4X or 5X

[troutslammer]

slack leaders are way more in accurate than a streight leader , i have seen guys try to pile up the leader , some times the fly lands behind the fly line and sometimes it land above it creating drag on the fly line which pulls the fly , like i said they are good for cross currents but all other situations make it lay streight ! i guess how long your drag free drift is ,depends on where you are standing relative to the fish that is feeding.

 

[jayL]

I only want my leader to lay straight if I am casting dries directly upstream. Otherwise, some kind of slack is necessary.

troutslammer is correct that a straight leader is more accurate, but accuracy doesn't do much for me if I'm getting sub par drifts. A straight leader means that there is a relatively tight line connection to the fly. This is a recipe for drag, unless the drifts are very short.

I do find slack leaders useless for brookie fishing, since they don't really mind drag, and accuracy is critical.

 

[TossinFlies15]

It was not directed at you. I was discussing a "sloppy lay" and some board members may read something into that.

Hahaha thanks jdaddy

And, one other thing, Whats a good way to tell when your getting drag on your drift when your nymphing or using midges

 

[troutslammer]

jay hit the nail , short up stream drifts , thats why i said depends on where u are standing relative to the fish , if u place your self a little down stream of the feeding fish and cast up and across , a short drag free drift is very very possible with a streight leader and you can be very accurate hitting the feeding lane alot more precise but we all have are own methods and ideas here so whatever works