At the moment I've started using a 14ft 5lb mono leader. 6/7ft down is a dropper that is about 8 or 9 inches long. Now it seems ok to cast with - obviously getting a few tangles - but overall ok as it's a heavy goldbead lure on the point, just two questions though:

• Is this leader to short for using two flies?
• Every so often the dropper wraps itself round the main leader, cast it out again and check and its fine - how does this happen?

Is the 14ft of mono a straight piece of leader ie just attached to your flyline, not a tapered one?
If so because of your weighted goldhead your get it to turn over but anything light will be a problem and with a fine 5lb mono there aint much stiffness in it,so that wont help , i would go for a tapered leader or use a furled leader for easy use.
as for droppers getting tangled , well thats part of the game , using a stiffer line for droppers helps ,but you will always get tangles at some time, and you will get knots that defy the laws of science all part of fluff chucking.

leader lenths are upto you really, what ever you can cast well, 14ft is ok, work on this 1.5 times the lenth of yer rod, but its not set in stone ease of casting, turnover and presentation are more important

__________________
If in doubt, get the montys out

Intelligence is relative to your environment

Leader length for two flies is ok for still conditions, bit long for windy conditions. (sideways or into your face wind)
As stated already, turn over would be improved if tapered leader, make your own with first 7 foot of say 8lbs, 3/4 turn water knot to next 7 with 5lbs of same material, using eight pound tag as dropper.
One other thing to bear in mind, if heaviest fly is on point, it does make good turnover harder to acheive, ie heaviest fly should be on dropper!
regards
bert

Im know expert caster but? ie heaviest fly should be on dropper! one would normally put it on the point as the weight of the fly helps turn over???? of the leader at the end of the cast would have thought having it on the dropper would cause tangles as the lighter fly hasnt got the weight or momentum in forward flight, the heavier fly would drop sooner causing the point to be above the dropper, if yer get what i mean
As for leaders , for a beginner use tapered or furled, i use furled all the time as i hate tapered, they last longer and are easier to change tippets , just one tip though put a piece of heavier mono/fluoro on the end before your main leader material, i use around 18in, then 15ft of leader, when using a 5ft furled leader HM mono leader, but yer makes yer choice. casting into wind is a pain for the best of us, but you can get away with the lenth youve got, youll have to change your casting by lowering your forward cast alittle, side winds are another story, just learn to get that fly into the water first with the wind at yer back, present the fly well and get some fishing time in , dont go mad about all the casting techniques just yet.
You can taper leaders down by adding low diameter lines, as said, but you end up with more knots , which i dont particully like , but thats a personal preference, but by using the previous peice of line as the dropper line , does help, rather than tying it seperatelygaz

__________________
If in doubt, get the montys out

Intelligence is relative to your environment

Sorry Bert, but you're way off the mark there.

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[I]"I still don't know why I fish or why other men fish, except that we like it and it makes us think and feel."[/I] Roderick L Haig-Brown

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