It is currently 29 Mar 2024, 01:49


Previous  1, 2, 3  Next New Topic Add Reply
Author Message
Re: DIY leaders
Post 26 Jan 2017, 12:23 • #26 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/02/13
Posts: 1173
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Just learned how to do that in Photoshop a few minutes ago. LOL (Using Illustrator to do the actual artwork)

yep.. I think I know what you mean. I think I got it this time. I edited my previous post to update it.


Last edited by JoeFriday on 26 Jan 2017, 13:14, edited 3 times in total.

Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 26 Jan 2017, 12:24 • #27 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/21/06
Posts: 3081
Location: Orygun
Joe Friday, that's pretty cool.


Top
  
Quote
DIY leaders
Post 26 Jan 2017, 19:09 • #28 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/25/08
Posts: 1526
Location: Delton, MI
Brett, your animated version of my SOLIS Knot looks gorgeous now. Thanks a bunch. That should go a long ways toward helping folks tie the SOLIS. I think I went through over 1200 yards of mono to finally arrive at that knot. Your animated knot artwork does my knot justice better than my poor attempt at knot art.

CrustyBugger


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 26 Jan 2017, 20:38 • #29 
Master Guide
Joined: 09/29/09
Posts: 906
Location: US-MI
Crusty, Generous donation of your years of work on leader construction.

JoeFriday, Really interesting diagram series. A still image, step by step view of each slide would also be great.

Bring on spring!


Top
  
Quote
DIY leaders
Post 27 Jan 2017, 17:58 • #30 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/25/08
Posts: 1526
Location: Delton, MI
My son took a short video of me tying the SOLIS knot. Please forgive the sniffles. I've got a cold. It's not the greatest but it's the best I could do with materials I had on hand. The video in concert with JoeFridays drawing should work well to teach the knot.



Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 27 Jan 2017, 18:36 • #31 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/22/11
Posts: 1720
Location: US-TX
Nice tutorial Crusty. Now about that bufflehead... :)


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 27 Jan 2017, 19:00 • #32 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 10/20/11
Posts: 1880
Location: US-MD
Thanks Crusty....very kind of you to share! (see...he's not so "crusty" after all).


Top
  
Quote
DIY leaders
Post 27 Jan 2017, 20:08 • #33 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/25/08
Posts: 1526
Location: Delton, MI
Backing1, thanks, you're welcome, but I'm still Crusty as hell, and don't you forget it.

ARR, You guys just won't let up. I remember promising my kids ice cream when they were kids. It sort of feels like that!

;)


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 27 Jan 2017, 22:23 • #34 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/22/11
Posts: 1720
Location: US-TX
So when do we get the ice cream ? ;)


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 27 Jan 2017, 22:33 • #35 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/25/08
Posts: 1526
Location: Delton, MI
Let me see what I can do next week. I think my son has a day or two off at the beginning the week. I have a lot of messes to clean up first or my wife will hang me up by my toes, very painful.


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 27 Jan 2017, 22:46 • #36 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/22/11
Posts: 1720
Location: US-TX
Just having fun Crusty, no pressure. I have been strung up a few times, no fun at all!


Top
  
Quote
DIY leaders
Post 27 Jan 2017, 23:05 • #37 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/25/08
Posts: 1526
Location: Delton, MI
That's ok. I need pressure. Pressure is good. I'd like to get that task done and out of my head, and you aren't the only one asking for Bufflehead instructions. Gee, if I counted, there's probably 10 of you. I'll see what I can do. The video today wasn't high quality but it achieved its purpose and it wasn't hard. I just don't want to get into an editing process is all.


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 31 Jan 2017, 21:53 • #38 
New Member
Joined: 01/17/17
Posts: 12
Location: US-MI
Thanks Crusty for the video and Joe for the animation.

And Crusty ever since you gave me the leader formula spreadsheet I could not seem to figure out the SOLIS knot so thanks for posting this I think I finally got it down.


Top
  
Quote
DIY leaders
Post 01 Feb 2017, 06:10 • #39 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/25/08
Posts: 1526
Location: Delton, MI
Good to hear MiTroutBum. Is anybody else having trouble tying it? It's a very useful knot. It is great for tying leader material more than a couple thousandths of an inch apart which a blood knot just can't handle.


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 01 Feb 2017, 13:16 • #40 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/25/08
Posts: 1526
Location: Delton, MI
Hey guys. I just changed the spreadsheet to include JoeFriday's final image on the spreadsheet and added some comments for how to use the VersaLeader.


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 01 Feb 2017, 18:05 • #41 
Master Guide
Joined: 02/04/12
Posts: 705
Location: SE Pa
I guess I'm a lot less sophisticated than most ... I just use Stren 17, 10, 6, & 4 lb test, camo color. About 20" of each, with a tippet on the end. Casts great, once I straighten it out at the start of the day, it never recoils back up again all day.


Top
  
Quote
DIY leaders
Post 06 Feb 2017, 06:59 • #42 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/25/08
Posts: 1526
Location: Delton, MI
ARR, just to make you happy, I did the BuffleHead video (OK, maybe about 20 other people too!). Look for it in it's own thread.


Last edited by CrustyBugger on 06 Feb 2017, 09:05, edited 1 time in total.

Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 06 Feb 2017, 07:53 • #43 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/22/11
Posts: 1720
Location: US-TX
Thanks Dave!


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 22 Jul 2017, 10:43 • #44 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/02/13
Posts: 1173
Location: Milwaukee, WI
I've been doing a lot of leader building this year, experimenting with different configurations. And I came up with one yesterday that blew away all my other attempts. It turned over effortlessly and kept tight loops. It also was amazing with roll casts and worked very well with dries. It's the most accurate leader I've ever cast. I would think "I want the fly right.... there" and that's where it would land.

.018 - 15"
.016 - 17"
.013 - 19"
.010 - 21" (1X)
.008 - 23" (3X)
.006 - 25" (5X)

It's a 10ft leader. As you can see, it's simply +2" for each successively smaller diameter.


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 22 Jul 2017, 12:39 • #45 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/25/08
Posts: 1526
Location: Delton, MI
Hey Brett, I am guessing you are still using a Blood Knot and that your leader is for a 1 to 3wt rod. You could probably come up with a leader that performs extremely close to that with only 4 sections instead of 6 by using the SOLIS knot instead. The blood knot can't be used because the sections are too far apart in diameter. With sections that far apart in diameter, the blood knot won't hold. Something like the following should get you fairly close. It is still a 10ft leader. The tippet is a little longer than yours but is easily cut down as desired to get better turnover. But if you want more drag free drift, you can leave it longer. You can probably get away with .008" instead of .009" but you may have to shorten the .008" and add it to the .013".

.018" - 33"
.013" - 30"
.009" - 30"
.006" - 27"


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 22 Jul 2017, 20:15 • #46 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/12/17
Posts: 390
Location: SW B.C.
This is my first post, after a long while stuck in limbo (Thank you for facilitating the activation, Cameron!). I'm the sort of personality who jumps in with both feet when I try something new, and a couple of years of building leaders has taught me that the formulae with more than four sections for the body offered no advantage to something like Crusty's, above. A person quickly gets the feel of how to alter the diameters to suit fly size, rod stiffness, wind, etc.. In most instances when a leader isn't performing for me, the problem has been the butt not being heavy enough and the leader hinging. I now use something close to the following for most applications, with the tippet attached to a micro ring:
24”- 25lb. Chamaeleon
18”- 15lb. Chamaeleon
18”- 12lb. Ultragreen
18”- 6lb. Ultragreen
I've found that the Ultragreen in heavier tests doesn't respond well to straightening out, whereas heavy Chamaeleon straightens out with a good tug.
For things like heavily weighted flies and bass poppers, two or three piece leaders do the the trick, since delicacy isn't going to happen anyway.
Kean


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 22 Jul 2017, 20:43 • #47 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/25/08
Posts: 1526
Location: Delton, MI
Guys, when comparing leaders, using test strength with the tippet manufacturer is just enough information, along with section length to figure out what someone wants to figure out a leader formula. But if someone is using material from another manufacturer, it causes heartburn for them because test strength is not the same across brands. But tippet diameter is universal to everyone and it is what matters for tying leaders. Test strength means very little. Test strength is really only useful for the tippet that you use, not the rest of the leader. Tippet diameter is written on your spool too. I highly recommend talking about diameter when referring to leader formulas so people don't have to look up the test strength and translate to diameter and so on.

Also, if you say you use a certain leader, please say what you use the leaders for. Nymphing leaders, dry fly leaders, big fly leaders, etc. are all very different from each other. For instance, I liked that Kean mentioned that his formula ends in a tippet ring to let us know his leader is actually longer than the 6.5ft leader formula he gave us.


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 22 Jul 2017, 21:02 • #48 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/02/13
Posts: 1173
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Well, I took my 6 section leader out again today (actually, it was a fresh one I tied last night) and used it on a small brook trout stream that was gin clear and glass smooth. The result was 12 trout to hand in two hours using mostly BWO parachutes. It was probably my most enjoyable day of fishing in a few years. I'm extremely happy with my over-designed leader so I don't plan to fix it.

But perhaps you cursed me after all since I left the stream and hit a deer three miles down the road.


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 22 Jul 2017, 21:21 • #49 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 08/25/08
Posts: 1526
Location: Delton, MI
Oh, man, sorry about that. We have suicidal deer around here that wait for you behind trees. As far as the leader is concerned, just trying to save you time. Rebuilding leaders with fewer sections is also needed less often and is easier to do, especially on the stream.


Top
  
Quote
Re: DIY leaders
Post 22 Jul 2017, 21:31 • #50 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/02/13
Posts: 1173
Location: Milwaukee, WI
Yeah, that makes sense. But I find it pretty easy to tie up 6 sections at home, and on the stream I never need to do anything more than add 5X. As long as I can still see the 3X to 5X knot I know where I'm at, and so far that has never failed. If worse came to worst, I have a few fresh leaders in my vest to swap out.

The deer was on a kamikaze mission today. It ran out from some trees at full steam right into my path. Barely had time to tap the brake. Fortunately the car is still driveable. A good thing since I was 100 miles from home on a small county highway. Insurance will cover most of the bill. Three years ago the same thing happened to me. In that case the car was totaled, but I was only a mile from home.


Top
  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  

Previous  1, 2, 3  Next New Topic Add Reply



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 20 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Jump to:  
Google
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group