Leaders for Swing Wets

Moderators: William Anderson, letumgo

User avatar
letumgo
Site Admin
Posts: 13345
Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:55 pm
Location: Buffalo, New York
Contact:

Re: Leaders for Swing Wets

Post by letumgo » Wed Nov 30, 2016 9:23 pm

I came across this article by Dave Whitlock last weekend. On page three, he shows a recipe for a leaded set up which may be just what you are looking for.
FFMS-150028-WHITLOCK.pdf
(913.49 KiB) Downloaded 732 times
Link to Dave's website.
http://davewhitlock.com/wp-content/uplo ... ITLOCK.pdf

You might also be interested in this great article about winged wet flies.

http://davewhitlock.com/wp-content/uplo ... -Flies.pdf

And here is a helpful on-line tool for various leader designs:

http://globalflyfisher.com/leadercalc
Ray (letumgo)----<°))))))><
http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php? ... er=letumgo

"The world is perfect. Appreciate the details." - Dean
User avatar
Roadkill
Posts: 2479
Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:09 am
Location: Oregon

Re: Leaders for Swing Wets

Post by Roadkill » Thu Dec 01, 2016 1:18 am

This is a great read on the subject...

https://www.amazon.com/Fishing-Tandem-F ... ndem+flies
zen leecher
Posts: 998
Joined: Fri Apr 12, 2013 5:11 pm
Location: Moses Lake, WA

Re: Leaders for Swing Wets

Post by zen leecher » Thu Dec 01, 2016 11:55 am

here's some pre-tied leaders for sale. The owner also has a nice DVD on wetflies for sale. I have it and it's worth watching.

http://www.wetflywaterguides.com/Produc ... anchor_285
User avatar
hankaye
Posts: 6582
Joined: Tue Jun 08, 2010 4:59 pm
Location: Arrey, N.M. aka 32°52'37.63"N, 107°18'54.18"W

Re: Leaders for Swing Wets

Post by hankaye » Thu Dec 01, 2016 6:57 pm

Howdy All;

When WiFlyfisher posted the following it raised my basic curiosity level to the "go-n-seek" point.
WiFlyfisher wrote:Sorry I am not a fan of Dave Whitlock. :-)

Mark Libertone had an article I saw online that mentioned fishing 3 wingless wet together but never said what the leader construction was. I know in a couple of older books I have they mention swinging wets but again the leader construction is not mentioned in detail.

Thanks!
What I found is that the troutnut site owner (Jason), has rejuvenated Mark's old websites (after disuussions
with Mark's kids), and they are online here;
http://www.troutnut.com/topic/8260/The- ... -Libertone

the article that was mentioned by WiFlyfisher is, I believe, in the following link about half way down.
http://www.flyanglersonline.com/feature ... art402.php

Sure do miss Mark.

hank
Striving for a less complicated life since 1949...
"Every day I beat my own previous record for number
of consecutive days I've stayed alive." George Carlin
daringduffer
Posts: 2195
Joined: Sun Feb 22, 2009 5:11 am

Re: Leaders for Swing Wets

Post by daringduffer » Fri Dec 02, 2016 2:53 pm

For your consideration: http://www.flymphforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=2938 . Leaders have been discussed previously on the forum but these discussions are not always easy to find.

dd
User avatar
Old Hat
Posts: 4204
Joined: Sat Nov 14, 2009 12:24 am
Location: Where Deet is a Cologne
Contact:

Re: Leaders for Swing Wets

Post by Old Hat » Sun Dec 04, 2016 6:55 pm

Hey John, that link you found is a decent one and the leader set up will work fine and is similar to the one I use. If you haven't, check out Davy Wotton's DVD "Wet Fly Ways with Davy Wotton." It is a great one. Gives you the full run down. The leader set up really is a small part of the picture. What patterns go where on the leader so it fishes correctly and selecting the right water to use it in is very important. I have by far and away had my best days with multiple-fly rigs fishing the tailouts of knee deep riffles just before they transition into a pool. Smaller water can make this set up quite a bit more difficult to fish with. If you haven't seen the video I may be able to find it in my moving boxes (still boxed up) and send it your way. It used to be on Netflix as well, I don't know if it is still there or not.
I hate it when I think I'm buying organic vegetables, and when I get home I discover they are just regular donuts.
http://www.oldhatflytying.com
User avatar
William Anderson
Site Admin
Posts: 4569
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:14 pm
Location: Ashburn, VA 20148
Contact:

