A fly fishing leader is the nylon line that makes the connection from your fly line to the fly. The leader is attached to the fly line with a loop to loop connection. And now a fly can be tied to the tippet end of the leader. Giving you the ability to cast, and properly roll out your fly to the target.

Sections of a Leader

Leader sizes are designated by the diameter of the tippet X-rating, and not by its breaking strength. To better understand selecting a leader size for your outfit. I'll use the following setup below, with a 9 ft., 4X (.007" diameter) leader. This gives you a range of flies to cast from size 16-8. In addition to purchasing a 4X leader. I suggest buying a spool of 4X tippet. For when that level tippet section starts to get shorter from changing flies, and break-offs. Now you can attach some 4X tippet to the end of the leader to add length. And this will extend the use of your leader.

The Classic Trout Outfit

Also with this outfit you can cast a range of fly sizes from 24-8. Plus you can loop on an assortment of leaders in different sizes from 7X-2X. Each giving you a variety of fly sizes to cast.

Thanks,

Glen
glentvaci@hey.com