“Cruel leaders are replaced only to have new leaders turn cruel!”

Ernesto “Che” Guevara

Che Guevara is one of my favorite characters from history.  Basically he was a revolutionary,  that was pretty much his job.  He participated in revolutions in Guatemala, Cuba, the Congo,  and Bolivia.  Men of his ilk often claim to do what they do out of love of justice, equality, or even for their fellow man – a noble sentiment – but someone who travels the world looking for brutal wars to fight in is also the definition a mercenary.  Guevara earned a reputation for being excessively brutal, even with his own men. 

The one thing that a student of history needs to accept, however, is that the facts of a man’s life or the events that took place during it have value, but what has greater value and longevity is how they are perceived.  Guevara is considered literally a Saint by some, to others he is considered a butcher – both groups are right.  Che’s likeness from the photo above has become synonymous with counterculture, which is what tickles me.  The man was vehemently opposed to Capitalism and materialism, he gave his life and the lives of others for these beliefs, yet his likeness is sold world-wide as a part of the consumer culture.  Parodies of this iconic photograph have been made of Homer Simpson, Kramer, Al Bundy, and with the recent surge of the Democrat Party (casting Conservatism as “counterculture”) Ronald Reagan.  People who admire him, people who dislike him, and people who have no clue who he is buy these items.  Now that’s a full circle.

I chose Che Guevara as the “leader” because of his controversial nature – FDR was second runner-up, Mao a distant third.  Whether hated or loved most leaders – political, religious, or even Head coaches – tend to evoke powerful responses.  If a losing team in the NFL changes its head coach, the fans will have new hope (at least hope enough to buy tickets and swag) if another losing team hires that very same coach its fans will have hope and talk about how he is a better fit for their system.  Naturally, more often than not, no one person can make that much difference…however, hope itself can. 

This is fine and harmless for sports, can be a little troubling in other avenues.  People followed Ghandi, people followed Martin Luther King Jr., but they also followed Jim Jones and that Heaven’s Gate reject (have a hard time calling those mass suicides “tragedies” but I’m a callous bastard.)  Some of the greatest leaders in history – “greatest” meaning nothing more than the most successful at leading others – have also been its worst monsters.  I almost feel that this is an inevitability.  If people look to a leader to help them with small things, and he succeeds, then they will look to him for larger and larger things.  The leader is paid in power, the cost is personal freedom.  Far too many people regard this as a welcome trade.  There are verified accounts of political prisoners in Russia mourning the death of Stalin, they were more troubled at the thought of having no powerful leader to guide them than the leader who incarcerated them.

Personally my ideal leader is a man like General George Washington, who takes on power reluctantly, uses it sparingly, and gives it up gleefully.

“Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.”

George Washington

Hopefully this has gotten your ire up – or at least your hackles.  I figured nothing like a semi-political discussion to get everyone on edge.  This was to perpare you, get you on the edge of your seats, for the segway into the cauldron of passionate fury which is the fly fishing topic of leaders.  Please refrain from using cuss words in the comments, you may offend the other person who reads this.

What do you mean you don’t have a firey passion for leaders?  You don’t just absent-mindedly use the store-bought tapered #x crap do you?  You ought to have some deeply held beliefs about this, because the choice of leader has more to do with fly fishing success than the choice of fly.  Hmmm that’s a large statement seems to need a but more drama.

“…the choice of leader has more to do with fly fishing success than the choice of fly.”

The Flyosopher

How many times have you heard or read the sentiment that the key to success lies in the “presentation?”  Nearly everyone agrees with this, but have you ever actually thought about what that means?  The “presentation” is the umbrella term to describe how the fish perceives the fly.  What it looks like, how it acts in or above the water, where it is in the water column, how it entered the water, how it drifts, you get the idea.  Now consider your gear in relation to these questions which piece(s) of gear answers which question…with the possible exception of how the fly itself looks – the leader factors prominently in every aspect of the presentation.  Yet how many times have you changed a fly to try something different without considering the leader?

It’s okay, the leader will forgive you but don’t ever do that again.

There are a number of formulas out there for how to create the perfect leader.  Don’t believe them.  The ideal leader will be the one that allows you to fish the situation.  A still water dry fly situation may require a 12′ or even 18′ long leader.  Fishing a deep fast rip may call for a leader less than 6 inches. 

The material the leader is comprised of should match the situation as well.  Leaders can be made of monofilament or flurocarbon, furled from thread, or spliced out of braid.  All have their place in fly fishing, the key is in knowing what to use where and when.  Like fluro sinks so its not the best for a dry fly….or is it.  An emerger tied with a foam wingcase and fished with a fluro leader stays exactly where you want it to.

Though some leaders can be a straight piece of material most are tapered.  The taper allows the energy of the cast to transfer from the line to the leader and finally the fly.  Large flies need more energy to turn over so less of a taper is required (in some cases no taper works best for very bulky flies.)  A tiny midge fly on the other hand, needs a long continuous taper to gently disappate the energy to allow the fly to land gently on the surface of the water.

Tapered leaders have three main sections, but each section could be comprised of a number of transitions.

Where the leader meets the fly line is called the “butt.”  This is generally the heaviest portion of the leader.  It may seem contradictory at first but often the longer and thinner the leader is the heavier the butt needs to be to transfer the energy and to simply be thick enough to allow for enough steps as the leader tapers down.  Furled and Braided leaders usually comprise both the butt and the next section – the body – of the leader.

The body is the mid-section of the leader.  Depending on the overall length and thickness of the leader this could be as few as one or nine or more separate pieces of material.  The primary purpose of the body is to give the leader its length and taper to match the appropriately sized tippet.

The terminal part of the leader which is tied to the fly is called the “tippet.”  Since it is the closest section to the fish it is generally the thinnest part, but that is not always the case.  When fishing for a toothy predator like a bluefish or pike, the tippet is often made of wire or heavy flurocarbon.  When you buy a leader the “X” designation refers to the size of the tippet.  As a general rule for trout fishing I primarily buy 3x leaders and then add 5x tippet material, and then 7x tippet material to that if I’m using very small dries.  The weight of the tippet will affect how the fly drifts and acts in the water, and needs to be balanced to the fly.  If the tippet is too heavy the fly wont act right, if it is too light the fly may fail to turn-over on the cast.

Many beginners are drawn to furled and braided leaders because they simplify what is likely the most confusing aspect of the sport.  Either of these leaders require the angler to merely add an appropriate tippet.  This is fine, but like everything in fly fishing there are other options.  Knotted leaders take the most time and knots to create, but also allow for a wide range of customization in the field.

The leader will probably never have a magazine dedicated to it, and guys will never want to peek into leader wallets like they do fly boxes.  A change of leader, however, can drastically alter how a fly is fishing, and that is often more important than which fly is fishing.  So give it some thought, I know it is not the most interesting subject matter, but understanding leaders will make you a more complete angler.