Floating versus Submerged Furled Leaders

[hugefish_80]

I fish mostly still water for bass, crappie, bluegill, and whatever else I can get to bite. I o most of this fishing with a leader furled out of #4 seagaur fluorocarbon. This acts a bit like a mini sink tip and really helps to drag my unweighted streamers down in the water column with out giving them the action of a leaded fly.

[jstraightj]

I have had much better luck with mono than any threads for floating (dry fly) leaders. Is that typical?

[Jack Hise]

When you say "Better Luck" do you mean longer drifts or better turn over for large fly's?

[kbproctor]

I have only used a couple of UNI leaders that were sent to me a year or so ago. They sink more than I would like for dries, even when dressed with Aquel, and don't really sink as much as I would like for stillwater fishing which is the bulk of my fishing. They are just about right for wets on a stream.

I had bought some fine Spiderwire to make thread pullers with for my rod building and don't like it for that purpose. Has anyone tried it for furled leaders? I haven't tried it myself as I have had too much other stuff going to build a furling board, but I have the impression it would sink pretty well. It's limp as all get out as well.

[Uncle Jesse]

I had bought some fine Spiderwire to make thread pullers with for my rod building and don't like it for that purpose. Has anyone tried it for furled leaders? I haven't tried it myself as I have had too much other stuff going to build a furling board, but I have the impression it would sink pretty well. It's limp as all get out as well.

Kevin, I have made a couple of quick and dirty furled leaders from Fireline, which is Spectra the same material as Spiderwire I think. I use it on the rod I fish nymphs with and like it fine. The Spectra does not store energy or have memory, which ever way you want to say it. My leader has only 2 section not 3 as I understand "real" furled leader have. I devised a method of wrapping one leg around the other, rather than twisting them as I understand furling to do. So it may not technically be furled. But like most things, I just went ahead and did something not knowing the fine points of the idea.

John Scott was kind enough to send me one of his leaders last year which I use on my 3 wt. I fish dries with, I think it is mono, I really like the way it cast and behaves on the water.

[jstraightj]

Back to original question. Can I make a thread furled leader that floats as well as mono?

[Jack Hise]

I've not had problems with Uni Thread leaders not floating. I suggest you contact kaboom1 and get a container of the paste floatant he has produced for thread furled leaders. It will keep a leader floating for 2 - 3 hours, just about the time you need to take a break. After the break the leader will be dry so you can treat it again. It is also a food grade product and can even be used to treat chapped lips!
Another trick to make thread leaders float longer is to soak them in Camp Dry or Scotch Guard. But, you'll still need to treat them later when this wears off.

[karelgol]

Back to original question. Can I make a thread furled leader that floats as well as mono?

Her are some densities from different materials, so far in theory for a floating leader without floatant Wapsi UTC should do the trick.
polyester(Avg) 1.38 g/cc (Guetermann threads, UNI thread))
Nylon 1.15 g/cc (The plain mono stuff)
Dyneema/GSPE 0,97 g/cc (Wapsi UTC)
Fluorocarbon 1,78 g/cc
Polyethylene(Avg) 0,92 g/cc

[JohnScott]

...John Scott was kind enough to send me one of his leaders last year which I use on my 3 wt. I fish dries with, I think it is mono, I really like the way it cast and behaves on the water.

... Jesse.

I haven't used mono for furled leaders. The one I sent you was my "standard" Danville 210 Flymaster Plus tying thread leader.

I'm wondering if you treat it with any kind of floatant or have had the submerged leader experience with it ??

John

[Uncle Jesse]

I have not treated it, it seem to lie in the surface film, I have it on my 3 wt. that I use primarily for dry flies and it work very well. None of the curl of a tapered mono leader. Thanks again.