Anyone Use(d) Furled Leaders?

[Stagger_Lee]

Fished with them last week and weekend for first time. Trying to figure out if I like'em or not .. lol

Leaning towards yes for dry and eh for nymphing.

Also .. while mending seems I was mending my line but the leader didn't mend with it ... should I expect a learning curve when switch from tapered to furled?

 

[AugustWest]

Use them exclusively for about 10 years. Yes to the learning curve. I found a slight difference in casting and mending, but you will figure it out. Always turns over and great for shooting into tight spots.

 

[Stagger_Lee]

August ... so ur saying that they will be "true to my dying day"? ;-)

To me, after I get over the curve, there is a benefit with drys ...r u using it for nymphing as well cause for the 2 days I've used it I'm not sure I see it?

 

[scotto]

I use a furled leader every time I have a fly rod(approx. 125 days/year) in my hand and have for over 7 years. Fresh or salt, big or little, all techniques. Easy tippet changes, made in many styles to accommodate all methods, virtually indestructible.

I have tried different brands, but I use ONLY Feathercraft.

 

[mr7183]

I use furled leaders probably 80% of the time (mainly Feathercraft because they have a metal ring at the end). They are really convenient for changing tippets and avoiding constant blood knots.

Only situation I don't use them is when I need long leaders (13-15 ft) to spooky fish. Even then, I'm not convinced that a furled leader wouldn't work.

 

[scotto]

Furled leader works very well for long leaders. My process is to "step down" the tippet. For example: you want to fish a 13' leader ending in 6x. Start with 9' furled leader, add 2' of 4x to tippet ring and 2' of 6x with blood knot, forceps blood knot or double surgeon's knot.

 

[Dcap240]

I bought one for the first time this spring. It was labeled as a dry fly leader and there was others labeled for nymphing, streamers, etc. Maybe you got a dry fly leader?? The biggest benefits I see is tippet change and I would've went through 2 or 3 leaders by now this year but the furled is still in great shape.

 

[ryguyfi]

I've used them exclusively for dries the last few seasons and nothing is telling me to go back to my old ways. No memory, casts very well and accurate. If you take care of them, they can last a whole season. Paste floatant of some sort helps out with keeping them high and floating.

 

[troutpoop]

I only use furled leaders. I have experimented with all the brands but I come back to Feathercraft or Blue Sky, about 5 or 6ft. I'm not fond of the thread ones.
For nymphing, which I do only when I have to, I use a long section of 4X, maybe 4ft or so and work off that.

 

[mcneishm]

I've used furled leaders exclusively for nymphs (what I use most of the time), dries, and wets/streamers for maybe 5-6 years. The ones I buy, Blue Sky, I think, are 5-6 ft. I tie on a tippet, usually stepping down from 3x to at least 5x for an overall length of 9-10 ft. I've found them to be outstanding for roll casting in tight spaces in pocket water. I don't fish dries that often but have found them to be completely satisfactory when I do. I don't recall whether there was a learning curve when I started to use them. The only time I don't use a furled leader is fishing for salmon, big browns, and steelhead on the Salmon River.

 

[WildTigerTrout]

I tried one years ago but decided to stay with my own tied leaders. I add a tippet ring to the end of the leader and then attach the tippet. The leader can be adjusted or modified for any condition I may encounter and I have never had any problems with them turning over properly.

 

[Chaz]

I used one once and I didn't like it, had trouble keeping it from tangling, and I used the Orvis braided leaders for years.

 

[poopdeck]

I switched to furled leaders rather early since I tired of tying knots in my tapered leader when I first started learning. I find them far easier to cast. I liked them so much I built a jig and a crude gear box so I can furl my own.

The problem with furled leaders is they are infinatley customizable for length, % of taper, diameter, stiffness, limpness, material and every other factor you can conjure up. There is no one furled leader manufacturer out there that makes the perfect leader for every angler or situation. That's why I make my own. It allows me to change things up until I find the perfect combos for me and different situations.

They are cheap and simple to make. Start up is equally inexpensive and making them helps make winters go by quicker.

Here's a link to how I made my board.

http://www.paflyfish.com/modules/xforum/viewtopic.php?topic_id=32903&forum=3&post_id=482880#forumpost482880

 

[dsmith1427]

I used furled leaders all the time and I make my own. +1 to the infinitely customizable comment. I use thread for dry fly fishing and fluorocarbon for nymphs. I fish nymphs most of the time. If you want to make your own, there is plenty of information on the internet.

Don

 

[Stagger_Lee]

Good stuff poopdeck and dsmith but I’m still learning how to make my own flies when I have the time.

Mcneisham wrote:

I've used furled leaders exclusively for nymphs

I’m gonna stick with nymphs a few more times on furled and see if its worth it. Just seemed to me that after u pass the learning curve drys > nymphs when using'em.

Wildtigertrout wrote:

but decided to stay with my own tied leaders.

Not even thinking of going there right now :lol:

 

[Cold]

For any presentation high in the water column (dries mostly), I prefer a furled leader to any other approach.

For tight line subsurface streamer fishing, I like a short, ex. fast sinking poly leader.

And for the rare occasion I'm reduced to dredging a nymph, I like an extruded fluoro knotless leader.

The furled falls victim quickly to drag in varied currents, but if you can keep it in the top 6" of water, you're usually okay for a fishable drift. And it's the nicest type of leader I've ever encountered from a strictly casting perspective.

 

[dryflyklesse]

Only use them for dry flies love them

 

[fadeaway263]

Our guides in Montana told us to lose the furled leaders for dry fly fishing and use them soley for nymphing. I think they were correct as it is hard to mend a leader that sinks.

 

[scotto]

I treat my Feathercraft mon furled leaders with "watershed" each winter to keep them floating. The leader on my 4 wt, most often used, is 5 years old and going strong.

 

[Alnitak]

Interesting thread as I just purchased a furled leader recently after a friend of mine encouraged me to try them out. I have to say that so far I vastly prefer it over a tapered mono leader. The issue of memory, etc. is an incredible PITA for me with mono leaders.

I've found the furled leader I'm using to be vastly superior for casting, especially in small tight spaces where I like to fish. The leader I got was made by Cutthroat Leaders (who I see advertise here); I got the 50" dry fly version with a tippet ring. I've been using it on my 7' 6" and 6' 6" 3WT Orvis Superfine Touch rods for tossing dry flies for the last two weeks.

I immediately impregnated my leader with Orvis leader/tippet paste floatant and since then I've reapplied it twice just to make sure its stays "floaty." That said, the leader floats very well. I attach about 3-4 feet of tippet to it and that works very well. Longer than that gets tricky to present correctly. I've had no trouble with sinking and it lays out so well that I've been able to cast into glassy still pools and get skittish brookies to rise.

On top of that, I can already see it will last much longer than a tapered leader. This summer I've fished a lot--typically 2-3x a week for a total of 10-15 hours a week on the streams. My tapered leaders have generally only lasted for a few weeks before there were so many knots in them from me losing tippet and then reattaching it that I would replace it. Getting your fly caught on something in a small stream is common, and the repeated twisting of the tapered leaders tended to wear them out quickly. Given that the furled leader was only $12, it will save me some real money over the course of a year.

I haven't tried one for nymphing yet, but I intend to. I do see the potential for issues with drag in the water when nymphing.

Jeff