Fly Fishing Charts and Reference
Updated 2026-09-26 · Researched, not tested in person
The three numbers behind every fly fishing chart: tippet diameter is 0.011 inches minus the X number (5X is 0.006 inches); the rule of four gives a starting tippet by dividing the hook size by four (a size 16 fly takes 4X); and a 5 weight rod covers general trout fishing, with 3 to 4 for small streams and 6 and up for streamers, bass and salt. A standard trout leader is 9 feet, built about 60 percent butt, 20 percent taper and 20 percent tippet.
Eight charts built to be checked rather than read: the numbers you want on the bank with cold hands, in the units the manufacturers actually publish. Where a figure varies by brand or by test protocol we give a range and say why, rather than printing a false precision you cannot rely on.
- Tippet size chartX rating to diameter to typical breaking strength, built on the rule that you subtract the X number from 0.011 inches. Open →
- Fly rod weight by speciesWhat line class each fish actually needs, from panfish on a 2 weight to tarpon on a 12. Open →
- Fly size to hook size chartWhat a size 16 actually measures, how hook sizes run, and the rule of four for matching tippet. Open →
- Leader formula chartThe 60/20/20 taper written out in inches for 7.5 ft, 9 ft and 12 ft leaders in every common tippet size. Open →
- Fly line taper chartThe AFFTA grain standard for every line class plus what each taper profile is built to do. Open →
- Knot strength chartTypical strength ranges as a percentage of rated breaking strength, and why the published figures disagree. Open →
- Sink rate chartInches per second by line type, with the honest note that current makes the maths overstate depth. Open →
- Wader sizing chartHow stockingfoot sizing works, why boots go up one to two sizes, and what stout and king sizing solve. Open →
The three numbers worth memorising
Almost everything on these pages derives from three published conventions. Learn these and you can reconstruct most of the rest from memory on the water.
| Convention | The rule | Worked example |
|---|---|---|
| AFFTA line standard | Weight class is the mass in grains of the first 30 feet, excluding any level tip | 5wt = 140 gr |
| Tippet X scale | Diameter in inches is 0.011 minus the X number | 5X = 0.006 in |
| Rule of four | Divide the hook size by 4 for a starting tippet X | Size 16 = 4X |
The full AFFTA line weight standard
This is the table everything else on the site refers back to. The figure is the mass of the first 30 feet of the line in grains, excluding any level tip section, which is what the number on a fly line box actually means.
| Line class | Grains at 30 ft | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 | Panfish, tiny streams |
| 2 | 80 | Panfish, small stream trout |
| 3 | 100 | Small stream trout, tight-line nymphing |
| 4 | 120 | Delicate dry fly work |
| 5 | 140 | General trout, the default |
| 6 | 160 | Big trout, light streamers, wind |
| 7 | 185 | Bass, pike, light salt |
| 8 | 210 | Bonefish, redfish, big bass |
| 9 | 240 | Permit, salmon |
| 10 | 280 | Heavy salt |
| 11 | 330 | Tarpon |
| 12 | 380 | Tarpon, the heaviest work |
One caveat that catches people out. Many modern fly lines are deliberately built half a size to a full size over the standard, because a heavier head loads a fast rod at the short ranges where most fish are hooked. A line marked 5 weight may genuinely measure closer to a 6. That is a help on a stiff blank and a hindrance on a slow one, which is why the line weight calculator asks about your rod action rather than just its rating.
Why some of these are ranges rather than numbers
Three of these charts cannot honestly give a single figure. Tippet breaking strength varies by material and brand, so the tippet chart gives typical ranges and names the brand when it quotes a specific number. Knot strength is expressed as a percentage of rated breaking strength and published figures vary substantially by test protocol, so the knot chart is banded. Sink rate maths holds in still water and overstates depth in current, which the sink rate chart says on the page rather than in a footnote.
Turn a chart into an answer
Charts tell you what a number is. The calculators tell you what to do about it: line weight, leader and tippet, knot strength and sink rate to depth. If you are still assembling gear rather than rigging it, the complete setups and the rod spec index are the place to start.
