** UPDATE 2022 ** Like many anglers, I tweak my leader formulas from season to season. I’ve made three minor changes to this Troutbitten Standard Mono Rig formula, since it was originally published, that make this leader better. Those changes are below.
I’ve now fished a Mono Rig for a couple of decades and written about it for over six years. In that time, we’ve all watched the fly fishing industry fully embrace tight line tactics, with the darling of the lot labeled as euro nymphing. All of this is wonderful, because anglers in contact are anglers in control. These systems are fun and effective under the water, because we know where the flies are, and we choose where they go next. That’s good stuff.
With the flourishing acceptance of contact rigs, there’s a welcome, ever growing collection of knowledge and information about these leader styles and how they are used. When I wrote the first Mono Rig article on Troutbitten many years ago, a Google search showed literally no other usage of the term for fly fishing. Now the same search returns thousands of results, and there’s a wide variety of leaders and systems that use the term, Mono Rig. But while experimentation and progress is a fantastic thing, I now receive more confused questions about my own leaders than ever before.
This article identifies exactly the purpose and usage of what I call the Troutbitten Standard Mono Rig. Here the design and function of my favorite leader is identified — and it may not be what you think. Even long time Troutbitten readers will likely find surprises in the text below.
** Note ** There are many supporting pieces dropped within this article. (All links appear in orange.) Remember, Troutbitten reads more like a book than a blog. And this article is not intended to stand alone. Reading the supporting material will answer a lot of questions. It will flesh out the tactics and color in the grey areas.
READ: Troutbitten | The Full Mono Rig System — All the variations, with formulas and adjustments
READ: Troutbitten | Beyond Euro Nymphing
The Standard?
The Troutbitten Standard Mono Rig is what I refer to most often throughout this site as just, “the Mono Rig.” However, because I do fish and write about thinner Mono Rigs with different designs on occasion, I now call this leader the Standard. It is built for versatility without compromising presentation. It’s a hybrid system with an answer for everything, ready for fishing nymphs on both a tight line and under an indy. It fishes streamers large and small, with every presentation style. It’s ready for dry dropper, wet flies, and it even casts single dry flies. All of these styles benefit greatly with a tight line advantage. Much more on all of that is under the “Function” heading below.
Here’s the basic formula, shown for a pair of nymphs:
24 feet — 20 lb Maxima Chameleon
2 feet —12 lb Maxima HV
12” — 12lb Red Amnesia or 12 lb Sufix Neon Fire
12” — 10lb Gold Stren (Backing Barrel with tag, attached here)
— Tippet Ring (1.5 or 2mm) —
14″ — 1x Rio Two Tone Tippet Material (Optional)
36″ — 4X Fluorocarbon Tippet
— Tag for upper nymph —
20″ — 5X Fluorocarbon Tippet
— Nymph —
Photo by Josh Darling
Design
What follows are the key points in the structure of my favorite leader. There’s a reason for every element in the formula.
All Mono Rigs are designed to use only the leader and no fly line out of the rod guides. The Troutbitten Standard Mono Rig is long enough that the fly line does not leave the reel on all but the longest casts.
It is also designed to keep knots out of the guides. This is one reason the taper is short and the butt section is long — for shooting line cleanly while casting streamers or indy rigs at distance.
The butt section is thick enough and powerful enough to perform the functions of a fly line, if an angler casts it that way. (The leader can be cast with fly line style loops, even with no fly attached.) But it’s also thin enough that sag is minimized when hanging off the rod tip.
The transition piece of 12 lb Maxima HV is kept short to minimize knots in the guides. But it’s there to extend the range of sagless presentations, especially important when tight lining with lighter flies. (In my previous formula, this piece was 10 lb Chameleon. I’ve changed it to 12 lb High Viz to get a little more punch, push and turnover and for extra sighter visibility, most valuable when stripping streamers.)
The sighter is built to preserve power in the rig. Amnesia and Gold Stren are stiffer than bi-color sighter material. And while the stiffer material is not quite as visually sensitive, keeping power in the leader is especially important for suspension tactics. Bi-color material is often added to the sighter to extend the sagless range of tight line and euro nymphing.
There is enough power in the butt section, transition and sighter to fully complete a turnover cast with very light or very heavy flies. This allows not only for a variable tuck cast but also for the ultimate placement and alignment of tippet, nymphs, streamers, dry dropper or indy.
A tippet ring at the end of the sighter offers the ability for quick changes of tippet sections or for extending the sighter while fishing lighter, longer and thinner. I recommend using rigging foams for storage.
The Mono Rig is easily swapped out for a leader change. It stores easily when using a leader wheel.
The Backing Barrel, mounted on the Gold Stren section, dramatically improves visibility of the sighter, and it adds a third dimension to the sighter’s sensitivity.
The tippet section is variable in length and diameter, depending on the flies and tactics needed. Longer lengths are used to get deeper, and thinner diameters are used with the smallest of flies.
