Rigs and leaders for lake fishing, each with the cut list, the knots and their turns, and the tying time.
An 8-foot leader built on a smooth, gradual taper from .018" butt to .006" tip. It's designed for light-touch presentations to panfish in still water, where a gentle cast and a forgiving taper help you land small flies without breaking off. There's also a 4X variation; see the questions below.
A 9.5-foot streamer leader for largemouth and smallmouth bass on 6-7 wt rods. It steps from a 34 inch .018 inch butt through 29 inches of .014 inch and 34 inches of .012 inch to a 17 inch 0X (.011 inch) tippet. The 0X tip turns over weighted baitfish and crayfish patterns and holds a big bass that runs for cover.
A 7.5-foot, 5X leader built on a smooth taper from .017" butt to .006" tip. It's designed to turn over small, light flies cleanly and land panfish without excess splash or disturbance. The formula suits 3 to 5 weight rods and works well where stealth and delicate presentation matter.
A 12-foot mono leader for fishing wet flies on lakes with a floating line. It tapers in .002" steps from a 36 inch butt of .021" through nine sections to a 27 inch tippet of 5X, .006". The long, fine taper lands a small wet fly or soft hackle without a splash on calm water and lets it sink and hang the way trout see natural insects.
A 6-foot (72 inch) tapered leader for panfish on a 4-6 wt rod, built to turn over small poppers and float small dries. It steps from a 22 inch .019 butt through .017, .015, .012 and .010 to 15 inches of 3X tippet at .008. The stout butt handles the air resistance of a popper, and 3X is strong enough for bluegill and crappie around weeds.
Lefty Kreh's simple 9-foot leader: about half butt, a quarter middle, and the rest a short step and tippet. Here that is 48 inches of .024 mono, 24 inches of .021, 12 inches of .018 and 24 inches of .013 at the fly, joined by three blood knots. Built for a 7-8 wt line, it turns over streamers, bass bugs and light saltwater flies.
