends in a 12 inch bite tippet of 40 lb fluorocarbon (.024"). The bite tippet takes the wear from a snook's rough mouth and gill plates, and the fly hangs on a non-slip loop knot so it swims freely.
An 8-foot dry fly leader built on the simple 50-25-25 rule: half the length in a stiff butt, a quarter in the middle and a quarter in tippet. It steps from 48 inches of 30 lb mono to 24 inches of 20 lb and 24 inches of 10 lb, joined with double uni knots. The heavy tippet and short, punchy taper make it a leader for big dries such as hoppers, stoneflies and foam bugs.
A 6-foot (72 inch) streamer leader for floating lines. It runs 36 inches of 25 lb mono (.021"), 24 inches of 16 lb mono (.016") and 12 inches of 10 lb fluorocarbon tippet (.011"). The heavy butt and short length turn over weighted and bulky streamers with control, and the fluoro tip is tough against teeth, rocks and wood.
A 5' 6" (66 inch) all-fluorocarbon leader for fishing small chironomids and nymphs on a sinking or intermediate line in clear lakes. It runs 18 inches of 20 lb Seaguar Blue Label (.016"), 24 inches of 10 lb fluoro (.011"), a #12 barrel swivel and 24 inches of 5X (.006") fluoro tippet. A short leader lets the line set the depth, and the finer tippet helps with wary fish.
A 5' 6" (66 inch) all-fluorocarbon leader for fishing chironomids and small nymphs on a sinking or intermediate line in lakes. It runs 18 inches of 20 lb Seaguar Blue Label (.016"), 24 inches of 10 lb fluoro (.011"), a #12 barrel swivel and 24 inches of 4X (.007") fluoro tippet. A short leader lets the line set the depth, so the fly fishes right where the line tip is.
A 4-foot winter steelhead leader for sink tips, all in Maxima Ultra Green: 20" of 30 lb (.022"), 10" of 20 lb (.017") and 18" of 12 lb (.013"), joined with triple surgeon's knots. Short and stout, it turns over big weighted winter flies and keeps them near the depth of the tip.
