anyone use furled leaders ?

[troutslammer]

how well do they work for nymphing and dries ? just basically looking for some input here guys thats all , sorry if this has been covered but i couldn't find the info i was hopeing to get. appreciate the help here greatly.

 

[jayL]

I use them for nymphing as Afish outlined in the "delicate indicator rigs" thread. The only ones I have are long, so I plan on making some shorter ones to use for all purpose nymphing. The idea is to add enough tippet so that the whole leader may float,

I really enjoy using them for dries.

 

[JasonS]

jayL wrote:
The idea is to add enough tippet so that the whole leader may float,

I guess you just keep adjusting the tippet length for water depth?

 

[gfen]

They turn over like a champ and I never seem to get a windknot that I can't just undue.

 

[jayL]

JasonS wrote:

jayL wrote:
The idea is to add enough tippet so that the whole leader may float,

I guess you just keep adjusting the tippet length for water depth?

Nah. I add enough to handle the deepest water I expect to routinely encounter, and will place strike putty on the tippet to adjust if I need to. I prefer this rig in smaller to medium sized slower streams. If I expect any deep and or fast water, I go with a straight mono leader.

In most of the streams where I've used this setup, I had plenty of success by suspending the flies in the pools where I couldn't get bottom. I see this often in deep, slow pools.

 

[JasonS]

Nah. I add enough to handle the deepest water I expect to routinely encounter, and will place strike putty on the tippet to adjust if I need to. I prefer this rig in smaller to medium sized slower streams. If I expect any deep and or fast water, I go with a straight mono leader.

In most of the streams where I've used this setup, I had plenty of success by suspending the flies in the pools where I couldn't get bottom. I see this often in deep, slow pools.

Yeah, that makes a lot more sense. My dumbarse woulda been out there chopping the tippet to shorten it then tying on new tippet for deeper water. Thanks. I'll have to try it out.

 

[troutslammer]

ok thanks guys , do the ends of the furled leader sink pretty well with light weight when nymphing. hey jay man , are they hard to make ? u just use heavy mono and braid it , or ???

 

[jayL]

I haven't made one, only witnessed it.

Afishinado is the guy to ask. I can't find his post on how to make them, but hopefully he can link to it here.

It's about twisting, not really braiding. Doesn't seem too difficult, and they last forever.

I treat them with floatant so the end doesn't sink. Just the tippet does.

 

[bam]

http://www.nefga.org/forum/diy-do-yourself/11824-how-make-tapered-furled-leader.html

I'll stick to buying them at this point...

 

[troutslammer]

thanks for the info fellas , looks like a time consuming process , busy now tieing and fishing

 

[wgmiller]

I carry knotless tapered leaders with me, but since I've swtiched over to furled leaders, don't dig them out much at all. I love furled leaders because I just tie on tippet and I'm back to fishing. Perhaps I'm taking the easy way out, but with the small limestone creeks I fish, I find they work well.

If I'm tossing bigger flies like Clousers or buggers in a warmwater environment, I go to knotless tapered leaders because they seem to handle the larger flies better. But when it comes to tossing size 20 and smaller dries, the furled leader really seems to excel. No complaints from me. I second what gfen said about getting wind knots out. I do get them from time-to-time, but using the "pick" on my nippers gets them out in no time.

I don't tie my own BTW; I typically purchase them at the local fly shop.

 

[Sam50]

I have been using Blue Sky furled leaders for two or three years now. They're a little expensive but last a long time. And I think they cast better than any of the ones I used to make using various formulas.

 

[jayL]

With the bluesky leaders, how do you keep the loop from coming undone? I have had two of of them and it was an issue both times.

 

[gfen]

My first one, I put a loop on the end of the tippet, and then put that to the blue sky loop. It lasted a month-ish 'til I broke the leader loop and I had to sort of tie it shut. I then put a piece 3x tippet with loops on the end between it and the actual tippet pieces I use, which stillhave a loop on the end.

Ergo, leader's loop, 3x with loops on both sides about 2" long, then tippet with loop.

I don't think this is hampering _my_ casting, but I'm not exactly the picture of delicacy.

 

[jayL]

That's about what I did, but that piece of 3x doesn't last forever. It gets weak, and has cost me fish before. Be careful and make sure you check it often.

 

[gfen]

Truth. I've actually replaced it more than once because I tend to leave little bits of the last tippet loop up around the bottom of it, so after a couple weeks, I'll snip the bottom loop off the 3x and use only the top, then another couple weeks, cut that too and replace.

So far, its been an OK system. I'm not really hooking into monsters, though.

 

[scotto]

the FeatherCraft furled leaders I use have a small metal ring onto which the tippet is tied. They don't wear out and you don't notice they are there until you change tippet and realize how easy it is. I have been using the same one on my 4wt, most often used rod, for 4 years.

 

[troutslammer]

what about water spray when fishing clear slow water , picky trout ?

 

[jayL]

A few false casts to the side to dry it out.

 

[Sam50]

With the Blue Sky leaders, I tie a loop onto the end of my tippet. I almost always start with 4x. Any break-offs I've had were at the fly.