A well balanced leader is one of the most important parts of a fly fisher's outfit. An experienced caster can make do with a rod that isn't quite right or a line a little light or heavy, but a poorly tapered leader or one that isn't at all is something else.

In fly fishing the caster is throwing the weight of the line itself. Unlike other kinds of angling, there is no machinery between the fisher and fish. Probably this is part of its fascination.

The rod, line and leader become an extension of the arm. It is like being able to reach out 60 or 70 feet to place the fly by hand.

Ideally, casting a fly is a succession of continuous tapers. The angler is the fulcrum. The rod tapers from cork handle to tip. The line extends to a tapered point. From there a tapered leader turns over and dips the fly to the water.

The caster is in control from beginning to end. One hand hauls or releases line *as needed. The other imparts motion to the rod.

When a fish takes, it also is played by manually taking or giving line through the rod guides. Every maneuver of the fish is felt and compensated for with the hands. There is a sense of direct connection between angler and quarry.

Fly lines are relatively bulky so as to make handling convenient and to give heft needed for casting. Consequently the weight of one falling to the water will send out alarming ripples.

A leader is the link between the line and fly. It must disguise this connection by delivering the fly softly several feet away from the line and also allow it to drift or "swim" naturally.

Leaders for fly fishing are almost always nylon monofilament. They customarily are seven to nine feet long, depending on water clarity, wind and size of fly, but some anglers go as long as twelve feet when fishing exceptionally clear, shallow areas.

To cast well, one must be constructed so as to carry through the taper that started at the angler. A level leader light enough to let a fly move as if it were unattached won't turnover properly. One heavy enough to turnover will slap the fly down and hold it rigidly as if on the end of a stick.

Many beginners are afraid of a long leader. There is no need to be. Anyone who can throw a fly line can cast a correctly tapered leader. It is merely a continuation of the line.

Actually the butt section of a well-designed leader is only a little smaller than the line point. This extends for one-half to two-thirds of the leader's length and gives it the backbone needed to turn over and lay out ahead of the line. From there it tapers rapidly to a "tippet" delicate enough to fall quietly on the water.

There are two kinds of nylon leader material available, "hard" and limp. Some anglers make the first half from hard (another name for stiff) and the second from limp nylon which makes the leader turn over with considerable force. Personally I stay away from this because much of my fishing is on calm water over easily spooked fish.

It is very important that there is no "hinge" where the leader is fastened to the line. There must be no looseness or excessive flexing at this juncture or the continuity of line and leader will be broken and the leader won't lie out straight at the end of the cast.

A simple arrangement for fastening leader to line is to whip a small loop on the line point and tie another in the leader butt. Interlock the loops by slipping the leader loop over the line loop, then bringing the tippet through the line loop and pulling the leader through, similar to a square knot.

The naiI knot is another good connection. This is iIIustrated in most of the instruction sheets that come with fly lines.

The line and leader should have about the same rate of flex. One way to check this is to grasp the line about a foot from the leader and the leader about the same distance from the Iine then move your hands slowly together. As the leader and line sag, the curve they make should be smooth and continuous.

Knotless tapered nylon leaders may be purchased but you can make your own and have exactly what you want. Learning how to makeup leaders will not only insure they will better fit your tackle and fishing conditions, but also enable you to alter or repair a leader if needed while fishing.

Knotted tapered leaders are still sold also, and of course custom tied leaders are knotted. Some anglers believe that fish, especially trout may be spooked by knots, but I have had fish hit at them occasionally. I don't believe that a leader knot has ever made a fish hesitate about taking my fly.

Fishing writers have quoted each other for years in saying that the blood knot, if not the only way, was certainly the best to fasten nylon sections together. This is not true. The blood knot, besides being tedious to tie, will not hold well if monofilament sections of more than .002 inch diameter are joined.

The surgeon's knot is much better. It is very easy to tie, will hold greatly diverse diameter strands together when desired, and if wetted before tightening, has a breaking strength equal or superior to any I know of.

The surgeon's knot has been used for years to join heavy "shock tippets" to leaders. Here a 60 to 100 pound test monofilament strand is fastened to a light (usually 12-pound test) leader. Shock tippets are used when fly fishing for sharp tooth species like northern pike or barracuda.

To tie a surgeon's knot, lap the ends of the two strands to be joined and treating the two as a single strand make a simple overhand knot (wind knot) with them. Before tightening, pass one of the tag ends and the accompanying strand through the loop a second time, moisten the knot and tighten evenly. Clip the tag ends closely.

This knot and several others were discussed at length in "Some Knots To Use And Some Not To Use", an article in the March, 1979, Badger Sportsman.

A formula for a typical nine-foot leader to be used with a seven or eight weight line would be 50 inches of .020, 20 inches of .018, nine inches of.014, nine inches of .010, and a .007 tippet about 20 inches long. If you use hard nylon in the butt sections you can drop the first two diameters a couple of thousandths.

A leader like the above should lay out nicely with nearly any weight line. In fact you will be able to cast it easily by hand.

To make a shorter one, cut back or eliminate the second butt strand. Actually the nine foot leader will cast well if the first 70 inches is all .020 diameter.

When a leader wants to fall back rather than straighten out, make the butt larger in diameter or extend it into the leader farther. If the end of a tapered fly line doesn't turn over properly, cut a little bit off the point. Try this an inch or so at a time. If it's trimmed back too drastically, it will slap down harder than you wish. When trying out a line remember it won't cast properly without a leader of some kind attached.

If fishing with a sinking line it may be necessary to use a short leader, even down to three feet, to keep the fly near the bottom. A heavy butt isn't necessary for one - this short.

Most tackle stores sell nylon leader materials on pocket-size wheels at nominal cost. Several companies also market leader making kits. These contain a dozen or more wheels of material in various diameters and usually retail for less than ten dollars.

It's a good idea to carry two or three sizes suitable for tippets in your fishing vest. Then altering your leader to suit fishing conditions is easy.

Always carry some inner-tube rubber for straightening leaders. Do this by pulling the leader through a tightly folded piece. A curly leader won't cast right and interferes with setting the hook.