"Wolfgang" wrote in message
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"riverman" wrote in message
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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.


I'm not sure I have either g. The moment I hit send, I thought "did I say
12 foot?" I use 9 foot leaders, usually 4x or 5x trout tapers.

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.

I'll try your advice out, Wolfgang. I always hate to cut off all that clean
leader, but I should consider that the knot could quite easily be putting
off fish, and a shorter length does affect the drift. A lot depends on what
thickness the end of the leader is: if its a 5x leader with a foot or so of
original end still on it, and I'm using a 5x tippet, I'll fish it until the
tippet is down quite a bit. If its a 3x or 4x leader with a 5x tippet, I'll
change tippet (or tie on another section of 5x or 6x) when it gets down to
about 18 or 20 inches. But I'll start experimenting with longer tippets.

I do find that, over time, the leader-tippet setup develops its own
character. I have some setups that just seem to work better than others,
from a combination of kinks, old windknots and varying lengths of tippet.
They become a lot like hand-tied leaders, and I get 'attached' to some and
actually feel a pang of remorse when I have to cut them off. But then
there's that little thrill of satisfaction when I get to rip open a
brand-new package. :-)

A question of my own: I always go down 2 numbers when tying on tippet: I'll
start with a 3x leader, then tie on a 5x, and then maybe a 7x. Or I'll start
with a 4x, and tie on a 6x. Or I'll go 5x-7x. Is this standard?

--riverman