Leaders are the heart and soul of Short Line Flyfishing. Maybe no choice is so important as the choice of leader. The Hends Camou knotless tapered French leader was the original knotless French leader and remains one of the best on the market. It sets teh standard by which other leaders are judged.I’ve been using it since it first came out and still use it regularly, which is a testament to its quality. Like all French leaders it’s greatest asset is it’s adaptability. It can be used for French nymphing, but is also a good choice for Czech style nymphing or for dry fly fishing. So it’s a leader you can put on and adapt to just about any situation one encounters; whether fishing dry or nymph, short or long, light or heavy. Sometimes another leader will perform better, but this is the standard from which one starts and makes any choice to change leaders.
The original French leaders were knotted and some people still prefer the flexibility they provide and the extra weight. However, I find the knots get stuck in the rod rings and prevent long casts requiring a haul. With the thick diameter of a French leader the knots are proportionally large and so they are very prone to getting stuck in the rod rings. People using these leaders are probably using lighter leaders and/or fishing shorter.
The first Camou leaders were in camouflage colours like the original knotted French leaders and these still remain popular and are what I mostly use. However they’ve also become available in a variety of colours, including fluorescent green in the picture, which are useful when the fish will tolerate them.
The first Camou leaders were also relatively short, but the 9m leader rapidly became the standard. It has a basal diameter of 0.57mm and a tip of 0.21mm. As you’ll see in the picture of the leader the taper isn’t continuous, but is confined to 5 feet at the base of the tippet. I’ve experimented with continuous tapers, but find it useful to have as much weight forward as possible, so the Hends taper is just about optimum. However, I usually cut the tip back to the taper and put a tippet ring on the tip. then I can control the diameter of the last few feet of leader precisely.
One disadvantage of these leaders is that they sink. They sink rapidly. I’s not a problem if you are fishing a classic French nymphing technique, but is a real problem using them for dry fly. Regular greasing of the leader contracts this, but if one is exclusively fishing dry fly this is not the best leader.
These French leaders are hard to beat, but if you want to know more about other options, and French leaders in general, check out the various leader entries in the Techniques section.
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