The Straight Nymph Leader

For many nymph fishermen, straight leaders provide an efficient, accurate and economical leader system. Straight (non-tapered) leaders are not new nor are they a secret. There have been many articles describing their use and advantages over the last 10 years. Scumliner himself swears by straight nymphing leaders, and if you have fished with him, you have seen him casually clip off your brand new $4 tapered leader and replace it with one of his custom built Bimini nymph leaders (you have no choice). Let go into some of the why's and how's of the straight leader system.

Advantages:
The straight leader system offers several advantages, but the primary one is that you can achieve quick, accurate and maximum depth. Tapered leaders prevent a straight, 90 degree drop from your indicator (or fly line tip for you Czech Nympher's). This is due to the heavy "butt" section built into the leader, which causes far more drag than a straight system. The amount of drag will vary depending on the the length, weight and type of leader you use. Regardless, your leader will arc to some degree, unless you are using a massive amount of weight at the terminal end.

You can also use less weight to achieve the same depth more quickly. Because drag is significantly reduced, your flies reach their max depth almost immediately. I've always preferred to use less weight and a slightly longer leader if possible. It makes casting easier, and I feel my drift is more natural, and takes are more easily detected.

Straight leaders are much easier to lengthen or shorten if needed. Many anglers choose to move their indicator instead of lengthening the leader. When I decide to change length, however, I usually make a dramatic change. On the Missouri, we're fishing big water with a great variety of depth. If I'm not getting fish at 4 feet, I don't go to 5...I go to 7. Because my leader is uniform, it's easy to add or remove a couple of feet. I don't have to worry about drastic changes in tippet/leader diameter; it's a constant.

Disadvantages:
Casting with a straight leader, while not as difficult as some would have you believe, can be a bit clumsy. Ease of casting is dictated almost entirely by the weight at the terminal end; the more the better. If you have 2 BB's and a tungsten Beadhead fly, you won't have any trouble. On the other hand, unweighted or lightly weighted rigs can be very difficult to cast on a straight system. All of the energy in your line is lost the second it reaches your non-tapered leader.

On the Missouri we do a lot of shallow nymphing, usually involving rigs with small beadhead nymphs, no weight and a very small indicator placed 2 - 4 feet above the top fly. The fly is fished only an inch or two under the surface. I like to use a 9 foot leader for this, as the fish are usually sensitive to lines and mending. Trying to cast a 9 foot straight leader with no weight is tough enough. When you add the small, but still wind resistant, indicator on the end, and it's nearly impossible for many anglers.

Aside from casting, the only other disadvantage of a straight leader is the weak point created by connecting a 20-30lb. butt section to 2X-4X leader material. There are many knots used to do this, including a perfection loop to loop, albright, a scary looking triple surgeons, and a clinch to a loop connection. I've tried them all and always had the occasional (or not so accasional) break at the knot, resulting in not only lost flies, but the entire leader. I have come up with a solution, which is described below.

By the way, never attach a knot secured indicator to a straight leader, always attach it to the butt section. Stick-on Palsa type indicators can of course be used anywhere on the leader.

Building Straight Leaders:
For years I've been building straight nymphing leaders...I had to, you couldn't buy them. Fortunately, RIO has just come out with a straight nymph "indicator" leader. So far, I've been very happy with these, and they will probably replace my own version at some point soon.

For those interested in my own system, here it is:

This is a three part leader and uses loop-to-loop systems. The butt section consists of 30lb. hi-vis mono. It is 1 foot long with perfection loops at each end. Most anglers have a butt section on the end of their line, but I like to add this so that if I'm tying an indicator on the leader, I don't 'kink' my butt section...the kink remains in the nymph butt section.

For the leader itself, I use 10 lb followed by 8 lb mono or flourocarbon, usually something from the tackle section at the sporting goods store (I like Yozuri Hybrid). Start with 6 feet of 10 pound. In one end, tie a short (1 foot) bimini twist loop. I then hold the knot in my left hand, and stick my finger in the loop. twist the loop until it is always almost tight around your finger. Holding it tight, grab the twisted loop in the center with your mouth and pull towards you. Let your fingers come together. The Loop will twist up on itself. I then tie a simple surgeons knot in the twisted section, right above the bimini knot. Trim the tag of the surgeons loop.

You should end up with a 6 inch twisted loop, followed by your bimini twist, followed by about 4 feet of 10 lb. This creates a very strong, doubled loop at the end. The twisted loop creates a "shock absorber" effect as well. I have never had this knot fail, nor have I experienced a break at the loop to loop connection.

To finish your leader, loop the butt section to the twisted loop. Make your 10 lb section (including bimini loop) about 3 feet (less if you plan on nymphing shallow). Add 6 or more feet of 8 lb to the 10 lb. Thats it. When you're ready to fish, cut the leader to the depth you want your first fly or weight at. Then add the appropriate amount and size of tippet...