Leaders for blue lining

[joep]

What do you guys use as leaders when fishing the little eastern Brooke streams. Say on a 6' or 6'6" rod. Thanks in advance guys.

[DrLogik]

It depends on which creek I am fishing. For Eagle Creek in the Smokies I fish with a 9 foot 7x leader even though the stream is very small. It allows me to bow and arrow cast under or through the rhododendron. For other streams without as much canopy I fish a 7 1/2 foot 7x. If deeper water I also fish a 9 foot leader. Truth be told, I could get away with fishing a 7 1/2 footer for most streams.

[5Stringtrout]

I have been using the Cutthroat Furled Lite "Shorty" leader. 48 inches of furled leader with a ring end. I tie 2 feet of 4 to 6 X tippet to it. for the close in fishing we do in the Shenandoah National Park and George Washington National Forest it is ideal.

[VanfromMaine]

I second the vote for the Cutthroat "shorty"

[andre49]

7 ' leader, 5x tippet. Nothing complicated.

[Short Tip]

I have been using the Cutthroat Furled Lite "Shorty" leader. 48 inches of furled leader with a ring end. I tie 2 feet of 4 to 6 X tippet to it. for the close in fishing we do in the Shenandoah National Park and George Washington National Forest it is ideal.

Guess I'll have to give one of those a try. If Andy says it's good, it's good!

[joep]

I have not to pick up one of those shorties furled leaders. That sounds like exactly what I am looking for. Thanks guys.

[Flykuni3]

My small stream leaders are usually length of rod, to 2’ longer. Most are 1’ longer than rod.

And for economy, buy a 300 yd spool of mono for tippet, 2 lb test. Cheep and good.

[Caneghost]

I used to use the shorter Orvis braided leader butts (4' or 5?) with a 6X tippet so the leader was 7' to 7 1/2' total. You needed silicone paste floatant to grease the butts. They turned over really nicely for tight casting. I used Lee Wulff's "oval" casting style a lot, and the braided leaders worked perfectly.

I don't pay much attention to Orvis anymore so I don't know if they still offer them.

[Greg Reynolds]

I used to use the shorter Orvis braided leader butts (4' or 5?) with a 6X tippet so the leader was 7' to 7 1/2' total. You needed silicone paste floatant to grease the butts. They turned over really nicely for tight casting. I used Lee Wulff's "oval" casting style a lot, and the braided leaders worked perfectly.

I don't pay much attention to Orvis anymore so I don't know if they still offer them.

I've used these for many years and love them. Unfortunately, Orvis dropped them from the catalog a few years ago. I've used the same leader on some of my rods for more than 20 years--they just don't wear out. The other thing I like about them, is the loop can be cut off and the leader slipped over the line & glued with cyanoacrylate glue for a smooth transition.

These might be from the same manufacturer: https://www.madriveroutfitters.com/p-80 ... aders.aspx

[rsagebrush]

Mine range from 5'6" to 8 feet or so.
I have some 3 foot furled leader butts that work well on really tight water.
6-71/2' are about my favorite length and most useable length.
The Orvis braided leaders are great and they do seem to last forever.
Tippet ranges between 4x and 6x, 5x is my most used, they don't seem to bother the fish and I and pull them out of the brush when necessary.

[corlay]

for a 6'0"-6'6" rod, no more than 7' total leader/tippet, 5X.

for small brookie waters, making short 10' casts, I've never found a long leader to be an advantage,
but have found it to be a casting disadvantage.
(most rods do not cast just the leader with no line out very well)

[Bamboo revival]

I have been using the Cutthroat Furled Lite "Shorty" leader. 48 inches of furled leader with a ring end. I tie 2 feet of 4 to 6 X tippet to it. for the close in fishing we do in the Shenandoah National Park and George Washington National Forest it is ideal.

Yep!!

[snorider]

Zen Outfitters 50" 54" or 60" silk furled leaders. There have been plenty of instances when it was the leader, not the line doing the roll casting. I actually prefer the 60" for small streams as it has a heavier "butt" section and really turns over tippet like a dream. Can't say enough about silk in this application, I guess you guys who fish silk lines understand. 2-4' of tippet will turn over with just the leader. Jamie produces a truly excellent product.

[LeeO]

With shorter rods, I always adjust my leader to be about as long as the rod. I use a 60/20/20 formula but then add tippet to that. So for a 6’ rod I would shoot for a 5’ leader. I would go lighter, so 5’ 0.019”, 1’ 0.013”, 1’ 0.010” then tippet. I start the season with a leader wallet of pre-tied leaders, so I can adjust for conditions

[jhuskey]

Zen Outfitters 50" 54" or 60" silk furled leaders. There have been plenty of instances when it was the leader, not the line doing the roll casting. I actually prefer the 60" for small streams as it has a heavier "butt" section and really turns over tippet like a dream. Can't say enough about silk in this application, I guess you guys who fish silk lines understand. 2-4' of tippet will turn over with just the leader. Jamie produces a truly excellent product.

ain't it the truth, ain't it the truth..... heavenstamurgatroid

[RymanType]

7 1/2’ 4x or 5x with 1’ of size smaller tippet. Typically fishing a 7’ or 7.5’ rod
Received some hand tied leaders from Walter Babb that I look forward to trying out in these configurations.
Never have fished a rod in the 6-6.5’ range but imagine I would dial back to a 7’ leader

[5Stringtrout]

I have been using the Cutthroat Furled Lite "Shorty" leader. 48 inches of furled leader with a ring end. I tie 2 feet of 4 to 6 X tippet to it. for the close in fishing we do in the Shenandoah National Park and George Washington National Forest it is ideal.

Guess I'll have to give one of those a try. If Andy says it's good, it's good!

I was turned on to the furled leaders by Rick Robbins. One of the local fly shops sells them.

[16parachuteadams]

I have found that for my needs on small streams a 7.5' 4x knotless works well, just add 4,5,6,7 tippet material as needed.

[billems]

A fiberglass rodmaker from the Driftless area once gave me a 9ft knotted leader that worked well for those smaller streams. It was simply Maxima, beginning at 0.17, then tapered down in one foot increments to seven feet, to which you attached a 5x leader.