Flyfishing Leaders

  
A recent custom order of 11 foot 2x and 3x tapered leaders.  

Dave ties his leaders by hand, primarily with Black Knight Industries, Inc/Gamma Fishing. - "Frog Hair" products. These leaders are extremely important in developing control of fly presentation, as is oftentimes noted in our sport. 












The dry fly leaders are adapted from the slack-cast formulas of Mr. George Harvey, and many of the subsurface leaders are based upon the formulas of Joe Humphreys (which likely were developed from adaptations of Mr. Harvey’s leader designs as well). I tie all leader sections with blood knots and coat the knots with a stabilizer so they will not break with wear and use.  My leaders are super-strong and will give you plenty of fishing time without having to change leaders due to decreased strength or knot breakage.


Here is why we need a variety of leaders: All of the store bought leaders are pre-determined at the factory.  But situations on the water dictate changes on each section of water you fish.  For example, you may need to get deeper when fishing a nymph in a large pocket water section and a short leader won’t get your fly on the bottom. If we do not have a way of adjusting the stiffness/softness and length/diameter of our leaders, then we must make adjustments to our casting stroke every time we change flies, techniques, or spots. No wonder people struggle so much with fly presentation! Leader substitution and adjustment is probably your most valuable and controllable tool for success. More so than the fly you choose!  That’s why my leaders are ideal, I can tie you a leader based on the water conditions of your area or style of flyfishing you enjoy most.  It’s more versitile and will get your flies to the fish quicker!

To purchase a JJ’s Flyfishing Leader - please click on the underlined link below or proceed to the home page button and click on Hand Tied Tapered Leader in the featured products section.  If your unsure of what exactly you need out of a leader please look over the questions below and send me an email of what, when, where,and how you fish.  Then I’ll take your answers and create you a superior leader matched to your needs of length, diameter, and suppleness:  


1. Weight of your flyrod:  3wgt, 5wgt, 6wgt, etc, etc.


2. Type of water you primarily fish on:  Fast riffles, slow pools, stillwater lakes/ponds.


3. Style of leader (for what kind of flies you will be using):  Dry Fly leader, Bass leader, Pike/Muskie leader, Streamer leader, nymphing leader, Steelhead or Salmon leader,  etc.


4.  Preference of length:  12’, 9’, 8’, 7.5’, 6’, etc. Do you like short?  Long?  Not sure?  (I recommend a shorter leader for streamers, and a longer softer leader for casting small dry flies to spooky shy trout)  But, it’s what YOU want!!  I aim to please!  If you are not sure of the length you need, feel free to ask.  I’ll try and formulate a leader that will work best for YOU!