Rigs Lab · Gear & fly fishing rigs + leaders
The rig builder and library for fishing. Lay out every cut, knot and turn to scale, start from a photo of a formula in a book, on a website or in your notebook, then publish it for anglers everywhere to tie, clone, share, print and fish.
Build it to scale
Every section, knot and turn, drawn the way you tie it, with the cut list worked out for you.
Start from a photo
Snap a formula from a book, a website or your notebook and it comes back as a rig you can edit.
Test it in the tank
Watch it drift, sink and turn over before it ever touches the water.
Share it, print it
Publish it to the library, send the link, or print a card for your vest.
21 to 40 of 45 rigs
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 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 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.
Trey Combs' 10-foot steelhead leader for a floating line. It starts with a 72-inch .020" mono butt, then three 12-inch steps of .017", .015" and .013", and ends in 12 inches of 1X (.010") tippet. The heavy butt and short, quick steps turn over swung flies on 5 to 8 weight rods.
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.
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 10-foot floating leader that tapers from .023" butt to .010" 1X tip, built for swinging and stripping flies to steelhead in rivers. The gradual seven-section taper loads the rod smoothly and turns over both heavy and light flies with precision. This is a workhorse setup for techniques that depend on line control and delicate presentation. There's also a 0X 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.
An 11.5-foot mono leader for dead-drifting flies to salmon and sea trout in rivers. It tapers in eight even steps from 35 inches of .021" down through .019", .017", .015", .013", 0X, .011" and 1X, .010" to a 27 inch tippet of 2X, .009". The long, gradual taper lands a fly softly and lets it drift at the current's speed, the way fish see natural food in low, clear water.
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 10.5-foot swing leader for salmon and steelhead on 8-10 wt rods. A 38" butt of .022" mono steps through four 13" pieces at .018", .016", .014" and .013" to a 36" tippet of .012". The stiff butt and even steps turn a swung fly over on a floating line.
A 15-foot dry fly leader with a long, heavy butt: 84" of .017", 12" of .012", 36" of 2X, 36" of 4X and 12" of 5X. The stout butt carries the cast and turns over larger dries in wind, while the long finer sections still let the fly land softly. It is built for 3-5 wt rods on bigger water. There's also a 6X variation; see the questions below.
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.
An 8-foot-8-inch dry-fly leader tapered from 30 lb butt to 2X tippet, built to turn over grasshopper imitations and other larger terrestrial patterns. The stout butt handles the weight and air resistance of bigger flies while the fine 2X tip provides the delicacy needed for drag-free presentation on selective trout.
