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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.

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 leader formula built as an all-round 9-foot trout leader: 51" of .020" butt, 13" of .013", 26" of 2X (.009") and an 18" tip of 4X (.007"). Borger's idea is a heavy butt that carries the cast and a quick step down to the tippet, so the leader turns over the fly with energy to spare. It suits dry flies and nymphs on 4-6 wt rods.

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 dry-dropper on a 9 foot tapered mono leader. It steps from 36 inches of .017" through .015", .013", 0X and 2X to 24 inches of 4X tippet tied to a size 10 to 14 foam or parachute dry. Off the dry's hook bend, 18 inches of 5X fluorocarbon hangs a size 16 to 22 bead-head nymph, so the whole rig runs about 10 and a half feet.

A 5-foot leader for sink-tip lines: 36" of 20 lb fluorocarbon joined with a triple surgeon's knot to 24" of 10 lb fluorocarbon. Short and dense, it keeps a streamer near the depth of the tip, with a little more distance from the line than a 4-foot leader for clearer water.

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 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 4-foot tippet section to rebuild a dry fly leader that has been cut back to 2X. It steps 12" of 2X fluorocarbon to 12" of 3X, then 24" of 4X at .007" to the fly, joined with triple surgeon's knots. It restores a fine, supple tip without buying a new leader.

A 32-foot tight-line nymphing leader for 3-5 wt rods. It runs 288" of 20 lb Maxima Chameleon at .017", steps through Maxima HV and Sunset Amnesia at .013" and Seaguar Gold Label at .011", then a 1X sighter and 36" of 4X fluorocarbon to a tungsten bead perdigon. The thin butt hangs off the rod tip without sag, so the drift stays direct from rod to fly.

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.

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 long mono rig for tight-line euro nymphing. A 144" butt of 20 lb Maxima Chameleon (.017") is blood-knotted to a 36" Sunset Amnesia sighter (12 lb), then an 18" transition of 12 lb Cortland mono (.013"). That runs to a 2 mm tippet ring, then 48" of 5X fluorocarbon (.006") to a #16 tungsten bead Perdigon. The thin mono butt lets you hold the line off the water and watch the sighter for strikes, and the weighted fly gets itself down without shot or an indicator.

A 10-foot wet fly leader for light 3-5 wt rods. It tapers evenly from a .019" butt through seven steps to a 22" tip of 5X at .006". The length and fine tip let a soft-hackle or wet fly sink and swing naturally on clear water.

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.

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.

Pascal Cognard's 18-foot euro nymphing leader: a long, even taper from 18 inches of .018 mono through .016, .014, .012 and 1X to a 20 inch 3X sighter of Cortland bi-color indicator mono, an 8 inch step of 5X and 79 inches of 6X. It turns over a weighted nymph on a 3-5 wt rod and keeps the fly in direct contact, with no indicator and no split shot. There's also a 7X variation; see the questions below.