For Trout, I almost always use a 4x tapered leader, or a 3x if I am doing heavy nymphing or hopper-dropper setups. I get very few issues.
I am not sure your breaking issue could possibly be a result of your leader specifically.
Some questions: what type of rod are you using? What are you casting? If you are tossing heavy flies with an eight weight rod, and 4x leader, you are going to have issues. Similarly, if you are using an ultra-fast rod, you need to bump up you leader strength.
My personal opinion, is that tapered leaders are so cheap, that I have never had a desire to tie my own leaders, although I have had to improv some leaders on days where I snapped off up high, and didn't have any extras.
I think it's important to remember that you don't ever want to squeeze a chunk of leader section in between two fatter pieces of line. For instance, if you are using a 4x leader, and 3x tippett, you need to make sure that you do not leave the skinny end of the leader on; just clip it high enough that your leader is fatter than your tippett at your tie in point. Of course, I would be unhappy about cutting off the bottom 3 feet of a nine foot leader, so I think it's much better just to have some 3x tapered leader in your vest.