Tactical leader rigs

There are infinite ways and means to set up a leader. How one does it,
depends on how one wishes to fish, and with what!. There are very many
descriptions extant for various parts of a leader, especially in older
books.

The leader itself is known as “foot link”, “collar”, “cast”,
“stinting”, “leash” “lash” “strap”Etc

The point fly, which is the fly furthest away from the rod, on the
extreme end of the line, is also known as a “stretcher”, “sheet
anchor”, etc.

The “bob” fly, which is the fly nearest the rod is also referred to as
a “top dropper”. Also, flies designated as “bob” flies are usually
designed to have a specific function like “working”. The flies are
dressed to support this.

On a three fly cast, one has the point fly, middle dropper, and bob.
One of the reasons many of the older books gave specific positions for
various flies, is that they were designed to operate in different
ways. Often, the point fly or one of the droppers was the main
attraction, and the others were used to provide control, athough one
also caught fish on these now and then. The way in which a leader is
built, and the size and weight of the flies used, also dictates how it
may be used.

As stated in various articles, I use leader rings for a lot of things.
These rings come in various sizes, from 1mm upwards. They are made of
either silver, nickel silver, or stainless steel. I usually use 2 mm
stainless steel rings, as they are a lot stronger than the silver
rings, but the silver rings are also adequate for most fresh water
fishing. They come in either round or oval. I prefer the round.

As they are so small, they weigh practically nothing, and make a lot
of things easier and more efficient. One can use a tapered leader for
quite a while, without having to cut bits off it when changing flies,
and changing flies or altering set-ups is a great deal easier. Knots
to rings are invariably stronger than knots to line, and one also has
much fewer tangles as the rings tend to hold the line straight.

When using very short droppers, ( I invariably use droppers no longer
than 3") it is much easier to tie these short lengths to the rings, if
one ties the fly on first, and then knots the line to the ring.

It is important to get rings of a round section, and of course with a
smooth surface. There are some rings extant with a flat section, and
these may cut the line, it is also more difficult to tie knots on
them. Rings with bends or kinks in them should be avoided, they can
casue other problems.

When you get your rings, thread them on to a safety ( diaper, or
nappy) pin when you take them out of the packet, and when using them,
thread your line through the ring, BEFORE! you take it off the safety
pin!

The rings are available from various suppliers, This is where I got my
last lot;

Rings Carrilon
http://www.carrilon.co.uk/product_in...70efcc94fbd99a

These are also OK, but only 1.5mm diameter;
Rings Riverge

In the USA, feathercraft do them as well;
Rings Feathercraft

I also use these rings on various other rigs, for dry-fly fishing, and
even in the salt, on the rare occasions I use a dropper there for
special techniques. I have never had one fail. I use tucked half blood
knots, (also known as an "improved clinch" usually five turns on the
finer lines used for freshwater fishing) more or less exclusively, for
attaching line to these rings, and also for attaching flies to line,
and I have never had one break or loosen. When drawing the knot up,
wet it thoroughly ( spit!), and draw it slowly and firmly tight.

TL
MC

Setting up a team.

Setting up a team of flies for various conditions and circumstances is
not quite as easy as it might first appear, and the choices made by
really good anglers are by no means random. Of course, many people
have varying ideas on this, as on many other things. These are my own
basic guidelines, and considerations, and are not written in stone!

Firstly, one has to decide on the general tactics to be employed, and
the equipment in use. For complete beginners, it is best to get some
experience using simple rigs, and a maximum of two flies, before
trying more complex rigs. Although this precludes the use of some
tactics and setups, it saves a lot of initial messing about. Unless
you are a competent caster, multi-fly-rigs are a liability!

Equipment also dictates to some extent what you can use, and how you
use it. The most versatile equipment for fishing teams is a long rod
and light line. This means at least a 10 foot rod, and preferably a
lot longer. The reasons for this are mainly to be found in the
superior line control, and the casting technique used with longer
rods. The flies are not cast "overhead" as is usual with most modern
gear, a modified switch-cast is used, in conjunction with a relatively
light line. Although opinions run high on these matters, it is
nevertheless a fact that you will not be able to use or control many
rigs with a short modern rod and heavy line.

