i was wondering if i had to use a new flyfishing leader every time i tie a new fly on?

Question

i got a new fly rod with every thing i need to fish with on thei, i tied a good nail knot connecting the leader to the line (and it wasen't easy) and the fly to the leader. what i dont know is do i have to tie a new leader to the line every time i want to change a fly?

Answer 1

NO!!! Tie a 2 or 3 foot tippet onto the end of the leader, then tie the fly onto the tippet. Tippet comes in spools rated by diameter. When the tippet frays or you keep changing flies, you just have to retie a new tippet.

Answer 2

Only if you damage the leader would you have to replace it right away. A standard leader is 9 feet long, you can buy them at 7.5 feet and 12 feet, but usually 9 feet is the rule. If you are using a 5X leader, and you want to use a 5X tippet to tie onto your fly, then in theory there is no need to add a tippet to the leader until you have used up a foot or so of the leader. That is when the leader is going to start getting bigger so you will need to tie on a 5X tippet to compensate for the leader you have used up.

Now then, you may still want to put on a short, 18 inch length of fluorocarbon tippet to hide the leader that is near the fly from the fish. Fluorocarbon is very good at hiding itself in the water, and it won’t reflect the sun like mono does, so there is less likelihood of the fish seeing it.

The reason the leader is tapered is the same reason the line is tapered, to transfer the power of the cast down the line from the loaded rod all the way to the fly. A tapered leader does that best. That means you don’t want too long of a length of line/tippet that stays the same size.

Also, as you slowly chew up the leader, then you may need to either replace the leader or tie on two different sizes of tippet, say a 4X then a 5X to achieve that tapered look so as to transfer the power of the cast to the fly.

Larry

Answer 3

You don't need to changer ur leader every time u tie on a fly. After alot of fly fishing you usually want to change ur leader since you probably tied on and cut off many flies. the leader also may of been weakened by rubbing on rocks, logs, and fish may of also stretched ur leader. I usually carry a couple of different sized leaders with me in my vest. if i'm fishing for small trout or panfish i usually use a leader of about 6 lb test. i also use a small spool of tippet for quick fixes. also remeber when u tie ur knots to wet ur line so it doesn't come undone. for the nail knot, there r easier knots to use for connecting ur line to ur leader, which won't be that time consuming or difficult.

this place will show u all the knots to know when flyfishing
http://www.killroys.com/knots/knots.htm

this place has some nice zoomed in pictures
http://www.graysofkilsyth.com/fishing-knots.htm

GOOD LUCK!!

Answer 4

No, just a visual check of the leader will do. If ya' can run leader thru your thumb and index finger and not feel anything but the "norm" (no abrasions etc..), then ya' should be good.
You say that your new to the art, soooooo when castin' watch out for your ear lobe's ;)...

Answer 5

Generally you shouldn't need to, and be able to use it for several sessions providing it's still in good condition....... or unless you want to change tactics and use a longer one than you were already using.