In order to get natural drifts with small trout flies it helps to use fine leaders. I regularly use 6X, 7X and even 8X and to prevent breaking the tippet when setting the hook I use what I call a “slip strike”. When I get a strike I rely on my line hand to set the hook and lift the rod only slightly a second after the hook penetrates the trouts jaw. In order to use the “slip strike” I hold the line lightly between my thumb and forefinger of my line hand. The instant I get the strike I strip the line quickly with my line hand. When I feel the hook penetrate the trouts jaw I release the pressure between my thumb and forefinger. This assures a solidly hooked trout and a secure leader.
A slight extrapolation of this us used when I fish drys down and across stream to trout feeding along a bank or in a pod. When I got this take my “slip strike” is done simultaneously with swinging the rod sharply to the side at a low angle. This move pulls the fly into the V in the corner of the trouts jaw where the hook can penetrate much better than it can around the hard part of the front of the mouth. These basic moves may save you the largest trout of the year.
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