Function
The Standard Mono Rig is a hybrid fly fishing system. It is designed for casting flies and not lobbing them, meaning the leader has enough mass to cast like a fly line and push flies to a target, yet it’s light enough to also be pulled to a target by heavier flies.
The Standard Mono Rig is a deadly effective contact/tight line method for fishing every type of fly:
— Nymphs: Both tight line and indicator styles
— Streamers: Large and small, presented at any depth, angle and speed
— Dry Flies: Using dry dropper tactics or directly casting small dry flies
— Wet flies: Swung or drifted
The Standard leader is extremely versatile without sacrificing efficiency or effectiveness. While it is very much a do-everything leader, this is achieved without compromise. There’s a best-practice solution for everything we do on the water, for all the tactics listed above. (More on that below.)
Photo by Josh Darling
Specifically . . .
“Light, heavy, pretty far and kinda close” aren’t really good enough descriptions for such a technical topic. And I’ve made an effort, especially over the last couple of years, to nail down these details.
READ: Troutbitten | Series | Know Your Weights and Measures
So here are the specifics regarding what this leader can do. These distances and weights are quoted using a four weight fly rod of ten feet and an angler of about six feet tall.
READ: Troutbitten | For Tight Line, Euro Nymphing and the Mono Rig, What’s a Good Fly Rod?
Tight Line and Euro Nymphing
Drag free drifts are achieved with no relevant influence of line sag at 30 feet with 75 cg, 25 feet with 30 cg, and 22 feet with 10 cg. The leader performs best with an upstream, tuck cast style, while casting across only as far over as the rod tip can reach to lead the flies down one seam.
READ: Troutbitten | One Great Nymphing Trick
For reference, here are weights of the nymphs in my box. Yours may vary greatly.
Suspension and Indicator Rigs
By adding a suspension device to the upper part of the tippet, tight line principles are extended to an indicator system. The angler is in touch with the indy, and the indy is in touch with the flies underneath. The indy acts as a hinge point and a lead point. By remaining tight to the indy (with no leader, or with limited leader on the water) the speed of the indy is dictated more by the flies than by the speed of the top current. However, the path of the flies is dictated by the indicator.
In this way, the range of a tight line system is greatly expanded. Light or heavy flies can be fished beyond 30 feet. The tight line to the indy variation helps to balance and even out the drift, often presenting nymphs more naturally than a pure tight line look. It also allows the angler to extend a drag free drift downstream without swinging the nymphs out, and it offers an effective way to beat the wind.
READ: Troutbitten | Tight Line Nymphing with an Indicator — A Mono Rig Variant
Streamers
Taking tight line principles over to the streamer game changes what is possible with the long flies. An angler may dictate the depth, angle and speed of the flies at any moment. Small, large, light and heavy streamers are easily fished at 30-40 feet and further, with only minor adaptations to the casting stroke.
VIDEO: Fly Fishing Streamers on the Mono Rig, Episode 1 — Overview
VIDEO: Fly Fishing Streamers on the Mono Rig, Episode 2 — Casting
READ: Troutbitten | Fly Fishing with Streamers on the Mono Rig — More Control and More Contact
Dry Flies
Dries are presented in two ways. Tight line dry dropper style allows for precise landing and drifting with no drag, since all the line and leader is held off the water. Depending on fly choices, tight line dry dropper range extends to 30 feet. Dry flies can also be presented as a single dry at the end of the line. Flies must be fairly small and streamlined, and comfortable casting range is limited to 25 feet.
Casting dries without a traditional fly line is easy if the casting stroke is solid. And the benefit of drifting without the drag of fly line on the water’s surface is something to see.
READ: Troutbitten | Dry Flies on the Mono Rig
There’s a Solution for Everything
Need to fish light flies at long distances? The Standard Mono Rig has a sighter thick enough to float about 15 cg of weight. When floating the sighter this way, standard casting form is preserved, without the necessity of a water load, because the leader is built for power. So a #16 beadhead nymph can be tucked in, even at 30 feet. Alternatively, floating the sighter for the first 5 to 10 feet of the drift with weights over 20 cg is a great strategy at distance. Again, a tuck cast provides the necessary presentation and ability to keep everything in one seam.
READ: Troutbitten | Ask George Daniel — Floating the Sighter
Can’t reach the target seam? Attach an indy below the sighter, and use a tight-line-to-the-indicator tactic, allowing the indy to lead the flies down one seam on a natural drift, rather than the rod tip.
Too windy to tight line? Use a hard indy, like a Thingamabobber, to punch through the wind and carry the rig to the target, again with tight line principles preserved.
Need to throw a pair of #18’s in pocket water? Extend the sighter with a piece of 1x, 2X or 3X bi-color, and go with all 6X and a longer tippet. This lengthens the sagless reach of the Standard Mono Rig.
