Fly Leader Construction       It's not hard to see how a beginning fly-fisherman can get confused and frustrated when it comes to building fly leaders. A lot of reference materials on the market make it sound like you need a degree from MIT to construct one. "The mid section should be tapered down using three or four different pieces of mono", "you need to tie a Bimini Twist for your tippet", "and if the moon is in the seventh house fluorocarbon is the material of choice". This is all great but most of us would rather spend our time fishing as opposed to tying knots or worrying about the location of the moon.       There's no question that a properly constructed leader is essential in the world of fly-fishing. If done correctly the energy from the fly line will travel down the full length of the leader, allowing the cast to be smoother and more accurate. But fishing is all about escapism and having fun, so there's no need to make things more complex then they need to be.       The basic fly leader consists of three different parts: The butt section, the mid section, and the tippet. The butt section may be the most important part of the entire leader. It's the portion that is connected directly to the fly line and its purpose is to continue the flow of energy from the fly line to the fly. In a typical nine foot leader, this section should be around five feet long or about 60 percent of the over all length. This is not only the longest, but it's also the heaviest part of the leader. It's crucial that the correct diameter mono be selected when building this section. To do this, take about eight inches of fly line and about eight inches of mono and overlap them. Next try to roll both pieces at the same time into a loop. If they bend at the same rate you've got the right stuff. For an eight weight fly line this is usually about 30 pound test.       Once the length and the correct size mono have been determined, it's now a matter of attaching the butt section to the fly line. There's a number of different ways to do this, the loop-to-loop method can be used or a direct knot such as the Albright Special or the common Nail Knot will work just fine. But for strength, ease of tying, and aerodynamics an Improved Nail Knot might be best. To tie this knot, simply take the tip of the fly line and double it by bending about an inch of it over. Next tie a common Nail Knot over the doubled fly line. If done properly this will create a bulge where the fly line was bent which will lock the knot in place.       The mid section is the step down portion of the leader. Its purpose is to maintain some of the energy from the butt section, but at the same time slow the fly down so it lands softly in the water. This part of the leader is usually around 20 percent of the total length or about two feet long for a nine foot leader. As far as sizing the mono for this section it's normally a piece that's about ten pounds less in strength then that of the butt section.       The tippet is lightest in strength and smallest in diameter of all the parts of the leader. It's a softer more supple piece of mono that allows the fly to swim as naturally as possible. Like the mid section the tippet is about 20 percent of the total leader or two feet long for the typical nine footer. The size of the mono for this part of the leader uses the same formula as before it should be about ten pounds less in strength then the previous section.       The tippet is the last piece of the leader and is tied directly to the fly, most of the time. In saltwater there aren't many fish in our area that do not have abrasive mouths so a bite tippet is usually used. A bite tippet is nothing more then a heavier piece of mono that's used exactly like the leader in conventional fishing.       The method of attaching the mid section to the butt section and the tippet to the mid section is a matter of personal preference. The loop-to-loop method lets the angler change out sections of the leader quickly without having to retie knots. This system works, but it has its drawbacks; the loops have been known to fail when fighting big fish. The loops will also cause a hinging action in the leader when casting, thus effecting the way the fly turns over.       The way most fly-fisherman connected these different sections is by using a Blood Knot. It's a strong aerodynamic knot that's relatively easy to tie. It also pulls straight through the water, picks up very few weeds, and slips through the guides with ease.       You can certainly be more elaborate when building leaders, and at times you need to be. If you're fishing for tarpon or bonefish, or you want to conform to IGFA standards, then you're going to need to adjust the leader configuration. But, if you learn a couple of knots and simply remember the 60/20/20 formula for leader length and drop down 10 pounds for every section, you'll be making leaders that will perform great for most situations. Back