Here is a lengthy dissertation by Buzz Bryson on saltwater leaders from our Tri-fly list serv group here in NC. Buzz is equipment editor for one of the big flyfishing magazines and highly respected in the community. While I disagree with Buzz for the need for tapered leaders all the time in saltwater, this is a really good bit of instruction. Especially good is how he recommends testing knots until you find the one that works best for you. I hate it when so-called experts tell me that "The Frimfram Knot is the only one to use, ever!" The way Buzz describes it is much better.

Leader design. First, use a tapered leader. It transmits energy better, and thus turns over the fly better. The obvious analogy is the fly line. If a level line worked as well, we'd all save money and fish them instead of the WF line.

For general use (floating line, no shock/bite tippet), the leader is no big deal. If you don't want to tie your own, just go with one which has a heavy butt section. What you want to do -- and this is equally true in fresh or salt water -- is to match the stiffness of the tip of the fly line and the butt section of the leader so that you achieve a smooth transition of power. The butt section should be at least 0.020", more in heavier lines. You can find commercial knotless leaders with butt sections up to 0.024" or thereabouts. Look for one that has a relatively long butt section, with a relatively quick taper, and moderate length tippet section. Such a leader will turn over better in the typically windy conditions at the coast. Stick with 9-foot leaders unless you need something longer for the conditions (bonefish in skinny water on calm day). The difference in a 9-ft and shorter leader on a floating line isn't enough to trouble with. I use as heavy a tippet as I can get away with. Rarely use less than 10 lb. Often just stick with 12-20#.

If you tie your own, keep it simple. First, don't go with a stiff mono material such as Mason's in the butt section. Use sometime good, but relatively cheap, such as Ande. The butt section should begin with 25 or 30# test, up to 60# test, depending on the line size. Obviously, a 12-wt line would need a heavier leader butt diameter to match stiffnesses than would a 7-8 wt. Use the rule of halves another post mentioned. As an example, start with 5 ft of 40#, add 2 1/2 ft of 25#, a foot of 15#, and finish with a couple of feet of 8-12# tippet. That gives you about a 10-ft leader. Or just go 40, 25, 15. Play with poundage and lengths until it works for you. It's not the rocket science some would make it.

Knots. The knot, being the weak link in a leader, becomes the primary focus for maxing out leader performance. Anglers debate the benefits of various knots used for: (a) connecting leader sections; (b)leader to tippet; and (c) tippet to fly. The two weakest connections will invariably be the tippet to leader knot and the tippet to fly knot. Those are the ones to concentrate on most. Above that (up the leader), it doesn't matter too much whether you use a blood knot or a surgeon's knot (the two most common); either will typically be stronger than the knots tied in the tippet material. To decide which knot at the leader-to-tippet connection is best for you, simply take a length of 20# material, and tie the competing knots in 12# (as an example) to either end. Put a blood knot in one 12-to-20 connection, and a surgeons in the other. Put on some gloves, wrap the ends of the two 12# sections around your hands, and see which knot breaks. Try it several times, with both steady pulls and with sharp jerks. Some knots work better in one than in the other. Go with the one that works best for you! Whether it's the best knot for somebody else is irrelevant. You want the one you can tie best. (Having said that, try both knots with varying amounts of turns. Sometimes a couple of turns more or less in a blood knot can dramatically affect its strenght. And sometimes a triple or quadruple surgeons knot is much stronger than a double surgeons.)

Do essentially the same for the tippet to hook connection. Here though, take a single piece of tippet and tie the competing knots to two hooks. Pull the hooks apart (using pliers, lest you be extracting a hook from your hand), and see which works best for you. Repeat with steady pulls and with jerks. For loop knots, you'll typically be comparing the non-slip mono loop against a uni-knot (Duncan's). For a "tight" knot, an imp. clinch against a Trilene.

Where all this leader stuff gets messy is in any of about three situations. A toothy critter (where you need wire), an abrasive critter (where you need a "shock" or bite tippet of mono), or where you want to build in some shock absorption (as in matching a large fish against a comparatively light tippet). Learning the Bimini twist is key to any of these.

For the wire, you'll need a haywire twist to form a loop in the wire, and then connect that to the Bimini in the tippet with an Albright. If you're just messing with bluefish, forget the Bimini.

For the shock/bite tippet of mono, say for tarpon, most (that I know of) go from a butt section of straight 40- to 60-lb to a class tippet to the bite tippet. The class has Biminis in both ends. Connect one Bimini to the bite tippet with a Huffnagle (my preference) or Albright or Apte imp. clinch. Connect the other in a loop-to-loop fashion with a surgeons loop, or, for a straight connection, with a blood knot.

For the shock absorption, most people tie a Bimini with a long loop (two or three up to five feet) in the class. Cut that loop at the far end from the knot, and twist the two sections together. Tie the twisted section to the leader with a blood knot. The twist will stay there and act as a shock absorber.

Exceptions. With a sinking line, you want a shorter leader to retain the benefits of that sinking line. How short? As short as you can get away with. Even here, I like a bit of a tapered leader. It will turn over better, but having a short butt section of (for example) 40-lb test will minimize the cutting effect you get when you loop a section of 12-20 lb test to a fly line. And yes, I use loop-to-loop connections for most everything.

My favorites? Tippet to fly: If I'm just messing (trout, Spanish, reds, stripers), I'll go with an improved clinch. If I'm a bit more serious, a Trilene. For a loop, I use the non-slip mono.

Tippet to leader: Not too serious, a blood knot. More serious, an Apte imp. blood knot. Really serious, a Bimini (twisted as described above) blood-knotted to leader.

More From Buzz

Here is an email I received from Buzz concerning the Scientific Anglers Windmaster flyline. He gets a lot of different equipment in his hands. When he talks gear, I listen. Anybody else would be advised to do as well

Gordon,

The SA Windmaster is intended for conditions under which you're reaching for the spinning rod. I liken the taper to a sock with a ball in it. Fat on the front, with a continuous taper back to the running line. I guess sort of a Triangle taper in reverse. What is does is turn over in heavy wind. It's not a distance line, and it for sure is not a delicacy line. But when you can't get 30 feet out with a regular line, it might get you another 20. A really good caster probably wouldn't need it, but a beginner or even intermediate would benefit in the wind.

Let's go fishing

Buzz Bryson