Want to show the trout a bigger meal? The Standard rig is built to push streamers under limbs and into tight targets, with good, crisp casting loops. It’s a good match for any size of streamer.
Photo by Josh Darling
A Lot More
The Troutbitten Standard Mono Rig is built for versatility without sacrificing presentation. It’s a full system of fly fishing and not a leader built for a set of specialized techniques. It is not competition legal, because the leader is longer than two times the length of the rod. It’s also a leader and system designed for attaching the additional weight of split shot on occasion and adding an indicator whenever conditions dictate.
READ: Troutbitten | Split Shot vs Weighted Flies
READ: Troutbitten | Euro Nymphing: What Your Missing By Following FIPS Competition Rules — Part One
The Standard Mono Rig is an extremely useful, adaptable tool. And it’s what I have in my rod guides for most of my time on the water. There’s absolutely a place for the specialized tools of thin and micro thin leaders. And I use a Harvey Dry leader quite a bit as well. I carry all of them as part of my overall approach on the water.
There is so much more here on Troutbitten about the Mono Rig. Follow all the orange links above (both in-text and in the READ links). I also recommend digging into the following article for more specifics on the adjustments mentioned here. As a pair, these two articles are really the keystone to the Mono Rig.
READ: Troutbitten | The Full Mono Rig System — All the variations, with formulas and adjustments
And as always, all of the Mono Rig articles can be found here:
READ: Troutbitten | Category | The Mono Rig
Troutbitten Leaders
Lastly, I’m happy to announce that Troutbitten Leaders will re-launch soon. I sold 700 leaders in 9 days last time, and I was ready to keep up with inventory. Offered will be the Standard, Thin and Micro-Thin versions of Mono Rigs, as well as my favorite George Harvey Dry Fly leaders.
Fish hard, friends.
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Enjoy the day
Domenick Swentosky
T R O U T B I T T E N
domenick@troutbitten.com
Glad to see the tremendous influence you’ve had on the fly fishing community over the past 5y. I’ve been reading this site since late around late 2014/early 2015 and I remember when Burke used to write and there was even an article about “stinky bass” (It’s been on my list for the past 5y to fish a mono rig for smallmouth streamers…maybe this summer). Have been fishing the mono rig (I used the original formula for a long time – 20 then 12 then amnesia/stren/amensia sighter without the limp sighter) since 2015 and I remember I would get a LOT of funny looks on the well known trout streams in my area. Now I go and people left and right are using chameleon. I know microthin is the craze but you just cannot beat the versatility of 20lb chameleon and a stiff sighter in my opinion – especially for when dry fly fishing at somewhat of a distance needs to be a serious option – let’s be honest, changing out 30 feet of leader takes time no matter how quick of a system you have. If I could only have one system it would be a 20lb chameleon butt section just like you say.
The mono rig works great for stinky bass!
Ha. Yes it does.
Dom
G’day. The 10lb Gold Stren is a tough one to get my hands on down under. Do you think it would work if I subbed in 10lb Maxima Hi Vis or Maxima Fibreglow instead?
Many thanks
Yes. Or Amnesia
Legend, thanks!
C’mon Wednesday! Really interested in trying out this leader without buying 5 different types of line!
Totally up for purchasing the Mono rig without having to build it myself!
Like you, I prefer to nymph essentially upstream. And yet, most of the videos I’ve seen of top comp anglers (Devin Olsen, Lance Egan) nymphing show them fishing more across stream (Pat Weiss appears to be the exception). Do you have a theory about why this is the case?
Hi Alex,
I always like your questions. They help to flesh out some important information.
Couple things:
The good comp anglers that I know personally all have an intimate understanding of what happens when fishing across seams. It’s physics. It can’t be beaten or changed. On a tight line, flies track toward the rod tip. We can watch this and prove it. See where the fly enters and see where it exits. So often, when fishing too far across, the fly tracks over a foot, three feet, maybe more. Thin leaders certainly help with this, but not enough, in my experience.
If you have fish that will buy that unnatural presentation, then go for it. Some stocked trout or eager trout with a short feeding season are actually attracted to the cross stream drag. Likewise, when allowing the flies to pass below our position, they start to drag across and then even swing out and up. Some trout at certain times like it. Wild, picky, selective, cautious trout usually do not.
My preference is to do whatever it takes to keep the nymphs in one seam. That is my baseline. And that is the most natural look. There’s just no doubt. If that doesn’t work, then I deviate from there.
I do think that video somewhat skews our view of things. Even in the films we’ve done, I notice that things don’t always look as upstream as they are. Also, remember, I like an upstream approach, but not directly — not that often. Let’s say my favorite angle is upstream 20 feet and over ten feet. That puts the flies tracking right back to my rod tip, over the same seam they landed in. And I can drift that fly all the way to across from my position, and then recast.
Thanks again for the question.