It is essential to be able to present the flies properly, as they will
otherwise simply not work very well. This means delicate and stealthy
casting! Slashing the line or flies down hard will result in failure
to catch many fish. Also, one should be clear on how one wishes to
fish. These methods were invented for maximum efficiency in catching
fish. This is not what everybody wants to do! Many people just want a
nice pleasant day out, with a few fish to keep them occupied, or grace
the table later.Of course, one is not bound, as a sporting angler, to
operate with the same determination and application as many
subsistence anglers once did. One may "take it easy" using such
methods.

Regardless of how effective a team of flies might be with the right
equipment and tactics, they can be perfectly useless with the wrong
equipment and tactics. Having the right flies is not even half the
battle. If you wish to use a comparatively short single handed fly rod
and a modern plastic, or maybe even a silk line, then your only real
option for fishing spider and similar flies upstream, is to use a
single fly, and fish it like a dry fly, but sub-surface of course.

.You might even use a bob fly and a nymph, or a similar rig, but if
you try to use various teams with such gear, especially working teams,
or special tactics teams, you will end up being frustrated and
fishless. The only places you have even a modicum of control using
such equipment, is in relatively slow-moving water, and with a short
line. These are unfortunately exactly the places where most tactical
teams are least likely to work successfully, and also where a longer
line and rod would be of advantage in concealing you from the fish.

Even if the united Wharfedale anglers rise as one, ( or even if only
one of them rises united!!!), and threaten to smite me as a result,
there is no getting away from these simple facts.

Innumerable reams of paper have been devoted to the subject of
upstream fishing, and more are produced every day. Quite a few modern
books extol the virtues of such tactics, and not a few even provide
diagrams on where to cast, etc etc etc. Unfortunately, it wont work
with short rods and tactical teams! Most modern fly-fishing equipment,
although excellent for a large number of things, is quite useless for
fishing teams upstream. In well over forty years of intensive fishing,
with a whole range of rods and lines, I have never found a way to do
it successfully, except with a long rod, and I have never seen anybody
else doing it successfully either.

For quite a few years, I read various accounts, and tried very very
hard indeed to follow what many said or wrote about upstream fishing,
but after some years of believing I must be useless or stupid, it
finally dawned on me why it didn´t work! It doesn´t work, because it
is impossible, and those who say it does work are simply telling lies.
On a couple of occasions I even asked well known anglers to show me.
They never could! The only people I have ever seen successfully
fishing upstream teams, have been using long rods and light lines!

Of course there are occasions and places where one may use a team with
less than optimum equipment, and catch a few fish, but these are not
very common at all. One may also use certain "variations", like
casting more across than up, or even casting down, but none of them
work very well in comparison to the real thing.

Modern short rods, and heavy oiled silk and PVC lines, were developed
for various reasons. One was ease of use, transport etc, and the other
was to drive a single dry fly, on a relatively long line, fast, and
into the wind if necessary, and also turn it over properly, using a
fairly short rod. Most equipment in general use will do this quite
admirably in the right hands, and quite excellent it is too.
Unfortunately, this has nothing whatsoever to do with the criteria
required for upstream wet fly fishing! These simple facts are usually
simply neglected! Also, there is often talk of "short lines", and
"long lines", etc. What is a short line? What is a long line?

Doubtless most will agree that this depends on the context. For many,
and apparently for quite a number of authors, a "short line" is any
line cast within a radius of about thirty feet, regardless of the rod
used. For others, a "short line" may be where the actual casting line
is one and half times the length of the rod.

Now that is suddenly quite interesting, because the length of the
"short line" has now become dependent on the length of the rod! If you
have a six foot rod, and cast a "short line", you would then be
casting nine feet of line, and assuming you actually followed through
to horizontal with the rod, you would command a radius of 6+9+leader.


Assume a leader of nine feet, then you command a radius of 24 feet.
This is not very much, you have to get very close to the fish, and
owing to the shortness of the rod, you have very little control of the
line once you have cast it. Indeed, you can not even control the
leader properly by raising the rod! Also, casting long leaders on
short lines is not the easiest of exercises, even for a proficient
caster. This is difficult enough with a single fly, but with a team?
Forget it! Such a rig is only suitable for fishing a single fly, or at
the most a two fly rig, and even that with reservations!

