"riverman" wrote in message
...

I fish mostly a 8.5 foot 4wt, medium rod, and I do not have a particularly
powerful foreward cast. As a result, a typical 12 foot 5x leader is a bit
long for me, and doesn't really turn over well until I've lost about 18
inches off the end. At that point, its like a guitar that has been tuned:
my casts become very precise and easy, the leader turns over sweetly, and
I can drop dry flies within a few inches of where I am aiming, even at
long distances.

Then, as I conitinue to change flies and the leader shortens another foot
or so, the whole thing slips back out of 'tune'....I start getting
windknots, or unintentional dumpcasts (where the leader lands in a spiral
around the fly), or the dry fly hits too hard. Then, I add another 2 feet
of tippet, and the whole thing starts to feel great again.

I don't know that there's anything "typical" about a 12 foot store bought
leader. I'm not sure I've ever seen one.

You might want to consider buying 9 foot leaders, or even 7 1/2, and then
tying on as much material as you need for the conditions at hand.

Oh, and I strongly suggest that you change tippet long before it gets down
to 10 inches.......it's real tough to get a good drift with anything that
short. Opinions on what is best will vary, but I never use less than 24
inches when I'm serious about trying to catch fish on dry flies.

Wolfgang