Leaders for heavy flies / "gut" & Nylon

I just read an article by Chico Fernandez in the article he mentions shorting the leader to deal with heavy flies, i.e. if you using a 9ft leader reduce it to 7-8 ft, as close to the fly line you can get it the better. Then he goes on to say that if fishing for Permit short leaders are not an option, he then mentions Charles Ritz's famous 60/20/20 . I've never read Charles Ritz's article on leaders have either of you ? If you have, could you enlighten me on what it says, and where I might find this information.

On another note, I spent my first full day poling my skiff (Al, Gordy gave me a poling lesson earlier this spring) it went well, screwed up a few times, mostly over-correcting. I poled Phil Clough to a Carp that was closer to 40 then 30lbs.

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Chico is right about shortening the leader when using very heavy flies. It also has to be beefed up with a heavier butt section and steeper taper. What he says about permit is true to the extent that we rarely get takes with short leaders unless it is very windy or we have the luxury of a dark, "lead sky". I have gotten away with using a leader the length of the fly rod rather than the customary 14' one, by using a clear tip fly line. I prefer an intermediate clear tip. (It is as though the clear tip has become part of the leader.)

That leader formula is on p. 79 of Charles Ritz' A FLY FISHERS LIFE. ISBN 1-56731-264-0. In my opinion all instructors should read this book.

It is particularly interesting for me to read about his comparisons between nylon mono and, "gut". Nylon was a relatively new product right after WW II, but had come into wide use by the time he wrote his first edition in French in 1953. The English translation was published in 1959.

I first began to fly fish during the 1930's. At that time, the only leaders we had were of a material we called, "cat-gut". (I'm told it was never made from cats.... but from the collagen fibers of sheep intestines.) This stuff was stiff as a board when dry. We had to soak it to tie it up and fish with it. After WW II, nylon became available to fishermen for lines and leader material. I assure you, this provided an epiphany ! (During the war, we couldn't buy fly reels or new hooks except for, "pre-war" stuff at prices we couldn't afford.) This emergence of fly reel and nylon material availability in '46 was paralleled by the introduction of easily acquired fiberglass rods.

Congratulations to Phil Clough on his super-carp ! (Great picture, too ..... though it wouldn't pass my outgoing filter)