Most fly rodders adhere to International Game Fish Association (IGFA) rules that allow only 12 inches of heavy material next to the hook to counter the tarpon's bony, abrasive mouth, and a maximum of 20-pound test line (called class tippet) connecting this abrasion tippet to the rest of the leader and fly line. The leader itself must be tapered in order for the 12-weight line to turn over the big flies used in tarpon fishing. The end result is a leader with seven or more knots--some of them quite complicated. With so many knots involved, a fly rodder is extremely vulnerable to knot and leader failure. To be consistently successful in catching big, strong fish like tarpon, you must either rely on a good guide and his knot-tying ability, or master leader construction yourself.

When I was learning to tie these knots, I used Bob McNally's book "The Complete Book of Knots and Rigs," and Mark Sosin and Lefty Kreh's book "Practical Fishing Knots." Both are available in most tackle stores or can be purchased quickly and easily through an on-line catalogue. These are excellent reference guides--not just for constructing big-game leaders, but for all types of fishing knots used under a variety of conditions.

Leader-to-fly-line construction should start with a four-foot length of 40- to 60-pound test monofilament secured to the fly line with a nail knot. To this heavy butt section, I attach a three-foot length of 30-pound mono with a blood knot. At the the end of the 30-pound section, I make a two-inch loop using a surgeons knot, and then the butt section of the leader is complete.

Now that the butt section of the leader is complete, you're ready to construct the class and abrasion tippet, and attach the fly. I use 20-pound tippet material on most of my tarpon flies and start with a five- or six-foot piece of monofilament. I tie Bimini twist knots in both ends leaving about 16 inches between the knots (IGFA regulations state that the class tippet must be a minimum of 15 inches between the knots), and a 12-inch loop at the end of each knot. Once the Bimini's are tied, I twist the loop on one end until it is fairly tight, and then I double this twisted loop back toward the Bimini and tie a surgeons knot as close to the Bimini as I can. This doubled Bimini loop is the end that gets attached loop-to-loop to the existing 30-pound loop on the butt section.

The Bimini loop on the other end of the class tippet are used to tie an Albright or jam knot to an 80- or 100-pound length of monofilament that will become the abrasion tippet. Doubling the mono over two inches or so, I'll tie an Albright or jam knot around the heavy mono with the two strands of remaining class tippet, and when finishing the Albright, I generally put a couple of half-hitch locking knots on top as a precaution against slippage.

You should now have about 16 inches of abrasion tippet left and you have two choices for attaching it to your tarpon fly. Some anglers feel that tarpon flies should be snelled onto the abrasion tippet, and others like the fly to be able to swing free on a loop knot. I like the loop knot, but have not had any problems with flies I've snelled. If you are going to snell the abrasion tippet on, you'll want to do the snell with the heavy abrasion mono before you attach your class tippet, because by doing the snell first, it will be easier to keep the abrasion tippet and knots within the 12 inches allowed by IGFA fly rules.

A Homer Rhode loop knot, used to attach the fly to the heavy abrasion tippet may be the easiest of all the knots you have to tie when constructing your leader. To start a Homer Rhode, tie a not-quite-tight overhand knot in the tag end of the heavy mono 10 inches from the far end of your Albright or jam knot. Then run the end of the heavy mono through the eye of your tarpon fly, and up through the small opening you left in the overhand knot. Pull the tag end of the mono so the single overhand knot will snug up against the eye of the hook, and then gently tighten this overhand knot. Next, take the tag end of the heavy mono and tie another overhand knot around the heavy mono and snug it up tight against the existing overhand knot.

Once you have tied the second overhand knot, and both knots are snugged up against each other, place the bend of the hook over something very sturdy and pull hard on both ends of the heavy leader. I take a couple wraps of the leader near the hook around my hand, and grip the tag end with a pair of pliers and pull hard, drawing both overhand knots very tight. Then I snip the tag end from the knot and I'm ready to fish.

I've spent an excessive amount of bytes here talking about knots, because rigging incorrectly is the most common mistake rookie tarpon anglers make. Again, if you're unsure about a knot, ask a guide--that's his business, and he ties these knots almost every day.