Rigs for brown trout

A 15.5-foot stillwater indicator rig for hanging a small chironomid near the bottom of a clear lake. An 18" butt of 20 lb Seaguar Blue Label leads into 120" of 10 lb (2X, .009") Blue Label, a #12 barrel swivel and 48" of 5X (.006") fluorocarbon to a size 16 tungsten-bead chironomid. A 7/8" release indicator rides near the top, and a No. 4 split shot sits just above the swivel.

A 15.5-foot stillwater indicator rig for hanging a chironomid near the bottom of a lake. An 18" butt of 20 lb Seaguar Blue Label leads into 120" of 10 lb (2X, .009") Blue Label, a #12 barrel swivel and 48" of 4X (.007") fluorocarbon to a size 14 tungsten-bead chironomid. A 7/8" release indicator rides near the top, and a No. 4 split shot sits just above the swivel.

A 9' 10" dry fly leader for light 3-4 wt rods. A 29" butt of .020" Maxima Clear steps down through .017", .015" and .012", then RIO Powerflex at .010", .008" and .007" to 5X at .006". The last two pieces, 8" and 22" of 5X, make a 30" tippet that lands small dries softly on quiet water.

A 10' 2" tapered trout leader that does a bit of everything on a 5-6 wt rod. A 48" butt of .022" Maxima Chameleon steps through .017", .015", .010" and .009" to a 14" tip of 4X at .007". It turns over a dry fly, a small nymph or a light streamer without a change of leader.

A three-piece streamer leader that steps from 30 lb to 20 lb to 10 lb Trilene Big Game, the 3-2-1 in its name. It runs 10 feet: a 72 inch butt, a 24 inch midsection and a 24 inch tippet, joined with triple surgeon's knots. Stiff, simple and quick to tie, it is built to turn over streamers and stand up to fish that grab hard.

A long mono rig for tight-line euro nymphing. A 144" butt of 20 lb Maxima Chameleon (.017") is blood-knotted to a 36" Sunset Amnesia sighter (12 lb), then an 18" transition of 12 lb Cortland mono (.013"). That runs to a 2 mm tippet ring, then 48" of 5X fluorocarbon (.006") to a #16 tungsten bead Perdigon. The thin mono butt lets you hold the line off the water and watch the sighter for strikes, and the weighted fly gets itself down without shot or an indicator.

A 10-foot wet fly leader for light 3-5 wt rods. It tapers evenly from a .019" butt through seven steps to a 22" tip of 5X at .006". The length and fine tip let a soft-hackle or wet fly sink and swing naturally on clear water.

A simple indicator nymphing leader, 12' 11" long, for a 5-6 wt line. It starts with a 22" butt of .012" mono and 79" of 0X mono, then steps down through 20" of 3X fluorocarbon to 22" of 5X fluorocarbon. Below that is a 2 mm tippet ring and a final 12" of 5X to the fly. A 1/2" trapped-air indicator rides on the 0X, and a BB split shot sits just above the ring to get the nymph down.

Gary Borger's dead-drift dry fly leader in three sections: a stiff .013" butt, a short .010" step and a long .007" tippet, or .006" (5X) for smaller flies. Quick to tie, quick to repair on the water, and it turns a dry fly over without fuss.

Pascal Cognard's 18-foot euro nymphing leader: a long, even taper from 18 inches of .018 mono through .016, .014, .012 and 1X to a 20 inch 3X sighter of Cortland bi-color indicator mono, an 8 inch step of 5X and 79 inches of 6X. It turns over a weighted nymph on a 3-5 wt rod and keeps the fly in direct contact, with no indicator and no split shot. There's also a 7X variation; see the questions below.

A 14-foot leader built for clear, calm lakes where trout can see far. The long, fine taper from .015" butt down to 5X (.006") lets you cast smaller flies with less disturbance and set the hook cleanly in stillwater. Use this when you need distance, stealth, and a natural presentation in lakes where the fish are selective. There's also a 6X variation; see the questions below.

