For tippet I always start out the same length ... holding the tippet spool about at my chin and then pulling the material outward as far as I can reach gives me aprox 30" - tying that off with a double surgeons knot to the leader shortens it to maybe having close to a couple of feet of tippet (plus, too, tying on the fly), that is my usual start out tippet length. I have found that when fishing wild trout waters the longer tippet works best. When fishing hatchery raised trout, or bream and bass, length not so important.