leader length

[steve98]

recently i asked for advice on leader formula
the response were appreciated
one response on leader length was : I should not need to use a leader that is longer than my rod.

I like the idea of this.

I was wondering how others felt about this

I don't think I have ever used a leader that was shorter than the rod i may be using.

I am thinking that could BE the reason for problems i sometimes have.

thanks
steve 98

 

[PennKev]

steve98 wrote:
I should not need to use a leader that is longer than my rod.

You should use a leader that is long enough and is constructed to accomplish the task you have at hand.

if the leader ends up being 3' or 30' long, it does not matter as long as it performs in the way you desire. Limiting yourself to a leader that is long only as long as your rod is just an arbitrary length that happens to limit the person casting to an easily managed length. Decent casting skills will allow you to turn over and accurately cast a leader that is fairly long (12-15') and properly constructed. Use of longer leaders is possible with improved casting and reasonable conditions. Long leaders while usually not absolutely needed in most situations, can make it easier to get a good presentation.

So to sum it up, fine tune the taper of your leader and/or work on your casting.

Kev

 

[flipnfly]

what he said ^^^^

 

[NorthBranch]

steve,

I didn't catch your other post.

Anyhow, while I agree that a short tapered leader will turn over easily, so should a well constructed leader of longer length... like 10' to 15' feet, and even longer. Plus, as PennKev said, being able to use various length leaders will allow you to fish all the techniques.

Try using a very stiff butt section and mid section for your leaders to help them turn over. I use to use Maxima Chameleon for the butt and mid section, and a more supple tippet material... I like Cortland, but there are others.

Also, making the stiffer butt section and stiffer mid section a little longer than some specs with a shorter tippet might help. If it works, you can increase the tippet length to fine tune.

Hope this helps.

 

[FrequentTyer]

I think I made the original comment about not needing a leader longer than your rod. It is a good rule of thumb, and was stated in the context of having difficulty turning over the leader. If you can't turn over a 9 ft leader, you will most likely not do much better with a 12 ft leader. And while I agree with everything above regarding needing the right leader for the situation, the first quality I look for in a new leader design is my ability to cast it. There may be a situation in which you can only catch a fish on a 30 ft leader, but you won't catch any fish with a tangled mess.

 

[Swattie87]

steve - In regards to your OP...no problem with a leader that's longer than your rod.

In most of my fishing situations my leader is usually longer than the rod. The main exceptions for me are throwing small streamers on Brookie streams or throwing larger streamers when WW fishing. Not to say that's the standard for everyone though...just what works for me.

As the others above have mentioned, leader length is determined by what works best for you in a given fishing situation. Not to give an evasive answer, but it really is one of those things you figure out along the way, and don't ever realize you're figuring it out.