The Fifty-Fifty Fly Leader
While living in Florida I came across a 12 foot leader design called the Fifty-Fifty leader. No idea who created it, but I found it useful…. and you may as well.
The diagram above shows an example of this leader for an 8 or 9 weight fly rod. It is called the fifty-fifty leader simple because the butt section makes up half the total length. As you can see, it has 6 feet of 40 pound test, followed by 2 feet of 30 pound, 2 feet of 25 or 20 pound, and a 2 foot tippet. Bingo, 12 feet.
While we are on the subject, allow me to pass along some advise on building leaders. Mixing monofilament brands is rarely wise. Why? Different brands have different coatings, and when joined together may produce a weak knot. Moreover, I am not a fan of fluorocarbon, especially knotted to conventional mono. I depend on Maxima Clear for my leaders. It is tough, dependable, and knots extremely well. Love it. And occasional I’ll use Maxima Ultra Green for the tippet. It is more supple.