Now assume a twelve foot rod. Command radius is now 12+ 18+ 9 = 39
feet! This is still a "short line" remember! The line is always under
more or less perfect and immediate control, simply by raising the rod.
The leader is shorter than the rod itself, no problems with dropper
spacings, or knots jamming in the tip ring, etc. But, most important
of all, one is almost twice as far away from the fish! A light line
may be used with such a rig, and very little force is required to
drive it with accuracy anywhere within the command radius. Overhead
casting, or any excessive force is simply not required, just a "flick"
with the rod. This works quite well even into a fairly stiff wind.

So, all the following remarks only apply to using the right equipment.
To whit, a rod of at least twelve feet in length, and a light line.
Although this mainly applies to fishing running water, most especially
medium to rapid streams, it does not specifically exclude still water
fishing, although it is of less importance there in most instances,
there are also many instances when greater control and better
presentation will catch you more fish on still water as well.

Why fish upstream at all? This too has been done to death, and there
are many reasons given for it, but only one of those reasons is really
important to me, and that is that one does not disturb the water one
wishes to fish. Assuming stealth and care in presentation, this alone
guarantees more and better fish. In heavy or coloured water, or when
there is a good breeze, this can be less of a factor, but it usually
still makes a difference even then.

Simply obtaining a long rod and a light line will not immediately
guarantee you more fish. You have to learn to use it, and this can not
be done in a day! As with most things, a learning curve is involved,
which varies from person to person. Also, some people have natural
talent, and others less so. This is perfectly normal. There is always
somebody who is the "best" at something, usually as a result of the
combination of natural aptitude, practice, and determination. However
this may be, and even for those with less aptitude or time to invest,
it is still a great deal easier to learn to fish with such equipment
than it is to "do the impossible" with unsuitable equipment, and after
a relatively short while, you will catch more fish. This is a foregone
conclusion. Of course, mere length is not the only criterion. The rod
must also have certain specific characterictics, which we will go into
later.

Regarding the "secrets" involved, there are only two, and they are not
particularly secret either; stealth, and control. Without these, no
fly-fishing is going to be very successful anyway.Of course, skill,
knowledge and accurate observation are also important to success.


OK, we have our gear, and we want to make up a leader with a set of
flies. How do we go about choosing them?

There are a number of possibilities here, depending on one´s
knowledge, beliefs, and inclinations. We will take the "easiest"
first. This merely consists of using three general patterns on the
leader, as point, dropper, and bob fly, respectively. A nunber of the
older authors advocated this system, and it works reasonably well.
Three "Stewart" style spiders or similar will catch fish under a
number of circumstances and conditions, and more than a few anglers,
especially those who wrote about it, like Stewart and Stoddart, but
quite a few others too, were content to leave it at that.

Disregarding for the moment some of the weird theories a number of
these people had on the subject of flies, this works, because in many
instances ,fish, especially in relatively fast waters, will take
almost anything that looks sufficiently like an insect. Of course,
using a rig like this, and "sweeping the water", one will also catch
relatively large numbers of small fish! For a long time, fish of
practically any size, including two ounce trout, and even salmon parr,
were considered fair game!

One hopes that such is no longer the object of the exercise, and as a
result, and to avoid this, one has basically two choices. One limits
one´s casting to known "marked" fish, or to lies where small fish are
not likely to be in abundance. This is not a certain method of
avoiding small fish of course, and it has one other extremely major
disadvantage.

Larger fish tend to be warier and more critical of their food than
small fish, so in effect, such a "general" rig, automatically
discriminates against larger fish! This is the main reason I do not
like to use "general" rigs of this nature. I have tried these on very
many occasions, and "fishing the water" with general rigs, will get
you plenty of fish, even occasionaly a good one, but the vast majority
of them will be small!

Also of interest here, is that small fish will invariably take flies
at any time, hatch or no hatch, whereas their larger brethren are much
more hatch oriented, and will simply ignore many "general" flies. Even
just a few simple trials will suffice to quickly convince anybody of
this. Of course there may be occasions when one or more of the
"general" patterns is sufficiently imitative of a "hatch" which is in
progress, beginning, or abating, to induce larger fish to take them,
and this results in a "red-letter-day" for the angler concerned, but
it is for the most part serendipitous.

