How to Match a Leader to a Fly Fishing Fly

Outside of the fly, the most critical part of the setup of fly fishing is the leader and matching it to the fly. The leader is the nylon monofilament line that attaches the fly line to the fly. Because a fly is delicate and small, you need to find a leader to match your specific fly, so you don't break the fly.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Use a light tippet for a small fly. The lighter your fly is, the lighter your tippet should be. You don't want to break or destroy your fly with your leader.

2. Use a heavier tippet for a heavier fly. This allows you to have a leader that's heavy enough to secure and hold the fly but not so heavy that it will damage the heavier fly.

3. Use a formula for matching your leader with your fly. Divide the size of the fly by four to figure out the appropriate leader. So, a big size #12 fly gets a sturdy 3x tippet; size #16 gets a 4x.

4. Find a good material for your leader. In the past old leader tippets were made of silkworm gut. These silkworm guts were sized by being passed through a die that shaved down the gut. If you ran the gut through the die once, it was 1x. If you ran it through twice, it was 2x.

5. Fish with a 3x to 5x leader tippet is you're a beginner fly fisher. This allows you to have a lighter weight leader starting out, so you have a less chance of damaging your flies.

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