The 2025 cicadas came and went in a six week frame. The experience of chasing trout on big bugs every day left me burned out and exhausted, but grateful and content.
VIDEO: Troutbitten | Fish and Film – Post Cicada Blues
It also left me with a new understanding of my home waters and more refined skills for fishing some of the largest dry fly patterns that I’ll ever tie on a line.
Over the last month I’ve received at least two dozen instances of the same question about adjusting dry leaders for large flies.
Here’s one . . .
Question
Hello Dom. I know you said you weren’t guiding during the cicadas. So I hope you’re hitting the waters every day with your dog!
I’ve gotten out a couple times so far, but I can’t seem to get the leader right. It either collapses or straightens out too much. What adjustments do you make to the Harvey Dry Fly Leader, or do you use a different leader altogether?
I love Troutbitten! Thanks for putting it out there.
Caleb W.
Answer
My anticipation for the arrival of the cicadas was so pressing that I spent a a full day on the water, back in early May, fishing two-inch cicada patterns and tweaking the leader formula. I remembered that, seventeen years earlier, I’d settled on 3X as a terminal tippet, and I knew that I used the Harvey.
In the years since, I’d thrown hoppers at various times. And with my friend, Austin, we fished cicada patterns on our trip to Patagonia in 2023. They were the same size of fly, but the wind was also heavy and sustained.
In Patagonia, I still used the Harvey. I use it for every dry fly scenario.
The Harvey Dry Leader is built for delivering slack to a dry fly, allowing for the precise creation of s-curves, lagging curves and power curves, not just in the tippet section, but throughout the leader. It’s a hand tied formula of six to eight sections, depending on how the tippet lengths are adapted for the conditions. The Harvey begins with a much thinner butt section than most leaders, and it’s built to dissipate energy created with the fly line, not further it.
I’ve written about the Harvey Dry Leader extensively on Troutbitten, and I’ve published a helpful video . . .
VIDEO: Troutbitten | The George Harvey Dry Leader — Design, Adjustments Fishing Tips
READ: Troutbitten | Dry Fly Fishing – The George Harvey Leader Design
READ: Troutbitten | Dry Flies Need Slack, So Give It To ‘Em George Harvey Style
READ: Troutbitten | Dry Flies in the Patagonia Wind
Here’s the Harvey Dry Leader Formula
20” — 15# Maxima Chameleon
20” — 12# Maxima Chameleon
10” — 10# Maxima Chameleon
10” — 8# Maxima Chameleon
12” — 2X soft nylon tippet material (or 8# Gold Stren)
12” — 3X soft nylon tippet material
14” — 4X soft nylon tippet material
20-48” — 4X, 5X or 6X soft nylon tippet material (to match fly and conditions)
Adjustments for Big Dries
The following principles and adjustments apply to most dry fly leaders, not just the Harvey.
Power, punch and push. These qualities are not the primary purpose of a dry fly leader. That’s the job of the fly line. The Harvey steps down from fifteen pound to eight pound, in four sections of Maxima Chameleon where the lengths are progressively shorter. This is the butt section, and I never change these lengths. All of my adjustments, regardless of the dry fly type or size, happen in the tippet section that follows.
Tippet is soft nylon. Any quality brand will do. From the end of the eight pound Chameleon, the standard Harvey Dry setup is 2X, 3X, 4X and 5X, in lengths that are progressively longer.
But as I mentioned, my terminal tippet for a big cicada dry is 3X.
I extend the 2X to about 18 inches and finish with 30 inches of 3X. That works well. I can get lagging curves and long dead drifts but still punch the fly to the end when I want to.
Dry fly leader adjustments are never formulaic. There are too many variables like wind strength and direction, distance, casting style, and rod power. Even curve preference is important — how do you want the leader to land, in s-curves, with a power curve or a lagging curve? How tight is the cover? Do you have room for a full backcast, or is an abbreviated sidearm cast required to punch the rig under hanging limbs?
Lastly, what about the fly? How much wind resistance does it have? Big wings, extra hair or a long poly posts diminish distance. And here’s one that no one ever mentions — how much does the fly weigh? Put your foam hopper on a gram scale, and you might be shocked. My cicada weighs twenty-five centigrams, and that’s before it’s wet. That’s as much as a 3mm tungsten beaded nymph or a #1 split shot. That weight, once in motion, wants to stay in motion, and only the air resistance of the fly can hold it back.
The leader must be adjusted to accommodate every variable. See why there’s no chart for exactly how to dial in the tippet section of your dry fly leader?
All of these factors add into tippet adjustment, and there’s only one way to learn what is needed. You have to tie a few knots on the water. (In the tippet section, I use a simple Double Surgeon’s Knot.)
Remember too, that your best adjustment is in your casting hand. Use the flex of the fly rod to subtly adjust the power you deliver to the leader. Too much turnover? Then back off the energy at your power stroke. Too much lag into the headwind? Then add a little acceleration, and push into the power stroke with more force.
“Rasta Legs,” as Austin Dando says. We catch ’em.
Best Tip
Here’s the guiding light for tippet adjustment . . .
If the leader is straightening too much, then adjust so it’s longer and/or thinner.
If the leader is lagging too much, then adjust so it’s shorter and/or thicker.