Cheers.
Dom
I ordered the line to make the mono rigs this weekend. I’ll get my practice in making knots. If I’d waited a bit, I’d be buying your leaders!
I’ve never fished the mono rig before, and look forward to it. A friend of mine took it to heart and made one and he used it with good success the last time we fished together. I’m hooked based on that result.
Nice
Hey Dom….Total convert here. I love the mono rig. I recently tied a new leader and made the transition piece 15 lb Chameleon instead of 10 lb, hoping to make a smoother turnover and less chance of creating a possible “hinge.” So it goes from 20 lb Chameleon to 15, to 12 lb Amnesia, to 10 lb Stren. Haven’t tried this new leader yet. Can you think of any reason why it’s a bad idea?
Hi Brad,
Glad to hear it. You know I’m all about experimentation.
You asked, so I’ll answer. There is no hinge effect at all. Although 20 lb to 10 lb sounds like a big difference, it’s not. The diameters are what matters. And that’s .017 to .012.
“Can you think of any reason why it’s a bad idea?”
No. It’s not a bad idea. I used to go with 12 and then 10 — a foot of each. Two things: Every bit of thicker leader you use sags a little bit more. And if you change out your sighter section and down, then every time you tie on the new section, you lose about an inch of that 10 lb. It’s just something to think about.
Cheers.
Dom
Yeah makes sense. Thanks, man.
Hi Dom,
highly appreciate your site, cheers for that.
Since I’m located in Europe I am a child of metric units- consistently struggling with the imperial ones…
In above stated comment you mentioned “diameters are what matters”.
Here is where I am confused: 12 lb Amnesia has greater diameter than 10 lb Chameleon, so tapering from butt to Amnesia goes from .017 => .012 => .013 (!) => …
Is this step compensating changes in material stiffness?
Why don’t you rather go to 8 lb Amnesia (.011)? => For the sake of visibility?
I was looking for your “outdated” recipe (with transition in several steps), unfortunately didn’t find it – could you kindly share it?
Cheers from the rivers in southern Germany!
Rainer
Hi there.
The confusion lies here: 12 lb amnesia does not have a greater diameter than 10 lb Chameleon. They are equal, or the Chameleon is slightly thicker. Doesn’t matter how they list it. Using a micrometer tells the tale.
Also, the 10 lb Chameleon is stiffer than the 12 lb Amnesia. And in leaders, that’s what matters, in my opinion, not diameter. Anyway, it’s thicker and stiffer than the Amnesia. Make sense?
Also, 8 lb Amnesia is too skinny and limp for what I’m trying to do with that part of my sighter.
Cheers.
Dom
Hello Domenick
Have you ever given any consideration as how the mono rig system would work for us tenkara anglers that follow you? On a 9 to 11 foot tenkara rod, I might be limited to a line that is 20′ or less from rod tip to fly . Would the solution be using some percentage of your listed lengths of mono rig?
Hi Mark,
Yes. In that case, I’d simply cut the butt section back to the length you like, leaving the rest of the leader formula as is.
Make sense?
Dom
Thanks Dom, that sounds like a winning formula. Thank you for all your hard work on behalf of all us troutbitten suffering readers.
Hi Dom another great article. Stren and Amnesia mono isn’t readily available here in NZ so I use standard indicator tippet instead it works fine but I’d like to try your original rig. Therefore just wondering if you will be shipping your leaders and other items overseas?
Tight lines AJ
Hi Dom, I really going to focus on fishing the mono rig in the driftless this year. I a newbie to this style of fly fishing, but I do know from past experiences how effective free drifting a worm on a jig head is. I built the mono rig per your specs and I was casting it the other day. It was kind of difficult because of all the memory in the mono. So my question is to you is how do you get the memory out of the mono to cast better and to lay in the guides right without so much slack? Thanks Chad
Hi Chad,
You’ll find that I’ve written an article for almost everything. I won’t leave you hanging. The Mono Rig coiling is very easily taken care of it a few different ways. Here ya go:
How to Easily Avoid the Mono Rig Coiling Problem
https://troutbitten.com/2020/03/18/how-to-easily-avoid-the-mono-rig-coiling-problem/
Cheers.
Dom
Hi Dom. I have been thwarted a little bit in my efforts to construct your standard mono rig. Per your reply to my comment after your article on red Amnesia, I found the brick red Amnesia to have almost no contrast with the Chameleon. Regardless, I forged ahead and built the standard rig with the 12# Amnesia and substituted 10# green Amnesia for the gold Stern that I could not find. I will use a backing barrel to recover a little sighting. All is not for naught as I can at least practice the tuck cast with the rig and may even catch a fish or two. I have questions regarding your connections. I used tippet rings where you specified. I connected the 20# Chameleon to the 10# Chameleon with a blood knot and did not find that satisfactory. It was difficult to tie and the end result does not look solid to me. I built a second rig where I used at tippet ring between the 20# and 10# Chameleon sections with cinch knots for both ends. I used a blood knot between the 12# and 10# Amnesia sections and that seemed to work well. What do you use for the connections where I used blood knots?
