Ask 10 different anglers for their leader formulas and you’ll get 50 different answers. That’s because not only does each angler have their own proprietary setups, but different scenarios on the water call for different formulas. Below, I’ll break down four leader formulas that I’ve tested and found useful in various situations.
I won’t dive into the specifics of my Euro nymphing rig here. If you’re curious about tying a simple mono-rig for Euro nymphing, [click here].
Why Not Just Buy Tapered Leaders?
Tapered leaders are great and certainly have their place. In fact, one of the easiest things to do when adapting a leader for a specific situation is to cut back a store-bought leader, add a tippet ring, and then reuse that leader as a butt section for the rest of the season. The customization comes from deciding which tippet diameter to add.
The case for making your own leaders comes down to the philosophy of angler mastery. That means having the knowledge and skills to adapt your techniques to the unique conditions you’ll face on any given day. It’s the same reason many anglers (myself included) tie their own flies—more control and more opportunity to tailor your gear to your home waters. Building your own leaders gives you that same control, along with the satisfaction of becoming a more versatile angler.
The Knots
I’ve already written an entire post on various knots and when to use them—[link here]. For leader building, you only need three basics: the perfection loop, the blood knot, and the surgeon’s knot.
- Perfection loop – for attaching leaders to fly lines, or for connecting butt sections to tippet sections when you don’t use a tippet ring, swivel, or blood knot.
- Blood knot – for joining materials of similar diameter into a seamless, strong connection that passes easily through rod guides.
- Surgeon’s knot – for joining lines of unequal diameter. This knot is bulkier, though, and can catch on rocks or rod guides.
If you want to build your own leaders, you’ll need to be proficient with these knots. Tying your own leaders will help you tie better knots in the long run.
The Materials
I primarily use Maxima products for leader building.
- Maxima Chameleon – stiff, low-memory material that makes an excellent butt section.
- Maxima Ultragreen – more supple, better suited for the business end of the leader where stealth matters most. If I could only pick one, Ultragreen would be my choice for its versatility.
For tippet:
- Streamers – stick with Maxima Ultragreen for strength.
- Dry flies/general use – cheap nylon tippet is fine.
- Nymphing – fluorocarbon is worth it for stealth and abrasion resistance. Tip: buy fluoro in bulk from the conventional tackle section of your local sporting goods store (brands like P-Line or Seaguar). Fly shop fluoro is often the same stuff at a much higher price.
The All-Purpose Leader
This is your default “jack of all trades, master of none” leader. It’s designed for versatility, and most of that adaptability comes from the tippet section.
You can taper the tippet section gradually or keep it simple with 30 inches of heavier tippet followed by 20 inches of your final diameter—just avoid large jumps in diameter. A max difference of .003-.005” is a good rule of thumb. Here a breakdown of the different tippet configurations:
- Dry-dropper rigs – taper to 3X or 4X.
- Indicator nymphing rigs – use fluorocarbon.
- Dries – taper nylon down to 4X, 5X, or smaller.
All-Purpose Leader Formula:
- 25# Chameleon – 20″
- 20# Chameleon – 16″
- 15# Chameleon – 14″
- 12# Ultragreen – 12″
- 10# Ultragreen – 8″
- Tippet ring
- Tapered section – 30″
- Final diameter – 20″
The Harvey Dry Fly Leader
This purpose-built dry fly leader is similar to the all-purpose formula, but with one key difference: it’s designed to be supple. When cast correctly, it should lay out in soft S-curves, providing just enough slack to achieve a drag-free drift through microcurrents while still maintaining fly contact.
The Troutbitten crew has an excellent breakdown of this leader on their blog and podcast if you want more detail.
Harvey Dry Fly Leader Formula:
- 15# Chameleon – 20″
- 12# Chameleon – 20″
- 10# Chameleon – 20″
- 6# Chameleon – 12″
- 3X nylon – 12″
- 4X nylon – 18″
- 5X nylon – 22–30″
Streamer Leader
The simplest of them all—just two pieces of line with a swivel in the middle. Since I cast streamers on a heavy full-sink line at a fast pace, stealth isn’t a priority. The short length (only 3 feet) helps the fly sink and stay in line with the sinking tip during the retrieve.
You can upsize or downsize the business end depending on local conditions, but I usually stick with 12 lb. Just remember to use a strong tippet that can handle an aggressive strip-set. Fish chasing streamers aren’t tippet-shy.
Streamer Leader Formula (for sinking lines):
- 20# Chameleon – 16″
- Swivel
- 12# Ultragreen – 16″
The Todd Hirano Dry Line Steelhead Leader
Todd Hirano is a legend in the world of dry-line steelhead fishing and writes a great blog about fishing dries for steelhead. He’s credited with patterns like the Little Wang and Bi-Visi-Bomber and is known for fishing dry lines for steelhead well into winter. Based in the Eugene, OR area, Todd has refined this 14-foot leader over decades of experience.
If you can’t find 40# Maxima, just use 7 total feet of 30# Chameleon.
Hirano Dry Line Steelhead Leader Formula:
- 40# Chameleon – 4′
- 30# Chameleon – 3′
- 25# Chameleon – 1′
- 20# Chameleon – 1′
- 15# Chameleon – 1′
- Swivel or loop-to-loop connection
- 12# Ultragreen – 6″
- 10# Ultragreen – 6″
- 8# Ultragreen – 3′
Wrapping It Up
Building leaders is a small but meaningful step to elevate your fly fishing game. It’s a mindful, satisfying practice that sharpens your knot-tying skills while giving you leaders tailored to your style and home waters. The payoff is more control, more versatility, and ultimately a deeper sense of connection to the craft of fly fishing.
Tight lines, and tight knots.
– T
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