Not to mention fly-fishing vests with suspenders, load bearing yokes, and designer linings. All of these products, and hundreds more, are marketed with all of the publicity of a Hollywood movie extravaganza by a used car salesman. However, to catch fish you must still present the fly properly. To do that you need a leader to turn over the fly. Leaders are critical to fly fishermen and fly-fishing.
Leaders are also the least understood piece of fly fishing equipment.
As such, it is the most vital link between the fly and the fisherman. Therefore, understanding leaders is of great importance to every fly fisherman. Today leaders are generally of two types. The newer type is the braided leader. This type of leader consists of a length of tapered braided polymeric strands with a monofilament polymeric tippet section attached to the finer end of the braided section.