Don’t use your teeth. 🙂
More and Last
I don’t always terminate with 3X for big dry flies. And over the years, I’ve adjusted the Harvey in many ways to accommodate big bugs and still get beautiful drag free drifts with slack to the dry fly.
Want to finish in 2X? Then add 14 inches of nylon to the 8 pound Chameleon. Terminate with two to three feet of 2X.
Want to finish in 1X? Add three feet of 1X nylon to the 8 pound Chameleon.
Last tip here: I usually start with more length than I think I need for the terminal tippet. Maybe I start with three feet of 3X. Within just a cast or two I know if the leader is lagging too much to be accurate. If so, it’s easy to grab the fly and cut it back six inches.
Be willing to adjust. Enjoy the process. If you have the intuition that lengthening the 2X section by a foot would allow you to lay the leader exactly how you want it, then make the change. Test your thoughts, and develop the confidence to fish perfect drag free drifts with any size of dry fly.
Fish hard, friends.
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READ: Troutbitten | Category | Fly Casting
Enjoy the day.
Domenick Swentosky
T R O U T B I T T E N
domenick@troutbitten.com
Dom, this is absolutely what I (and I suspect others needed to hear). The false temptation is to try and find the leader combination that you can ‘set and forget’ vs. the real solution of embracing adjusting to the conditions via knowing your knots and being prepared to experiment. Thanks!
Great and timely post. TBH I was just DMing Grobe earlier this week about what he uses for big hoppers (he said Harvey). I’ve been tying Harvey Gold Leaders at home and testing them. With the heavier butt section and the tippet ring I’m feeling it’s easier to tie, change and test different terminal leaders for bigger flies, including trying both softer and more firm terminal tippet set ups for more power transfer when needed (like if I want to give the hopper an intentionally harder splash landing. Dom – why not go with the Harvey Gold more often for big flies on the river?
Hi Dave,
Glad you are out there testing things and having fun.
The Harvey Gold is built for versatility. It’s great for doing many things with one leader. When I don’t need that versatility, if I’m only fishing dries, I’m back to the regular Harvey. The Gold has a sighter, longer butt section and thicker butt section — all of which I do not need for pure dries. I’ll get better, longer dead drifts on a dry with the regular Harvey.
You mentioned the heavier butt section of the Gold, as if would help turnover larger flies. This is another myth of fly fishing, in my opinion. As I wrote in the article above, “Power, punch and push. These qualities are not the primary purpose of a dry fly leader. That’s the job of the fly line.” So, from the fly line, down to the fly, I’m trying to dissipate that power generated by the fly line, not further it. That’s why the Harvey is the perfect slack leader design for me.
Make sense?
Dom
Recognizing we can’t be totally ‘formulaic’…. could you post the general Harvey leader formula that you use for a 3X tippet?
I’m curious how your butt section lengths adjusted, etc.
Hi Mac,
Thanks for your question, but you have me confused. The information you asked for is already in the article above.
I wrote that I do not make changes to the butt section, and I gave reasons why.
I also gave you the information for how I adjusted for 3X
However, that’s just a starting point. I know everyone wants easy answers, but getting great drifts on a dry fly has many variables. It’s a fun game.
Cheers.
Dom
Hi Dom, Thank you for all the great content. I don’t know how you can possibly keep up with all the demands on your time. I was looking at the photo in this article and noticed you have something attached to your vest that looks like an oversized pencil. I was curious to know what it is and what you use it for?
Hi Steve. Thank you. I’m glad you enjoy Troutbitten. That’s a small dowel rod with the male side of Velcro wrapped at the end. I carry it for roughing up dubbing on nymphs and fluffing yarn indicators.
Dom, Do you have any links to the recipe for that “Rasta Legs” fly pattern in the article? Is it a cicada pattern? Thanks!
I just want to make sure that I am reading this right before I get to work making some leaders. Based on your formula, a 4X/5X/6X leaders would be 9’10” to 12’2″. Then Your leaders get significantly shorter when you are finishing them in thicker tippets?
Based on this, your 3X leader would be 9′.
“I extend the 2X to about 18 inches and finish with 30 inches of 3X.”
And based on this, your 2X leader would be 7′-8′
“Want to finish in 2X? Then add 14 inches of nylon to the 8 pound Chameleon. Terminate with two to three feet of 2X.”
Is this correct? Thanks!
Yes, that’s correct. You’re just building on the Chameleon base that doesn’t not change. And if you want to run a 2X tippet, the leader simply doesn’t not need to be 12 feet long. In fact, you probably want more power if you’re choosing 2X, and power comes from the fly line.
Make sense?
Dom
Anything to avoid tying knots I say! You mentioned that we can buy complete Harvey Leaders tied just like you have built and show in the video, but the description included in the “Gear Shop” doesn’t explicitly say that the made-up Leaders have the multiple step-downs in diameter that you recommend tying.
The same for the Mono-Rigs: It appears that the rigs include a Leader & Sighter . . and that’s it. Even for the so-called “Full” Mono Rigs.
Hi Joe.
I’m confused by your comment. I don’t know what the Gear Shop is. Also, every leader sold here includes an article link in the product description that details exactly how it’s tied, with the taper and the section lengths. What am I missing?
Cheers.
Dom