Rig a Leader in Order

Fly line to butt section, tapered leader, tippet joined with a surgeon's knot, fly tied on with an improved clinch knot — in that order, with lengths in feet.

Start at the fly line. The butt section of the tapered leader is the thick end, and it joins the fly line loop-to-loop or with a nail knot; a typical trout leader is 9 feet long overall, so the butt section runs the first portion of that length.

The tapered leader narrows from the butt to a thin tip. In clear water and with wary fish, go to 12 feet or more so the thicker butt section sits farther from the fly and does not spook the fish on the drift.

Join the tippet to the leader tip with a double or triple surgeon's knot: two or three overhand passes, wetted, then cinched. This knot keeps most of the rated strength and adds the final thin section that carries the fly.

Tie the fly to the tippet with an improved clinch knot: five turns around the standing line, pass the tag through the first loop, then back through the big loop you just made, wet it, and pull tight. Trim the tag end short so it does not foul on weed.

Check the finished rig before the first cast: the tippet should be the thinnest section, the knots should be seated wet, and the total length should match the water — 9 feet as the default, 12 feet or more when the fish are wary.

• Step 1 — fly line to butt section of the tapered leader
• Step 2 — tapered leader runs to its thin tip; 9 feet default, 12 feet or more for clear water
• Step 3 — tippet joined to the leader tip with a double or triple surgeon's knot
• Step 4 — fly tied to the tippet with an improved clinch knot
• Step 5 — wet and seat every knot, trim the tag ends, check that the tippet is the thinnest section

Further reading

• The X-Size Table
• Nylon or Fluorocarbon