I suppose it would be ideal if we could all turn over a leader of 30ft to 1lb point, but for a second season man like me , sdould i stick to a leader of about 9ft, including tippet ? I use an 8.5ft 5 wt rod and nice furled leader ( well recommended from Phil at Spidersplus )

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Irish by birth, Munster by the grace of God.

1.5 times the legnth of your rod is the rule of thumb.

Hi Spider, first question i would ask is how big is the river you are fishing? reason i ask is if it is 40 feet across then fish with say with a longer leader but if it is 10 feet across then you don't need this long a leader!
My setup for the Clyde is a 9ft tapered leader down to 7lbs then 5 or 6 feet of 3lbs tippet!
I don't see much need for longer than 13 or 14 feet unless the river is very low and there is not much wind as if will be a nightmare to turn over a longer leader with a wind!
Hope this helps you Robert

[U]Hi Spider,
This is very much a leading question. What one person deems to acceptable another will have quite a different solution.
Some of us use tapered leaders out to 18' on rivers and a level leader of about the same length on stillwaters.
I will leave stillwaters alone so someone else may comment.
Casting long leaders on rivers does require you to be reasonably competent as a caster. This shouldn't preclude you from getting some length into your leaders but you need to realise that some frustration will occur with poor turnover and tangles etc.
This is what I set my clients up with.
Small becks - I recommend a 7'6" leader down to a 6x point. This allows them to deliver a fly with reasonable competency in extreme conditions. The 6x allows them to present a small fly delicately. Unforuntatel it is difficult to get short tapered knotless leaders so I offer them made up.
Rivers - Nymphing - I recommend a 9' leader down to a 6x point. This can be extended by adding a piece of 7x if they are using small nymphs. This allows them to remain in control of the fly as it drifts back towards them or to 'klink and dink' is they choose that technique. There are oodles of knotless tapered leaders available in the market BUT you need to be aware of butt thickness to get optimal turn-over. I use Frog Hair leaders.
Rivers - Dry Fly - I recommend that they commence with a 12' leader down to 7x and then progress to a longer leader as their confidence improves. This allows them to present a dry fly with some of the tippet in small curves to accommodate drag. What I do is to take a 9'6" Frog Hair knotless tapered leader that is 5x (or 6x) at the point. To that I attached a 30" piece of 7x using a 3 turn water knot. You end up with a 12' leader and you can extend that by attached some 6x to a 5x leader and then a further length of 7x to the 6x.
Got that?
Now to an important point. Leaders turnover correctly based on their design. Tey need to be thicker at the butt end and taper gradually to the tip. A good design will have a butt that is around .50mm thick so you need to be careful what ones you select. Thinner and you will lose energy transfer as you cast. Thicker and it may not turn over at the same speed as the line thus losing energy.
If you get into difficulty or want some more info, PM me.
Cheers

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Distributor for Terenzio Silk and Artificial Silk Fly Lines - Pay distributor retail price.

For reservoirs I usually use a 15ft leader but sometimes shorten it if it's windy and there's a good ripple.

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My ideal length of leader depends on how fine I can go and still be able to turn over the fly to perfection with a nice easy cast.

So there is 3 elements to consider, weight and bulk of the fly-diameter of tippet-length of tippet on a standard 9ft dry fly leader. All may vary according to weather conditions.

Not that i use it i must add.
Go as long as you can is my advice, it keeps the fly line and the disturbance associated with it away from the fish.

I'd say rod length +2 feet is a good starting point.

I say go with as short of a leader as the fish will let you get away with. Excessively long leaders are more difficult to cast, more tangle prone, less accurate, don't transmit takes as well, and are a general pain in the ass.

As Buzz always says, it's not the length that matters, it's how you use it.

Grouse

Some of the top comp anglers in Scotland are now looking more into 'micro drag' and are starting to increase the length of their tippet. Not only reducing this drag but effectively giving you longer 'fishing time' on each drift.

Walker

A very important point Walker makes, take note.

While not a comp angler some of us have been doing that for a while, every millisecond counts.

For the record i use a Ledda selctacast 15ft tapered to either 5 or 7lbs point depending on the wind then add 3 to 5ft or tippet (6 or 7x). I also use a tucked blood knot to attach leader to line so it goes through the rings when landing.

Fortunatley i fish open running water, i am screwed when i fish a tree lined river.