Rigs and leaders for spring creek fishing, each with the cut list, the knots and their turns, and the tying time.
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.
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 mono rig for fine, tight-line nymphing in clear water. A 72 inch RIO Powerflex butt runs to a 4 mm tippet ring, then 216 inches of .011 Sunset Amnesia and a 36 inch Cortland bi-color sighter to a second 4 mm ring. Below it, 72 inches of 6X RIO Fluoroflex Strong carries a small tungsten nymph. There is no indicator and no shot: the fly carries the weight.
A 15-foot dry-fly leader for flat, clear water and wary trout. A 72 inch RIO Powerflex butt runs to a 4 mm tippet ring, then 36 inches of .013 and 24 inches of 2X copolymer and a 12 inch step of 4X to a second 4 mm ring, with 36 inches of 5X RIO Suppleflex at the fly. The long, fine tip lets a small dry drift without drag.
George Harvey's 11.5-foot dry fly leader, finished in 5X. 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, 15" of 4X and a long 36" tippet of 5X, for 11' 6" in all. The soft butt and long, fine tippet land the fly with slack so it floats drag-free over slow, clear water. It suits a 5 wt rod.
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.
Gary Borger's 10-foot dead-drift nymph leader, finished in 5X. It runs 51" of .020" butt, 13" of .013", 51" of 2X (.009") and a 6" tip of 5X (.006"), for 10' 1" in all. The long level 2X section lets a weighted nymph sink freely, and the finer tip suits small nymphs in clear, slow water on a 3-6 wt rod.
Gary Borger's 10-foot dead-drift nymph leader, finished in 4X. It runs 51" of .020" butt, 13" of .013", 51" of 2X (.009") and a 6" tip of 4X (.007"), for 10' 1" in all. The long level 2X section lets a weighted nymph sink freely instead of being pulled up by a taper, and the heavy butt still turns it over on a 3-6 wt rod.
A 4-foot fine tippet section to rebuild a dry fly leader that has been cut back to 3X. It steps 12" of 3X fluorocarbon to 12" of 4X, then 24" of 6X at .005" to the fly, joined with triple surgeon's knots. It is for small dries and midges over selective trout on slow, clear water.
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.
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.
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.
Ray Bergman's 12 foot leader for nymphs and wet flies. Eight 18 inch sections of mono step down from .021" at the butt to .006" (5X) at the tip, joined with blood knots in the butt and triple surgeon's knots through the 0X, 3X and 5X pieces. It is built for one fly on a 4 to 7 weight rod. There is also a 6X variation; see the questions below.
A 15-foot tapered dry-fly leader built to turn over gracefully and land softly on the water. The long taper and gradual step-downs from .017" butt to .006" tip make it well-suited for 3-5 weight rods, working especially well with smaller dry flies where a delicate presentation matters. There's also a 6X variation; see the questions below.
A George Harvey dry fly leader, 11 feet long, built in 7 sections of Maxima. It runs from a .015" butt down to 30 inches of .006" (5X) tippet. Harvey designed the long, soft tip to land in slack curves rather than straight, so a single dry fly drifts naturally without drag. It is made for selective trout rising to small dry flies. A 4X variation is covered in the questions below.
A 9 foot 2 inch leader for emergers and wet flies that tapers from a .017 inch butt in six sections to a 30 inch 4X (.007 inch) tippet. The even steps turn the fly over on 3-5 wt rods, and the long tippet lets an emerger ride in the surface film or a wet fly sink and swing without drag.