Hi Jim,
I just wouldn’t use the burgundy Amnesia. I mentioned that in the article. It is useless.
https://troutbitten.com/2022/03/20/the-red-amnesia-problem/
Other options are in that article, and I’m currently exploring more.
Regarding the knots and rings, etc. You’re best bet is to learn to tie clean blood knots. Nothing goes through the guides better. I would not choose a tippet ring and clinch knots from 20# to 10#, because it will not be clean through the guides.
Blood knots in everything until you get to the tippet. Then Orvis Tippet Knot.
Cheers.
Dom
Thanks Dom. I did use a blood knot between the 20# and 10# mono on my first rig and just found it tough sledding. The end result looks ugly to me and I do think it is tied correctly. I will see how it holds up. I am becoming enamored with tippet rings, perhaps overly enthusiastic.
Jim
Hi, I have built the rig to spec, though when trying to cast it on my 8′ 5 wt fiberglass rod it’s as limp as a wet noodle. Is a lighter, faster rod absolutely necessary or can a heavier butt section fix this?
Hi Rusty, I can almost guarantee that you need more speed in the cast.
https://troutbitten.com/2018/11/25/quick-tips-put-more-juice-in-the-cast/
Casting a Mono Rig effectively requires a refined casting stroke. There’s no room for forgivness. The leader doesn’t work for you like a fly line, you must build speed into the system with the rod.
I assure you, with that adjustment, it will cast.
Cheers.
Dom
For what it’s worth- my blood knots from 20 to 10 pound sections work fine. The knot is very streamlined.
I’d say practice more- and use fewer wraps for this diameter (3-4) then you use for knots in typical tippet sizes.
That’s good advice. And trust me, if you tie it well, the knot is very clean. I would not recommend it if it wasn’t. Cheers.
Hi Dom and Jim. I have the same problem with blood knots when they are too different in size and diameter. I solved this with the double uni knot. 4-5 wraps of each end works. And the finished knot isn’t much larger than the a blood knot. Love your articles, they’ve really helped me improve and enjoy my fishing.
Thanks Dom. Tight Lines. John
Right on. Double Uni gives you almost the same result.
Cheers.
What is a fly line? Hi Dom appreciate your thoughts. The mono rig butt section behaves like a fly line , no question. #20 Chameleon is more or less the same diameter as modern “Euro Nymph”lines give or take a few thou. Chameleon is a bit stiffer than some of these specialist lines and scores well on maintaining tension / reducing sag and drag. # 20 maxima is a great solution but it not a fly line because it doesn’t have a plastic coating.
All seems nuts to me but I suppose rules is rules !
What do you think ?
Sorry in the fog on managing a dose of COVID I neglected to add. That in my favourite fishery we are restricted to a max leader length of 21ft. Working within the rules is fine but I think it’s much easier to keep the fly line to leader transition on the reel. No doubt the comp guys would argue that point quite a bit.
Elsewhere long leaders are OK.
Hi AJ. Right, it’s not a fly line. So it’s a Mono Rig. But the truth is, 20# Chameleon casts more like a fly line than the Euro Nymphing Lines. That’s because it is stiffer. The mono core euro lines are usually something around 8lb mono with the fly line coating around it. So it performs more like 8lb mono, until you get enough of the euro line out there, and then the mass of the fly line coating starts giving you more weight to punch around. But it’s still sloppier than 20# Chameleon.
Good stuff.
Dom
Thanks for your comments Dom they are well received and yes indeed, although EuroNymphing lines have a nice feel to the touch I totally agree they are darn sloppy.
I’m now wondering for those occasions where leader length is governed by fishery laws / rules, ie must be less than 21ft have you found a fly line of a good weight and style ( maybe a double taper ) that comes close to #20 Maxima Chameleon in terms mass and stiffness. I’d love to do the testing myself but don’t have the budget.
Stay well and keep fishing.
Hi, Thanks again for all you do for the sport. As a farily new fly fisherman, I must say, your site has give me more useful information than any other site. Thanks!
Question: I have used the barrel sliding knot before- both as an indicator and on the tippet. Dacron has been your choice, but I recall you once recommended 3X nylon tippet as the material for the barrel knot. Do you still use this material? Why or why not.
Thanks
Hi David,
I think you are confusing something. I’ve mentioned using the Barrel knot for a sliding stopper knot. I do that for a bobber stopper and a split shot stopper. Also, sometimes a dry dropper stopper. But or the Backing Barrel and tag, I always use orange Dacron.
Here’s the article:
https://troutbitten.com/2021/10/08/the-backing-barrel-might-be-the-best-sighter-ever/
Cheers.