Re: Leaders for Swing Wets

Post by William Anderson » Mon Dec 05, 2016 9:33 pm

John, in the past few years I've moved through a series of steps to work out leader constructions. John Shaner shared a few of his favorite leaders built with Maxima mono. These were a serious game changer for me. His leaders are tied to an exceptional tolerance. I never achieved that but I did manage a pile of leaders that I enjoyed very much. His formula used a longer stiffer butt section than other wet fly leaders I've seen. They do roll over really nice and mend beautifully. I never went to a three fly set up as he has on occasion, sticking with two flies keeps me from getting into too much trouble. I have enough trouble avoiding wind knots. The series of blood knots catching my tippet in wind caused enough trouble that I opted for a 9' or 12' Trout Hunter mono leader to 4x or 5x, and added 18 to 24" fluorocarbon tippet to allow for a dropper to be created at the tie in. I like this set up very much. I'd like to work with the hand built leaders again next season.

Thanks for posting this question. It's cool to have all these resources piled up in one slick thread. Thanks guys for all the links.

W
"A man should not try to eliminate his complexes, but rather come into accord with them. They are ultimately what directs his conduct in the world." Sigmund Freud.
www.WilliamsFavorite.com
joaniebo
Posts: 685
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2014 12:24 pm

Re: Leaders for Swing Wets

Post by joaniebo » Sun Jan 01, 2017 3:04 pm

John

I've been using Maxima Ultragreen in tying my leaders for many years ... using Oliver Kite's leader formula (or as close as I can get to it) of 20# (54"), 12# (10"), 6# (10"), 5# (10")& 4# (36").

Bob
joaniebo
Posts: 685
Joined: Wed Apr 30, 2014 12:24 pm

Re: Leaders for Swing Wets

Post by joaniebo » Mon Mar 27, 2017 8:09 am

John

For many years, I have been using Maxima Ultragreen when I tie my own leaders ... using Oliver Kite's leader formula (or as close as I can get to it) of 20# (54"), 12# (10"), 6# (10"), 5# (10")& 4# (36"). I usually fish only two flies at a time tying the second fly to the hook bend of the first fly. Have never tried three in a row but probably might do it this season.

Bob
Greenwell
Posts: 346
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2011 9:05 pm

Re: Leaders for Swing Wets

Post by Greenwell » Wed Mar 29, 2017 4:29 pm

For what it's worth, the leader I tie for fishing Spiders is outlined below. I prefer Maxima Chameleon (Brown) for the larger diameters as it will straighten perfectly with a good strong pull and hold; no need for rubber leader straighteners, which, by the way, are detrimental to nylon. Trout Hunter mono is my preferred tippet material. I use mono for all my trout fishing as after extensive personal testing I find no advantage to fluorocarbon.
Notice that the butt diameter is much smaller than most leaders. This gives better energy transfer from the line to the leader and results in better turnover. The majority of the time I use 3 and 4 weight rod/line set ups and .017 works best with these line sizes. For 5 wight or above you may want to go to a .019 or .020 butt.
Feel free to modify this leader to suit your personal needs as to length, diameters, etc.

I am something of a leader fanatic and firmly believe that in most cases the leader and how it performs is at least as important as fly pattern. And in many cases is more important. If the fish are refusing my fly, especially when fishing dries (off topic!), I am much more apt to modify my leader than to change fly pattern.

Spider Leader

40" .017 M
20" .015 M
8" .013 M
8" .012 M
8" .011 M
8" .009 M
12" .008 (3X) T (Can add second Dropper (3X) at this point if desired.)
12" .007 (4X) T Add 4" - 6" 4X Dropper at this point. (4X to 5X)
18 - 24" .006 (5X) T

M = Maxima Chemeleon Brown
T= Tippet material. I prefer Trout Hunter
Measurements in inches. May be adjusted to suit water, fly size, and casting style.
Diameters are .001 Inch
Post Reply