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I don't like the piggy tail leaders, plus the are expensive. I've been making mine for quite sometime. I think I'm quite sloppy with the way mine are designed but they work just fine. Go with making them yourself, it's much funner.
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For the nymphing you will be doing put the 4x away until summer and do a 9' 3x and use 4X tippet or go with what you paid the money to learn, building a leader is an effective way to go. Remember it is all about having fun so you do what ever it is, so you have a good time. See you on the river!
What days are the river trips? I didn't write it down.
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I like to make my own leaders because it is fun, I think they work better and they save money. I think you will especially apreciate hand tied leaders compared to tapered leaders for nymph fishing with a strike indicator. With knotless tapered leaders the strike indicator slides down the leader very easily as it gets smaller the farther it slides. I have found that using "leader" material to make leaders is a little less expensive than tippet and works just as well. I use tippet only for the end. For nymphing leaders I start with about 6 1/2 feet of 20 or even 30 lb test leader, then 2 1/2 feet of 8 lb test leader then 3x tippet to my first fly and 4x tippet to the dropper. By the time you get the knots tied it makes about a 9 foot leader to the first fly. The long section of non tappreing very heavy leader holds the strike indicator wherever you put it but you can still move it up or down the leader according to water depth and speed. I put my split shots if I use them at the end of the 8lb test leader. The knot between the leader and tippet keeps the split shots from slidding down. I also make my own dry fly leaders but I don't think that the difference in the performance of hand tied leaders for dry fly fishing comared to knotless tappered leaders is quite so pronounced. Good luck.
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The trips are Saturday Feb. 25, Sunday Feb. 26, Saturday March 4, and maybe Sunday March 5.
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I tie my own leaders also. I use the Frogs Hair kit, but that is my choise.
A good leader formula for a standard nine foot 4X (6.2lb in FH):
36" - 0.021
16" - 0.019
12" - 0.017
6" - 0.015
6" - 0.013
6" - 0.011
6" - 0.009
*20" - 0.007
*I shorten this and add about a foot of flouro.
Standard 71/2 foot 4X :
24" - 0.019
16" - 0.017
14" - 0.015
6" - 0.013
6" - 0.011
6" - 0.009
*18" - 0.007
* again I do the same on this.
There are other formulas I use (light weight, bamboo, ful flex, etc.)
these are just standards.
On sinking line however, I use 4' to 6' of staright flouro (4-8lb). My favorite is P-Line.
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do you have any good formulas for 10ft 6x leaders?
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I have one for a 6X (Orvis delicate acording to the leader formula Bonanza I got on line)
30" - 0.021
20" - 0.019
13" - 0.017
10" - 0.015
6" - 0.013
6" - 0.011
6" - 0.009
6" - 0.007
23" - 0.005
I have other formulas but they are for a 5X
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] Thanks.