The delight of a balanced leader.....

[flyfishwithme]

Don't disagree, my experience only and like all techniques, some work for certain people and others for other. Crikey, if everything was standard it would be a hell of a sport to be involved in.
I guess it is a matter of what you finally end up being comfortable with. All I know is that I am on the river 5 days out of seven guiding and what works for me and my client is what I stick to. No doubt some of them wil experiment and find different solutions.
Hey, what a great sport.

[Roadkill]

Good on ya' Philip for spending 5 days a week with so many beginning flyfishers who can't adjust a leader or need help with their own equipment. We all had to start somewhere and it is great to have a knowledgable and patient teacher like you. Over fifty years ago I learned the value of making my own leaders from some oldtime flyfishers since the commercial leaders available suffered from not having sufficient size in the butt section to properly turn over or the right tapers for different flies. My first lengthy exposure to various leader tapers(adding bass and saltwater tapers to my trout experience) and a permanent leader butt sized to the line and flies came in the late 70's from Tom McNally's book Fly Fishing with an excellent chapter devoted to leader design and construction.

If I help a beginner I usually point them toward a proper leader butt for their line and some of the fine tapered commercial leaders they can loop into them for the ease of those who don't know leader knots or understand leader mechanics.

Tight lines!

[flyfishwithme]

It's a job, but someone has got to do it
Seriously, I enjoy guiding as I like imparting my knowledge to someone just starting out. Bit like a legacy. And I meet some fantastic people who far outweigh the idiots which are far and few between.

[5feathers]

I think we've all, one time or another, found ourselves fishing with a leader that isn't balanced. I haven't had much of a problem since I began tying my own. I like the flexibility of tying my own to my satisfaction. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with store bought leaders because I used them for years. But, it seemed the more I fished and the more I understood what I was trying to accomplish on the water, I began to see how they could better suit my style of fishing. I'm able to tailor the leader to the size of stream I'm fishing, types of flies I'm tying on, size and length of rod, and other less important reasons like building in indicator sections of leader to help me see it better where it enters the water. Does it help me catch more fish--maybe a few, but nothing replaces skill and experience.

[flyfishwithme]

Some very good points you have made. There IS NO DOUBT in my mind that hand built leaders perform better. Even the inclusion of knots helps with turnover and I use one whenever I am out for a day by myself. Hopeless when guiding as there are too many things to go wrong. But I do talk to my clients about the attributes of good leader design, otherwise they will get it all wrong if they choose not to make their own. I am so pedantic about them that I included a whole chapter to it in the publication they get after a day out fishing.
I would be interested in any designs that people think really work. I'll set a challenge.
What design would you recommend for a 20' leader?
Why 20'? because it will really test our thinking I suspect.