Anyone using furled leaders?

[delkins]

I was wondering if anyone is fishing furled leaders for dries. I keep meaning to order some, just have to get to it.
-Dave

 

[jaybo41]

This past spring I purchased some furled leaders for dries and found them ideal when you make a very delicate presentation. I think they're overkill on small streams, I found them a bit more difficult to fish them there. On medium-larger sized waters though wow, very nice!

 

[gfen]

I bought a couple this year, and have been pleased with their performance.

 

[bam]

has anyone noticed their lines twisting more than usual when using them? I used a nylon furled leader a few times this year and noticed my tippet would get twisted more than normal

 

[jayL]

Bam,

Just a guess, but you may have been using a fly that was too big for the tippet. What size was the fly/tippet?

I think a normal tapered leader will spread the twisting out and make it less conspicuous. The furled leader won't twist as easily, so all of the twists will be in the last few feet of tippet, thus way more obvious.

 

[bam]

That's possible Jay. The majority of my fishing is done on 5x unless I'm going very small or fishing streamers. I don't recall, but 90% of my dries are size 14 or smaller.

At the time I thought it may have been from water flowing over the leader if I was fishing subsurface patterns.

 

[sdavies1]

i love them

 

[scotto]

I have been using feather-craft furled leaders for several years and love them. Easy to use, great to cast, lengths, weights and styles to fit all types of fishing. Also very durabale, I have some that are 4 years old that fish just as well now as when new.

 

[delkins]

Thanks for the replies, guys. I know there's a fellow on the Fiberglass Fly Rodders site I frequent who makes them, I just have to order some. I'm looking forward to trying them.
-Dave

 

[osprey]

delkens.........i've heard of these but never paid much attention , when you get old you hesitate to experiment with new stuff , ya try to resist but what works works , i was the same way about beadhead flies when they first came out but after all this time they convinced me i'd like to know more about furled leaders , anything you could share would help. THANKS O.

 

[Crotalus]

I use and love the UNI thread furled leaders for most of my trout fishing. I will switch to a short level leader for streamers, sometimes. if i am just probing with a streamer i will leave the furled leader on.

I have the materials here to built a furling board, just havent done it yet.

 

[osprey]

Furling board? now you got my attention could some one gimme a clue?

 

[Crotalus]

osprey wrote:
Furling board? now you got my attention could some one gimme a clue?

Enjoy

Furled leaders

Also there is a book and DVD by Kathy Scott about making furled leaders

 

[tobewan77]

I really like them, and the ones with a metal eye at the end seem to work the best for me. It can actually make really short casts easier because you can almost cast them short distances like they were fly lines themselves.

 

[osprey]

Crotalus..........Thank you very much buddy , how much of an investment money wise do you think?

 

[Crotalus]

Not much, a board, some pegs and scrap wood. Lead sinkers, push pins and the latch hook thingy. $30? After that just the cost of the UNI thread or mono or flourocarbon. You dont have to make many to offset the cost of buying them from Blue Sky or feather craft for around $10.

There is a ton of info on the flyanglersonline board, lots of folks furling there and using many differnt materials and peg patterns.

 

[wgmiller]

I've been using them almost exclusively for the past year or so. Love them. Just tie the tippet to the ring and it's off to the races. Changing fly sizes is a breeze as you can just snip off the tippet you have on. Running about a three foot furled leader on my 6' 4wt and run about a 6' leader on my 9' 5wt. I carry a stock of knotless tapered leaders, "just in case", but have really found that furled leaders have simplified my fishing life... :-D

 

[osprey]

Thanks for helping me out folks............specially you Crotalus , here's what i'm gonna do , gonna buy a couple at Gander mtn , check out how they look and work , then if I like em , i'll take the plunge , us ol farts tend to take a long time to accept new fangled stuff , what usually happens is that we wait till some time passes and if the product is still around and being talked about we'll try it , I guess I reached a comfort zone where what works is fine and you can have enough confidence in whatever it is that you don't really have to use anything new , but for me the fun of finding out something new , learning something , havin a plan come together has it's own thrill , part of the whole package that makes this pusuit so much FUN!!!!!

 

[delkins]

Yeah, great information everyone. I picked up two Blue Sky ones this weekend. Cool thing too is the technology actually predates mono and everything if you make 'em with horsehair. LOL.
-Dave