So we come to team choice method number two. This is basically the
same as the first, but with one absolutely major difference. The flies
used are chosen to match the hatch which is occurring, or may be
expected to occur, and the flies should be good imitations of specific
insects. No really special entomological or other knowledge is
actually required for this. The hatch times of most common insects and
some good imitations thereof are easily found in any number of books.
Many of the old subsistence fishers knew this perfectly well, and
their lists and patterns are invariably reliable. I could give a list
of patterns here, for various rivers and times of year, some are
fairly universal, others less so. Even superficial enquiry will turn
up lists suitable for your rivers and conditions. Of course, if you
actually observe a hatch of certain insects being taken by the fish,
then change to appropriate patterns if you know them.

Both of the above team choice methods assume passive ( dead drift)
presentation, either in or just below the surface film, and the choice
of appropriate flies. It should be noted here, that just because some
insects are evident on the water, this does not necessarily mean that
the fish are taking them! One must observe what is actually occurring!

Both of the above team choices will work. The second method will work
better, depending of course on the accuracy of your individual fly
choice under various circumstances. The first method has the
"advantage" of only requiring a few fly patterns. The second method
requires a fair selection of good patterns, probably about two dozen
or so, but it will catch you more and better fish.

As previously noted, the objectives of anglers have changed quite
radically over the years. Virtually all anglers nowadays are sport
anglers, and they have little or no interest in catching large numbers
or weights of small fish. This would also be detrimental to most
fisheries anyway, which ought to be a consideration when choosing one
´s methods.

Contrary to much popular opinion, one of the main reasons for using a
team of flies nowadays, is not so that one might catch several fish at
once! This may occur on occasion, but is actually more of a nuisance
than anything else. In former times, when anglers used nine or more
flies on a cast, their motivation was to catch as many fish as
possible, as quickly as possible. Few sport anglers, if any, did this,
it was largely done by highly skilled subsistence anglers. There is
very little point in trying to emulate such. As also previously noted,
even very small fish were taken, and no sporting angler would
purposely do this nowadays. There would be no point in doing so.

Using a team allows one much greater leeway and tactical attack, even
when one is targetting a specific fish. Of course one needs a team
specifically tailored to this end. Here again, one has a number of
possibilities. One may go the "general team" route, which might
consist of a "general" bob fly, a middle dropper, maybe a Stewart
style spider, and a point fly or "stretcher" perhaps a lightly
weighted nymph. Such a specific team for early in the season, say
April, might be, a weighted pheasant tail or hare´s ear nymph on the
point, a "black spider" on the dropper, and a bushy dry March brown on
the bob.

This team differs considerably from the previous two, as while it is
still fairly "general" in regard to the flies, which should of course
still be chosen appropriately, it is far more specifically tactical in
nature, and allows far more "operating possibilities" than the first
two. One covers more of the water column, as a result of the weighted
point fly. How much depth one covers, depends on the weight, which
should be adjusted to suit depth and conditions prevailing, and one
also covers specific stages of the hatching insects. Even when no
insects are hatching, which incidentally is more or less an
impossibility, there is always some activity, even when it may not be
directly observable, the fish may still be feeding actively, but not
on or near the surface.

Many older authors, and even some new ones who ought to have more
sense! Promoted the idea that if no "hatch" was "on", that the fish
simply stopped feeding. This is nonsense. Some fish will be feeding on
various things when others are not, and many will take anything
appropriate which comes along. General surface feeding as such, may
more or less cease at times, but this does not mean the fish are not
feeding at all.

Many species of fish do tend to feed at specific times given the
opportunity, but some, if not all of these, will also feed at any
time. This also depends heavily on the aforementioned opportunity!
This is also why fish in small relatively barren streams will often
grab almost anything, at any time of the day or night. They must take
advantage of every opportunity, and many still remain stunted or lean,
as a direct result of the dearth of such opportunities. This is also
of course the reason that fly choice in such streams is rarely
critical, although it would be a mistake to ignore it altogether and
just "sling anything in" as a matter of course! Indeed, there are only
two generally prevalent conditions when fish will not feed at all,
when it is too hot for them, ( = lack of oxygen), and when it is too
cold ( = slowed metabolic rate).

In most other circumstances, when fished properly, a general tactical
team like the one described, will catch a lot of fish. The same
objections as to the first "general" team also apply, in that one will
catch a lot of small fish with it, as it also tends by its nature to
discriminate against larger fish, with however, a couple of important
exceptions. Owing to the make-up of the team, and the equipment in
use, a number of manipulations may be carried out, which make
"general" flies, more attractive to the fish.

