Sixty percent hard, 40 percent soft or all soft?

All of my years of fly fishing I have read or have been told that a proper leader consists of a stiff butt section for more than half of the leader with the balance being tied of a softer leader material. While reading “Presenting The Fly,” by Lefty Kreh, I was surprised to find Lefty suggesting that the entire leader should be made of the extra limp nylon normally used for spinning lines.

At the Trout Unlimited (TU) picnic I told Tom Brown that I had been experimenting using leaders made of this material. Tommy laughed and shook his head. He then proceeded to tease me, saying, “Clem, you read too many books.” Perhaps, but I have found that reading, be it regarding fishing or other interests, can put your mind upon paths that otherwise would not be traveled.

I found trying to find extra limp spinning line that was heavier than 12-pound test proved to be a chore. Twelve-pound test “mikes” out at .013. Fortunately, the Bedford Sportsman in Bedford Hills, NY was willing to special order spools for me up to 30-pound test, which is .020. Once I had the material in hand I began the process of figuring out by trial and error, what strand lengths and diameters were needed to build a successful leader. After several false starts, I constructed a leader for our three-weight silk lines that performed perfectly when cast. It was hard to believe that a leader made of such limp material would turn over so crisply. This leader made it possible to cast very tight loops. Tighter loops enable both greater distance and accuracy to be obtained. With this leader, a quick wriggle of the fly rod just prior to the fly reaching the water put lovely “S” curves into the line and leader as they settled on the water. Those curves allow the fly to float further before any indication of drag sets in.

In his book, Lefty gives a formula for a leader for plastic lines that runs from .022 down to .009. To this he ties whatever normal (not extra limp) tippet material he intends to use. Unfortunately, Lefty fails to explain why he stops using XL material at the .009 strand. To my chagrin, I had to find out why the hard way. Twice in one day I lost fish that broke me while fishing a pair of soft hackles across and down. Both times I was using .008 XL spinning line for my tippet. I was perplexed, since this had never happened when I had been using standard, soft tippet material in .008 such as “Climax” from the Cortland Company. A quick check showed that the XL material is rated at only four-pound test, while the Cortland material tests at 7.8 pounds breaking strength. Therefore, I do not use XL material any lighter than .009 when building a leader.

While rereading an article by Thomas Ames in the summer issue of Flyfishing & Tying Journal, I came upon the dimensions for a seven-foot compound leader by A. J. McClane. This is the style of leader that Barb and I have used for the past two years. Ames refers to this type of leader as being “double tapered.” I feel this is a better term than compound leader. McClane’s formula is 18 inches .014, 6 inches .017, 15 inches .019, 9 inches .015, 9 inches .013, 12 inches .011, 15 inches .009. These dimensions are for plastic lines but could easily be reformulated to be as long as nine to 11 feet for either plastic or silk lines.

It certainly pays to be skeptical regarding “hard and fast” rules regarding fly fishing. Sometimes what folks know, just ain’t so.