Streamer rigs and leader formulas, each with the cut list, the knots and their turns, and the tying time.
A 5.5-foot steelhead leader with a heavy point: 28" of .026" mono joined with a double uni knot to 38" of .017" mono. Built for sink tips and Skagit heads on 7-9 wt rods, it keeps the fly near the depth of the tip and the thick point shrugs off rocks, wood and hard takes.
A 5.5-foot steelhead leader with a heavy point: 28" of .026" mono joined with a double uni knot to 38" of .016" mono. Built for sink tips and Skagit heads on 7-9 wt rods, it keeps the fly near the depth of the tip and the thick point shrugs off rocks, wood and hard takes.
A 4-foot leader for sink-tip lines: 24" of 20 lb fluorocarbon joined with a triple surgeon's knot to 24" of 10 lb fluorocarbon. Short and dense, it keeps a streamer down at the depth of the tip, for big trout and other fish holding deep in current.
A 4-foot steelhead leader for sink tips and Skagit heads: 12" of 20 lb Ande joined loop to loop with 36" of 10 lb Maxima Ultra Green. The short, stout build keeps the fly at the depth of the tip, and the loop join makes changing a frayed point quick on the river.
A 4-foot steelhead leader for sink tips: 12" of 15 lb Maxima joined with a triple surgeon's knot to 36" of 10 lb Maxima. It is short and stout so the sink tip sets the depth and the fly stays down in the swing.
A 4-foot saltwater leader for full sinking lines. It is 18" of 40 lb fluorocarbon, 12" of 30 lb and 18" of 20 lb, joined with triple surgeon's knots, with the fly on a non-slip loop knot. The short length keeps the streamer down at the depth the line reaches, for stripers, jacks and other fish feeding below the surface.
A 13.5-foot swing leader for a 9-11 wt two-handed rod, built on the 60-20-20 formula. It runs 97" of .018" butt, 32" of .014" and 32" of 0X (.011") tippet, so the butt carries the cast and the tip lays the fly out straight. It suits a floating line and a swung streamer in clear or low water.
A 10-foot bonefish leader for 7-9 wt rods, mono through the butt and middle and fluorocarbon at the tip. Four mono sections step from .021" to .013", then a 15" tip of 1X fluorocarbon at .010". It is the lighter version of the 0X leader, for calm, clear flats and smaller flies where fish are wary.
A 10-foot bonefish leader for 7-9 wt rods, mono through the butt and middle and fluorocarbon at the tip. Four mono sections step from .021" to .014", then a 15" tip of 0X fluorocarbon at .011". The stiff mono turns over a weighted flats fly into wind, and the fluoro tip sinks with the fly and stands up to coral and shells.
A 10-foot leader for big bass on 6-8 wt rods, a touch finer than the 0X version. A 50" butt of .022", .021" and .019" mono drives into a 43" middle of .013", then 27" of 1X tippet at .010". It turns over bass bugs and streamers and suits clearer water and more cautious fish.
A 10-foot leader for big bass on 6-8 wt rods. A 50" butt of .022", .021" and .019" mono drives into a 43" middle of .014", then 27" of 0X tippet at .011". It turns over bass bugs and streamers and has the strength to pull a big fish out of cover.
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 10-foot tarpon leader for an 8-10 wt rod. 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 40 lb fluorocarbon (.023"), which stands up to a tarpon's rough mouth. The fly is a 1/0 Tarpon Toad on a non-slip loop knot.
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 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 10-foot bonefish leader for 7-9 weight rods. A 60" butt of .020" mono drops quickly through .018", .014" and .012" to a 24" tip of 1X at .010". The long butt drives a weighted flats fly into the wind, and the 1X tip is light enough for clear water and strong enough to hold a running bonefish.
A 12-foot tapered monofilament leader built to turn over streamer flies smoothly and deliver them with precision on the flats. It steps down through six sections from 30 lb butt to a 17 lb fluorocarbon tip, giving you the power to cast distance while maintaining delicate presentation where bones are feeding.
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 9-foot-4-inch (112 inch) tapered steelhead leader for 8 to 10-weight rods and floating lines, built to turn over weighted streamers and swung flies. Seven Maxima sections step from a 28 inch, 40 lb (.024") butt through short middle pieces to 30 inches of 10 lb (.012") Maxima Ultragreen tippet, joined with blood knots and a triple surgeon's knot. It is a workhorse for swinging and stripping streamers in steelhead runs.
Kaufmann's 10-foot steelhead leader for a sink-tip line: 35 inches of .023 mono stepping through .021, .017 and .013 to 30 inches of 1X, .010. Blood knots join the heavy sections and a triple surgeon's knot joins the tippet. The sink tip takes the fly down, and the leader turns over a swung streamer on a 5-8 wt rod. There's also a 0X variation; see the questions below.
A 54-foot tight-line mono rig for fishing weighted streamers and jigs to steelhead and big trout. It runs 564 inches of 20 lb Sunset Amnesia, 18 inches of 15 lb and 18 inches of 12 lb Maxima, a 4 mm heavy tippet ring, a 12 inch Cortland bi-color sighter and 36 inches of 0X fluorocarbon tippet. The thin mono replaces the fly line through the guides, so the fly sinks fast and you stay in direct contact with it.
An 11.5-foot mono leader for wading the coast after sea trout with flies from #8 to #2. A 69 inch butt of .015" carries the cast into the wind, then it steps through 21 inches of .012" and 21 inches of 0X, .011" to a 28 inch tippet of 2X, .009". The length keeps the fly line away from fish cruising in clear, shallow water, and the 2X tip stands up to hard takes, stones and weed.
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.
