So what is a tapered leader? It is a specially designed leader with a long and heavy butt for turnover power and a supple front taper for delicate presentation. A leader is just that a leader that tapers to a fine point! The thickness at the front of the leader varies according to the tippet diameter giving different strengths of line, with delicate 7X tapered leaders having tippets as small as 1.8lb and 0x with larger tippets of 10.5lb.
These tapered leaders are an excellent choice for fishing with small and mid-sized flies on spooky fish and ideal for even underhand casting.
| Product | Tippet Diameter (mm) | Butt Diameter (mm) | Tippet Test (KG) | Tippet Test (LB) | ||
| 0X | 0.279 | 0.64 | 4.8 | 10.5 | ||
| 1X | 0.254 | 0.58 | 4.1 | 9 | ||
| 2X | 0.229 | 0.56 | 3.5 | 7.7 | ||
| 3X | 0.203 | 0.53 | 3.1 | 6.8 | ||
| 4X | 0.178 | 0.53 | 2.4 | 5.2 | ||
| 5X | 0.152 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 3.9 | ||
| 6X | 0.127 | 0.43 | 1.2 | 2.6 | ||
| 7X | 0.102 | 0.43 | 0.85 | 1.8 |
Typical Fly Usage For Leader Sizes
To calculate leader size a time used formula is to divide the fly size by 3, this gives you and approximate tipper size. For example for a size 16 fly 16/3 = 5.33 so recommended leader diameter should be 5x to 6x (as can be seen from the chart below)
| Product | Used for Fly Sizes |
| 0X | 2 |
| 1X | 4 to 8 |
| 2X | 6 to 10 |
| 3X | 10 to 14 |
| 4X | 12 to 16 |
| 5X | 14 to 18 |
| 6X | 16 to 22 |
| 7X | 18 to 24 |
The Essential Fly stocks a great range of tapered leaders for trout, salmon and specialist leaders for Pike and other toothy critters! Check out the range of tapered leaders here and we have leaders with droppers, polyleaders and much more. Check them out here
