This past weekend I had the opportunity to work with a young man who wished to be introduced to fly fishing. Before beginning his first lesson, I set him up with a Pflueger rod and reel kit. The same set that my father bought me when I began fly fishing. Although the package was supposed to include all the lines needed to assemble the rod, I was disappointed to find that there was, in fact, no leader.

Due to my busy schedule, I had my brother run out to the store and buy me a leader. The only problem was that my brother is completely unlearned in all areas of fly fishing. Because of this, he bought me two ‘quick connect’ leaders.

Over the past few years I have seen many developments in these units, and have been very skeptical for a number of reasons. Firstly, I was worried about having such a large piece of plastic in the middle of the line, due to the effects that it could have on casting and stripping. I was worried that it would both distract fish from the fly, and furthermore, cause larger pull marks when retrieving the line. Despite my hesitation, I was actually very impressed with such units as a beginner’s tool.

This small connecter allowed me to quickly, and effectively, attach the leader without dealing with confusing nail knots, and although I was worried, I piece did not affect my casting at all. The unit weighed so little that the fluctuation caused by the interference did not show in the cast. Furthermore, when retrieving the line after a cast, the tapered plastic connecter moved smoothly through the water, resulting in no abnormal water marks.

All in all, I think that such units are a great investment for beginners who are not so confident in their ability to tie reliable knots. They make for a quick way to change out leaders, and, despite what one might believe, I have not found a significant, negative result of using such a tool.

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