Dom
Thanks for the clarification
I build this with the thin sighter using Orvis 0x (hard to find the Rio 1x by me). So then would the backing barrel be put on that instead of the gold stren? What would be the argument for not using the 1x? Why not just build it in each time? When you mention sighter which are you referring to? I’m new at this. Thanks for all of your help.
Hi David.
This is the article you need. This will explain the reason when and why.
https://troutbitten.com/2019/10/13/the-full-mono-rig-system-all-the-variations-with-formulas-and-adjustments/
That said, do what works for you — but have a reason, a theory behind every decision. Test it out, be objective. Then keep it or try something else.
Cheers.
Dom
I know it’s really hard trying to balance workload, family life and now podcasts, however after buying one Total Mono leader kit last year, which I gave to my son, I have been waiting almost 5 months for them to go on sale again. Summer is half over here the West and I really would like to know when tentative sales are forecast so I can to try what you describe in the above article.
Thanks, John.
In about a week.
Cheers.
Dom
Hey Dom,
Keen to understand the change from 10lb Chameleon to 12lb Maxima HV for the transition piece. Is this mainly for visibility reasons? I’m assuming the turnover characteristics are similar between the two?
Would 12 lb green amnesia be a reasonable substitute for this piece in your opinion or is it a bit too limp?
Cheers, and really enjoying the podcast btw!
Adrian
I too wondered about this.
Hi Adrian,
I’ve gone back and forth between 10 and 12 for the transition section for many years. The difference is slight, of course. But if you do this stuff long enough, you definitely can feel the difference.
I’m always looking to make my leader a true hybrid — versatile and ready for anything, but without compromise. I’ve taken more to extending the sighter section (as described above) when I want/need less sag. And then when I want more power, I prefer the 12 lb for the transition.
Make sense?
Dom
Great summary, Dom. A quick question. What do you mean by 12lb Maxima HV?
That’s what it’s called, my friend. Click on the link where it’s listed on the formula above, and you’ll be taken right to it.
Once again a great article. I have become a convert.The systems really works! I’m sure this question has been asked but I couldn’t find the answer. If I am fishing 1-2 times a week, four hours at a time, how often do I need to change the mono rig setup with fresh line?
Hi Woodie,
Good to hear it.
Short answer is almost never. You will know, though. If you see your sections becoming very faded, you’ll also notice that they are becoming soft too. But it takes a TON of hours for that to happen. My rigs never make it that long. It’s a leader, so something catastrophic happens that ends its life — like an encounter with a tree or maybe I step on it with boot studs. Replace. It’s cheap.
Cheers.
Dom
Hi Don. Great stuff as always. Couple questions. It looks like you’ve extended your sighter’s visible length from 2 feet to 4 feet when switching to the HV transition. In general, are you learning that a longer sighter is advantageous for strike detection at longer distances? Also, your link goes to 10# HV with no 12# offered, but the diameter is .013 (as one Amazon reviewer notes). I assume this is OK. Also, would Green Amnesia work about the same as HV for the transition piece? Thanks much! Toney
Hi Toney,
It’s sold out because people bought up all the 12 lb at the moment. Ha. But it’ll be back, and it can be found elsewhere. See above in comments for why I changed that piece to Hi V. Green Amnesia would be fine, in my opinion, yes.
Cheers.
Dom
2 Questions:
1. Is the HV just for visibility? Or does it cast better than 10# Chameloen?
2. You spec the 10#Sufix which is .014. Is it an issue tapering up to .014 from the .012 HV? Perhaps you are using the .014 because you like it’s stiffness over the 10# Sufix at .012?
Thanks for everything. I’ve been using the mono rig for a few weeks now and am loving it.
Sorry, meant to say that you spec the 12# Sufix at .014.
Hi Marcus,
Thanks for your questions.
1. Yes, it’s mostly for added visibility, especially while fishing streamers, as the standard sighter can be lost if it’s touching the water. No, it doesn’t cast better than Chameleon.
2. 12# Sufix mics out at .013 and just a hair more. (I don’t care what is actually listed.) That said, I also wouldn’t care if it was .014. What matters to me is the stiffness as much as the diameter.
Cheers.
Dom
Thanks Dom
Hey Dom – Your leader formula calls for the use of 4x and 5x tippet, but I’ve also seen you note that 4.5x (4lb Invisx) is your most used tippet size. So what modifications are you making to your mono rig to incorporate the Invisx? Perhaps you are just simply using it for your entire tippet section? Thanks!
Hi Kyle,
That’s a fair question. The differences are really quite minor, and I’d leave those decisions to the you, choosing what suits your plans and needs.
I most often go with 4X to the 4.5X Invizx, as you mentioned. Other times, when I’m running smaller flies and want to end with lighter tippet, I might go 4.5 to 5X. Sometimes I just run all 6X. But in that case I will not be attaching an indy all day (without changing the upper tippet section.
https://troutbitten.com/2019/11/13/nymphing-a-two-diameter-solution-to-a-one-diameter-problem/
Hope that helps.
