Freestone rigs

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 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 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.

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 12-foot leader for fishing soft-hackled spiders upstream on freestone rivers. A 90 inch mono taper steps down from a .017" butt to 5X at .006", then 54 inches of 6X tippet finishes it. The long, fine tip lets the spider land softly and drift naturally just under the surface, where trout take emerging insects.

A heavy, modular leader for nymphs and streamers, built from RIO Powerflex: 72" of 30 lb (.017"), a 4 mm heavy tippet ring, 36" of 20 lb (.013"), a second 4 mm ring, and 36" of 10 lb 2X (.009") tippet, for 12' in all. The rings let you change tippets without shortening the leader, and the stout pieces turn over weighted flies.

A 9-foot leader built to turn over and hit a target, the way tournament accuracy and distance casting demand. It runs 44 inches of .024 inch mono, 28 inches of .020, 17 inches of .017 and 8 inches of .015 to an 11 inch tip of .012 inch, with most of its weight in the long butt. It straightens fully at the end of the cast and drops the fly where it was aimed.

A 9 foot 2 inch dry fly leader that ends in 4X and is built to land a fly with a little slack for drag-free drifts. It starts with 20 inches of 15 lb and 20 inches of 12 lb Maxima Chameleon, steps through 8 inches of 8 lb Maxima and 8 inches of 8 lb Stren Gold, then 12 inches each of 2X, 3X and 4X, and finishes with an 18 inch 4X tippet. Every join is a triple surgeon's knot.

A 9.5-foot trout leader with a heavy butt, built to turn over big, wind-resistant dries on 5-7 wt rods. Nearly half its length is a 48 inch .026 inch butt, which then steps through 18 inches of .019, 10 of .017, 8 of .015, 6 of .013 and 6 of 1X (.010 inch) to an 18 inch 3X tippet. It pushes hoppers, stoneflies and big attractors out in the wind and lays them down straight.

An 8-foot (96 inch) three-piece dry fly leader built from the 25-15-10 formula: 36 inches of 25 lb mono, 36 inches of 15 lb and 24 inches of 10 lb. It is quick to tie from three spools and turns over big, wind-resistant dries such as hoppers, stoneflies, large foam flies and bass bugs.

A 20-foot euro nymphing leader that fishes tight-line with mono, not fly line, outside the rod tip. It runs from 160" of 20 lb (.017") Maxima Chameleon into 18" of 15 lb (.015") Chameleon, 8" of 0X (.011") Seaguar Gold Label, a 24" .010" sighter and 30" of 4X (.007") fluorocarbon tippet. A size 14 tungsten jig nymph carries the weight.

A wet fly team leader for swinging three flies at once. It starts with 72" of tapered leader cut back to 3X, then 4X Maxima Chameleon in 6", 18" and 24" sections joined with triple surgeon's knots. Two 4" tags off those knots hold the droppers, and the point fly ties to the end. The team covers three depths on every swing.

A thin mono euro nymphing rig: 144" of .012" Maxima Chameleon as a butt, 36" of Sunset Amnesia as a transition, and an 18" Cortland sighter, all 10 lb and joined with blood knots. A 2 mm tippet ring below the sighter holds 36" of 5X fluorocarbon tippet to a tungsten jig nymph. The thin butt sags less than a fly line and casts weighted flies with little effort, so contact with the fly stays direct.

A 30" streamer leader for trout on a sinking line or sink tip. It is two pieces: 12" of RIO Powerflex 0X (15 lb, .011") as a butt, joined with a triple surgeon's knot to 18" of 6 lb Drennan fluorocarbon. Kept short so the fly stays down where the line takes it.

A mono rig built to fish a weighted streamer on a tight line: 288 inches of 20 lb Maxima Chameleon, 24 inches of 12 lb Maxima HV, 12 inches of 12 lb red sighter mono and 12 inches of 2X Gold Label with a Backing Barrel marker, to a 4 mm tippet ring. Below the ring are 36 and 24 inch pieces of 2X fluorocarbon to a size 8 tungsten jig streamer.

A mono rig set up to fish a dry fly: 288 inches of 20 lb Maxima Chameleon, 24 inches of 12 lb Maxima HV, 12 inches of 12 lb red sighter mono and 12 inches of 2X Gold Label with a Backing Barrel marker, to a 4 mm tippet ring. Below the ring a short dry-fly taper runs 10 inches of 2X, 6 inches of 3X and 20 inches of 4X to the fly. It lets a nymph angler fish a dry without changing to a fly line leader.

A micro-thin mono rig for tight-line nymphing: 312 inches of .008 Maxima Chameleon, a 20 inch RIO two-tone sighter, and 48 inches of 5X fluorocarbon tippet to a tungsten jig nymph. The thin butt sags less than heavier mono, so a light fly stays in contact farther from the rod tip. The weighted fly does the work, with no indicator and no split shot.

George Harvey's 10-foot dry fly leader, finished in 4X. It starts with a soft .015" butt and steps down .002" at a time through four 18" sections (.015", .013", .011", .009"), then 15" of 3X and a long 36" tippet of 4X, for 10' 3" in all. The soft butt and long tippet are meant to land the fly with slack in the tippet, so it floats drag-free over mixed currents. It suits a 5 wt rod.