I'm not that old (26 y.o.), but I do know that the old (late 1800's,
from 1856 or so on) Scottish Spey ghillies used horse-hair leaders and
lines, 2- or 3- strands thick at the thinnest parts. I forget where I
read that... Spey and Dee flies, the book, if I recall, or else an
early 1980's Fly Fisherman - fly tying special edition - magazine. 2
or 3 strands sounds very thin, but the article stated that it was
really closer to the 3 or 4x tippet of today! Amazingly sturdy,
compared to today's mini- mono. And not that difficult to make. Of
course, I've done only but one 15- foot leader of horsehair, and
wouldn't repeat the work that went into it for the world! You gain a
new respect, I'll say that!
Well, 2 more hours of work before I can get home and crash... yay...
Tight wraps,
Pete