There has been a great deal of controversy about this over the years,
but nobody can seriously doubt that certain types of movement increase
the imitational value of certainn flies, and thereby induce a fish to
take them, where it would otherwise simply ignore them. at best. We
may once again note a number of possibilities. There are certain
specific manipulations, such as "skittering the bob fly", or a
"leisenring lift", known and even used by many anglers, which induce
fish to take the flies in question. Then there are "general"
manipulations. These are manipulations which cause one or more of the
flies ( of course all the flies are affected) to move in a certain way
THE WHOLE TIME THE CAST IS BEING FISHED! Or at least a good part of
it.

One may manipulate the leader in order to give the nymph a certain
movement, or to give the bob fly a certain movement, or indeed even
the dropper if so desired. Usually the manipulation is carried out to
give !!!ONE!!! of the flies on the leader the specific movement
required. The flies are so designed that they react accordingly. The
weighted nymph acts as a sheet anchor, the bob fly acts as a float,
( and indicator). One must choose which fly one wishes to manipulate
and direct one´s efforts to achieving the effect required. The weight
of the nymph is quite critical here, as is leader make-up, and fly-
spacing. This was the main "secret" of the old wet fly artists. They
knew when and how to manipulate their teams to achieve the effect
required. This increased their chances of catching fish IMMENSELY!!!!

This is not simply a case of "jigging the leader", or "waggling the
rod", and is in any case not even practicable without the right rod,
line, and leader! When "wet fly artists" were described as "magical",
this was ( and still is!), the main reason for their apparent
wizardry! It is basically the result of using common sense, coupled
with knowledge of insect and fish behaviour, and the right gear, to
achieve specific results. It works so fantastically well, because when
correctly done, it adds another dimension to the flies so manipulated.
The almost perfect illusion of life!

Many things are possible with this set-up, and I will describe some of
them later in detail, as they also apply to other things. For the
nonce, we will move on to team choice number four.

TL
MC

Mike wrote:

Setting up a team.

348 lines (I'm not kidding) snipped

Many things are possible with this set-up, and I will describe some of
them later in detail.....

How much would it cost to persuade you not to?

(I mean, hell, rw, Louie and R. Dean together have more money
than God..... I'm sure we can work something out.....)

Seriously.

Please.

- JR

On May 3, 3:43 am, JR wrote:
Mike wrote:
Setting up a team.

348 lines (I'm not kidding) snipped

Many things are possible with this set-up, and I will describe some of
them later in detail.....

How much would it cost to persuade you not to?

(I mean, hell, rw, Louie and R. Dean together have more money
than God..... I'm sure we can work something out.....)

Seriously.

Please.

- JR

Oh, I think what you offered was sufficient.

MC

On Fri, 02 May 2008 21:43:37 -0400, JR wrote:

Mike wrote:

Setting up a team.

348 lines (I'm not kidding) snipped

Many things are possible with this set-up, and I will describe some of
them later in detail.....

How much would it cost to persuade you not to?

(I mean, hell, rw, Louie and R. Dean together have more money
than God..... I'm sure we can work something out.....)

Seriously.

Please.

- JR

Absolutely hilarious! But, I am betting my fortune that he will post
it regardless what *anyone* feels.

John, your humor is priceless.

Dave

JR wrote:
Mike wrote:
Setting up a team.
348 lines (I'm not kidding) snipped
Many things are possible with this set-up, and I will describe some of
them later in detail.....

How much would it cost to persuade you not to?

(I mean, hell, rw, Louie and R. Dean together have more money
than God..... I'm sure we can work something out.....)

Seriously.

Please.

LOL !!

Five hundred lines of pompous encyclopedic nonsense is just
nonsense when all is said and done. And his Loony Mikeness
is nothing if not pompous nonsense.

--
Ken Fortenberry

Can't say that I've fished such complicated places that require
'teams' of flies.

Interesting stuff about modern equipment and upstream casting, dry fly
turning over.

I knew a guy used to cast left handed because that was the old school
way of doing it.

Didn't help him catch fish though.

Places I fish, you have to fool them into believing it is a bug and
then they do the rest, vicious little suckers.

Most complicated leader I build is tippit added onto a Del Rio leader
after it is too chewed up or have broken off a couple of times.

Not too arty but effective. Catch and release only - no dinner plate
specials.