Looking for comments on furrled leaders

[Migs]

Hi my amigos and amigas!

Can someone comment on furrled leaders in freshwater use? How do they affect castability? Do they wind knot less? Presentation?

Thanks for your input! -Migs

[canerods]

Furled leaders cast beautifully. They turn over readily and seem to promote tight loops. But I'm not a fan of furled leaders. They seem to collect just as many wind knots as mono leaders. Getting a knot out of a furled leader is quite difficult. My biggest gripe is that all the furled leaders I have tried in moving water sink like a stone and cause my fly to drag. I know I can treat them with a floatant and keep them on top, but ff'ing is filled with enough things to fiddle with w/o worrrying about my leaders.

Just my $.02,
Harry

[Gramps]

I've had the opposite results. With my limited experience, i've never gotten a wind knot with furled leaders. Something I can't say for regular mono leaders.

[Bluegill222]

what canerods said except to also add that I like them for nymphing for the same reasons they don't work as well for dries. They sink fast. I don't have that many problems with wind knots in them (at least no more than I do with other leaders)but they are a pain to unknot.

[kengore]

I use my homemade furled leaders for most of my dry fly fishing. They layout better than anything else I have tried. I can take a 9' leader in my bare hand and lay it out to it's full length with just a flick of my wrist, I doubt anyone could do that with a mono leader.

It's true that they sink if not treated, I treat mine with the same paste I use as a fly floatant (Loon's Aquel) and they float just fine all day long. I might spend a whole 30 seconds applying the paste, about the same time I would spend straightening a mon leader. I fish a lot of very fast/rough mountain streams and the treated furled leaders float better than mono.

I have rarely had any wind knots or tangles, but when you do get a knot they are much more difficult to remove.

Furled leaders made from tying thread are very durable. It's not uncommon for me to fish the same leader each weekend for the whole season, just changing the tippet
as it gets used up.

I don't like to use the furled leaders for my nymphing. On my local streams the depth changes constantly, so I am always cutting and re-tying leader sections to adjust. So I use a tapered mono leader and cut the heck out of it. I also don't like to use split shot on the furled leaders, it cuts them up too much.

[Kathy Scott]

Hi,

I really enjoy all the different answers to your questions, and I hope you do, too. Its nice to know that there's room for so many different preferences in fly fishing. Keeps it interesting.

I only use furled leaders. They're known for their supple turnover and delicate presentation with dry flies (and I can use all the help I can get). I like them wet for nymphing, though I don't nymph much.

Treating them to make them float doesn't bother me (I'm using a silk line - the same silk line for years - so I'm treating that anyway), and I like being able to NOT treat part of the leader if I want part of it to sink. While I use Unithread, I've heard that leaders made of nymo beading thread and of gel spun both float much better.

As for wind knots, they are a bear, but best if caught early and untied from the middle.

Just my 2 cents,
Kat

[James Smith]

I switched over to furled leaders this past season and love them. They lay out more easily for me and I think I only experienced one wind knot during the entire season. If you've ever seen me cast, you'd realize how amazing that fact is. They do tend to snag a bit more crud from the water, but not enough to make it a problem.

Great leaders and Kathy Scott's CD does a terrific job showing you how to build your own. Well worth the investment.

Jim Smith

[Migs]

Friends:

So which furrled leaders (brand?) would you recommend? Ive seen the Feather Craft ones. Are they good? They also have Fluorocarbon ones as well. What to choose?

Migs

[Photojoe4]

Migs, there a a bunch of people here on FAOL that furl their own leaders. If you want to try some out, let us know what sort of fishing you do (line weight, rod length, what type of fish, etc...), and you'll end up with a bunch of furled leaders to try out.

Regards,
Joe Martin

[clyde holmes]

Migs, PM Kathy Scott. Ive got one of her furled leaders and am planning on buying more. Im not the best caster and they have really helped me. Kathy is right. If you catch the wind knots before they really tighten there not too hard to get out. Regards-Clyde