Cheers.
Dom
Thanks for the response, Dom, and I appreciate you linking to that article I had yet to come across. That all makes sense to me. Cheers!
Hello Dom!
What is your opinion on how well the Standard Mono Rig casts (let’s say with no fly to take weight out of the equation) on a ‘standard’ fly rod (like your favorite Hardy) as compared to the specialized “euro-nymphing” rods that have such light, flexible tips?
I suspect you have utilized both types of rods for this purpose. I don’t have the number of rods you may have to make that comparison, but might venture to say a ‘standard’ 10 foot / 4 weight would cast it better than a 10 foot-9 inch / 3 weight “Euro-nymphing” rod. I’ll throw in here that the majority of 10 foot / 4 weights these days are med-fast to fast action.
Thanks!
JC
I’ve definitely used everything.
Here are my thoughts:
The Best Fly Rods for the Mono Rig and Euro Nymphing
https://troutbitten.com/2021/09/22/the-best-fly-rods-for-the-mono-rig-and-euro-nymphing-my-favorite-rods/
Cheers.
Dom
Dom,
Thanks and Cheers!
Dom,
Thanks for pointing me to that article. I now remember reading it a year or so ago. Answers the questions I had.
Thanks!
JC
Great article
The 20lb 24 ft butt section: do you use Maxima cameleon leader material or Maxima cameleon one shot line
both have .017 dia
Hi there. Chameleon comes in many different spool sizes — yards to buy. One of those sizes is called One Shot. But it’s all the same material. It’s all Chameleon.
Not sure where exactly to ask this, and I’ve searched the site for an answer, so I’ll just throw it here.
I’m a newer fly fisher (~2 years) and I live in Oregon. I’m fortunate that the Deschutes is my home river, and that’s where I spend most of my time. I’ve gotten pretty good with indicator nymphing, dry dropper, and have had some luck with the dry in the warmer months. However, with summer busy in the mountains, most of my fishing is in the winter. Avoid the crowds, get out of the rainy city to the (hopefully) dry and sunny high desert, and spend some good time on the river. Because of this, I am building my first mono rig setup, with aims to mostly tightline, “euro nymph,” and indicator fish. I feel good about the prospects.
Long story short (or I guess maybe longer), I haven’t seen much about casting options. I believe that the mono rig will cast as well as a fly line with plenty of space. When I watch most of your videos, and read about the tuck cast, etc., you’ve got plenty of space behind you, and can pull off that nice 2:00 – 10:00 thing. Often you’re standing in the middle of the river, fishing a nice seam or hole on the far bank. That’s rarely the case on some bigger western rivers, including the Deschutes, where you’re lucky to be able to wade more than a few feet out. Add to that the trees and sage bushes that are often behind you, and you learn different casts whether you know their names or not. I use the water haul all the time, because I have to. My “back cast” can only be down river. I roll cast (I think… still learning the terms) and improvise other ways to get my fly where I want it. But I don’t see a lot on Troutbitten about ways to cast the mono rig when you have limited space. Am I missing these, or is this a limitation of the mono rig system? Can I roll cast effectively? Are there other options when space is limited?
Thanks, love all the content, and apologies for the verbosity.
Hi Josh,
Thanks for asking. It’s a good question.
Trust me, we have a lot of tight cover and small stream situations here as well. Short answer is no, you can’t really roll cast a Mono Rig. But you don’t need to, either.
There are two resources that will really help you here. First, you have to CAST a Mono Rig in tight quarters. Treat it like a fly line. I’m assiming you are using the standard rig, built for exactly this — for casting and not lobbing:
It’s Casting Not Lobbing
https://troutbitten.com/2019/07/07/fly-fishing-the-mono-rig-its-casting-not-lobbing/
Lobbing gets really messy in the brush. So does water loading. There’s just not enough space, and it’s not much fine, in my opinion.
Second, if you have zero back cast room — and I mean zero — you can use what I call a pendulum cast. You can find thaat cast shown in this video:
https://troutbitten.com/2021/03/07/video-streamers-on-the-mono-rig-episode-2-casting/
You do need some weight to make that cast happen.
Lastly, on small streams, I LOVE casting fly line and a shorter leader with dry flies. It is by far my favorite way to fish small streams. I use the Mono Rig at times, but I love dries on small rivers.
Cheers.
Dom
Sorry to get into the weeds (figuratively, I hope), but in painstakingly assembling my mono rig, a couple specific questions jump out. I know, I know, experiment, find out what works for me and my river, etc., but I want to start with a known quantity… I have scoured the site for an answer to these but haven’t seen it. Maybe a diagram would be helpful, with labeled lengths and connections.
