Fly line to fly — the R5 junction map, horizontal.
FLY / R5
THE X SYSTEM — WHAT THE NUMBERS MEAN
4X~6 lbBuggers · streamers · hoppers
5X~4.7 lbTHE LIMESTONE DEFAULT — nymphs, most dries
6X~3.5 lbFlat water · midges 18-20 · spooky fish
Bigger X = finer. Step ONE size at a time at the SRG or the junction hinges. Tippet is the sacrificial zone: re-tying flies eats tippet, never the $15 taper.
LEADER CARE — WHERE FLY RIGS ACTUALLY FAIL
WIND KNOTS Check the leader every dozen casts by running it through fingers. An overhand 'wind knot' costs HALF the breaking strength — cut and re-tie the moment you find one.
STRAIGHTEN New leaders come coiled. Pull through a rubber patch (or palms) until dead straight — a coiled leader can't transmit the strike.
RE-TIE The CL after every fish and every tree. REBUILD tippet when it's under 14".
REPLACE The leader when the taper is chewed into the mid-section — usually every 3-4 sessions. Spares: 2 of each X live in Y2. The leader wallet is the fly wing's S1.
RIG FIELD GUIDE v3.0 · FLY · LEADER SYSTEM34 / 38
Fly Leader System — How-To
FLY / R5
SPEC
OUTFIT
R5: Clearwater 905-4 · WF5F
LEADER
9' tapered, 4X-6X (looped butt)
TIPPET
4X / 5X / 6X spools (Y2)
KNOTS
LTL · SRG · CL — all on p9
DEFAULT
9' 5X + 5X tippet, limestone
STREAMERS
4X + NSL loop (p7) instead of CL
RIGGING SEQUENCE
1LTL: leader loop through the welded loop, handshake-square, seat it.
2SRG: add 18-24" of tippet one X finer.
3CL: clinch the fly, 5 wraps, wet, trim.
4Straighten the whole system before the first cast.
FISHING IT
Rig at the truck, not the water — the ARC (G9) carries R5 fully rigged between creeks. At the water: strip line, check for wind knots, degrease the tippet with mud for nymphing (floating tippet spooks flat water).
KEYS
The system is a taper of energy: thick line unrolls to thin tippet so the fly lands like a bug instead of a rock. Every shortcut (skipped tippet, blunt taper, wind knots) breaks that energy transfer — and limestone trout grade casting harder than any fish in this book.