An 18' 6" leader for fishing a single fly on a floating line in stillwater. It starts with a 30" butt of .017" and 28" of .013", then steps down through 1X, 2X, 3X and 4X sections to 82" of 5X (.006") tippet. The heavier butt carries the cast off a 4-6 wt line, and the long fine tip lets small flies land softly and sink naturally in calm water.

A 13.5-foot euro nymphing leader that loops to the fly line. It steps down evenly through 42" each of .016", .014" and .012" mono into an 18" 3X (.008") sighter and 18" of 5X (.006") tippet. The even taper turns over a weighted nymph softly, and the fine tippet lets a small tungsten fly sink fast.

George Harvey's 9-foot wet fly leader: a short 10" butt of .017", then five 20" sections of .015", .013", .011", .009" and .008" (3X), for 9' 2" in all. The even taper turns over a wet fly or soft hackle and lets it sink just under the surface and swing across the current. It is a simple, proven leader for a single wet fly on a floating line.

A 13-foot streamer leader for small baitfish patterns on a 6 wt. It runs in three pieces: 22" of .018" butt, a long 111" middle of .012" and 22" of 2X (.009") fluorocarbon tippet. The long middle lets the fly swim and drop away from the fly line, and the 2X tip holds up to hard strips and strikes.

A 17-foot leader for nymphing under an indicator at short range on a 3-5 wt. It steps down in 29" sections from .018" through .016", .014" and .012" to 1X (.010"), then a 23" 3X (.008") sighter and 40" of 5X (.006") tippet. A 1/2" trapped-air indicator rides on the 1X section, and a No. 4 split shot sits 10" above a size 16 bead-head nymph.

A 9-foot wet fly leader that steps down from a .019 inch butt in seven sections to 18 inches of 5X (.006 inch) tippet. The even taper turns over soft hackles and small traditional wet flies on 3-5 wt rods and lets them swing and drift with life in the current.

A 13-foot euro nymphing leader that loops to the fly line and fishes small, weighted nymphs on a tight line. It runs from 74" of .016" butt into 33" of .014" Sufix Elite, a 12" .011" transition, a 16" 3X (.008") sighter and 22" of 5X (.006") tippet. The fine tippet lets a size 16 tungsten nymph sink fast and drift naturally.

A 10' 5" nymphing leader built on the 60/20/20 idea: a long, stiff butt, a short taper and a fine tip. About 60 percent is butt, 49" of 30 lb and 25" of 20 lb Maxima Chameleon, 74" in all. About 20 percent is the taper, 12" each of .015" and .010" Maxima Ultragreen, 24" in all. The last 20 percent or so is the tip, 12" of 2X at .009" and 15" of 4X at .007", 27" in all. It turns over a single tungsten bead nymph and keeps contact with it in the drift.

A 6-foot (72 inch) tapered dry fly leader for brushy small streams where casts are short and branches are close. It steps from a 30 inch .017 butt to .013, .011 and .009, then 14 inches of 4X tippet at .007. The stout butt and short length turn over a dry fly on tight casts and keep the leader out of the trees.

A 7.5-foot (90 inch) tapered dry fly leader for small streams. It steps evenly from a 36 inch .017 butt through .015, .013, .011 and .009 to 14 inches of 4X tippet at .007. It is short enough to control under branches and fine enough at the tip to float a small dry naturally.

A 26-foot mono nymphing leader for big trout in runs and pockets, fished tight-line with no indicator. A long .014" butt steps through .012" to a 1X sighter, then 36" of 3X fluorocarbon to a tungsten jig stonefly. The heavy fly does the sinking and the sighter shows the take, so the drift stays direct from rod tip to fly.

A straightforward 8 foot 5 inch streamer leader for 4-7 wt rods. It tapers from a .021 inch butt through four 15 inch sections, then 9 inches of .013 inch and 8 inches of 0X, to 24 inches of 2X tippet. The stout tip turns over buggers, sculpins and baitfish patterns and stands up to hard strips and strip-sets on trout.

A simple 25-foot euro nymphing leader: 211" of level .012" mono, a 42" 1X (.010") sighter and 42" of 5X (.006") fluorocarbon tippet. The thin level butt sags less than a heavy taper, so the line stays straight to a size 16 tungsten-bead nymph and small takes show on the sighter.