1. The connection between the Two Tone Tippet to the 4x… Tippet ring (probably not), Orvis tippet knot (maybe), or just a Surgeon’s (probably)?
2. When I get down to the final tippet sections and the tag dropper, I know I use an Orvis tippet knot and leave one tag end long for the dropper. BUT, what lengths do you end up with? From the two tone to the upper knot/tag dropper? Then on the tag itself? And lastly down to the point fly? And, do I put the tag dropper on the 4x or 5x tag? Guessing 5x.
Thanks again, will give it all a test drive this weekend!
Good stuff. I like getting into the details!
Answer to #1: I didn’t list that because that’s up to you. Just use the knot you like there. But no, I would not add a second tippet ring. Personally, I almost always use a Double Surgeon’s there.
Answer to #2: That too is up to you and your needs. I usually run about 5 feet to my point fly, because that’s the most I’ll need all day, while also keeping my sighter up. I hate having my sighter under the water, so I make sure my tippet is long enough for the depths I’ll encounter. Distance from tag to point is also variable, and that changes a lot from day to day and season to season.
I think it’s a mistake to tell people to run your tag twenty inches up. You see this everywhere, because it comes from the comp scene — rules dictate the flies can’t be any closer than that. But that info is rarely communicated, and they just say ride it twenty inches up. But why? I caught a lot more fish this winter on a tag, because I ran the tag only 12 inches up from the point, therefore, that upper fly was still pretty low.
Keep digging around and going down the rabbit hole of those links. There are a ton of articles here to give you ideas. Happy to answer any questions you have though.
Hope that helps.
Cheers.
Dom
Really appreciate it, thanks! If you’re ever out Oregon way, I can show you around. I know the mountains, the restaurants, the best beers and the live music scene very well. And I’m learning the fishing, but won’t brag on that just yet.
Thank you.
Cant find Maxima 12lb HV for the life of me anywhere. Their web store has been sold out every time I check for months. Anyon recommendation for an alternative?
It’s also not exactly clear to me why I wouldn’t just go straight from the 2olb chameleon to the sighter.
Honestly, it’s sold out everywhere because many people are building a Mono Rig.
Cheers.
Dom
Hi Dave.
When people have leader formula ideas I always strongly suggest to go and try them. Testing is fun! None of this makes much sense without seeing the results with your rod in hand and the leader in the air. So go try it. Skip the 12 lb and go straight to the sighter. You’ll have significantly more leader sag, and that leads to more drag and less control. The transition piece of 12 lb is there for good reason.
If you can’t find 12 lb HiVis, just use 12 or 10 lb Chameleon. Or use Amnesia. Or use Suffix in a color you like. All of those are fair substitutes for the 12 lb Hi Viz, but not as good. 🙂
Cheers.
Dom
I’m fairly new to western fly fishing (3 years) and I’ve had great success tightlining with a keiryu rod. I like your idea of this mono rig. I will have to learn to cast it, so what would the line look like below the standard sighter and tippet ring for only 1 nymph? I assume this would be easier to learn on. Also, when would I use the bi color? Thanks for the content. I can’t wait to try this, as I’m a leader junkie and it’s getting out of control LOL. I like the idea of one leader system. I think I might only switch out for dries (I like the Harvey or Borger Simplified).
Hey Dom, Great stuff! What is the purpose of the second tippet ring? I guess I’m confused because the two tone sighter material is close to the diameter of the gold stren, no? Also, would the Orvis tactical sighter material (ox, .011) be an ok substitute for the rio two tone stuff? Thank you for all the amazing content!
HI Taylor. Where do you see the second tippet ring? In the formula toward the top of the article, there is just one tippet ring, right?
“I guess I’m confused because the two tone sighter material is close to the diameter of the gold stren, no?”
Sure. But the purpose of extending the sighter is to make the thin section of the leader a bit thinner. Think about it this way — for every foot of 1X bi-color that you add as a sighter extension, that’s one less foot of 20lb Chameleon hanging out of the tip of the rod. There are good reasons for this, addressed above. Also, yes, any of the sighter material on the market is fine. It’s almost all the same stuff.
Don’t forget to follow this link as well . . .
READ: Troutbitten | The Full Mono Rig System — All the variations, with formulas and adjustments
https://troutbitten.com/2019/10/13/the-full-mono-rig-system-all-the-variations-with-formulas-and-adjustments/
Make sense?
Dom
Yes, makes sense! Pardon me, yep, I see that there is only one tippet ring. Many thanks.
Cheers
Hi Dom, you mentioned you fish with about 5 feet of tippet to be ready for all conditions on your stream. When you encounter sections with shallower water are you holding more of the tippet out of the water or is more angle and lead of rod tip. Thank you
Yes,
Thanks Dom, I found the answer to my question in a great article you wrote entitled “Tight Line Nymphing | Where Should the Sighter Be?”
Much Appreciated!
Cheers.