On Wednesday, July 18, 2012 3:06:51 AM UTC-7, M wrote:
I'm still new to fly fishing and for the moment I'm trying to keep things simple. Can anyone help with some ideas to make changing leaders easier. I'm finding it's easier not to, so I need a new approach.

I've been using tapered leaders which seem to be a great but I'm finding that swapping flies quickly eats in to the taper and then it's time to tie on a new leader. I've used a nail knot threaded into the fly line which I really don't want to try to re-tie on the bank.

As an alternative approach, I've taken to tying a leader from three sections of (untapered) line. Each section is progressively finer. This means I can (almost) always leave the first section tied to the fly line and generally only need to replace the last section. Eventually I need to replace the first section as it's length gradually gets smaller with re-tying.

This works ok I think, but it can be a bit wasteful with line. Is there a better way?

I've also just started using wet fly. For the moment I'd prefer not to have to buy another cassette (and sinking line) for my reel, so I'm making do with a sinking leader... which generally means ripping off the dry leader sections again!

Is there a better way?

Thanks for any advice.

Check out "tippet rings". These practically weightless rings allow you to replace tippet sections easily, without ever shortening up the remainder of the tapered leader. Also I suggest attaching a short section of heavier leader (as stiff as the line) directly to the line (w/ a nail knot or equivalent), with one of the larger rings on the end. This allows for quickly changing the entire tapered leader (e.g. floating leader to specialty sinking leader) without the need for tying another nail knot.
Also it sounds like you are already experimenting with making your own tapered leaders. There are numerous formulas for making up your own tapered leaders for a variety of applications (e.g. small dry flies, nymphing, streamers, etc.) available on the web.