Furled Leaders

[Greg Hunsicker]

I'm thinking about giving furled leaders a try for warm water fishing. Any opinions?

Greg

[tea stick]

I just recently bought a furled leader (BLUESKY) for trout fishing and tried it out last weekend. I like it alot and don't see why it wouldn't work as well for warm water fishing. It cost $12.95, but should last for several seasons. Just tie on a tippet section and your good to go. I plan to buy others and will be using it for bass later this season.

Scott

[OldBaldGuy]

I'm thinking about giving furled leaders a try for warm water fishing. Any opinions?Greg

Lots of opinions here, Greg, just don't ask me for facts...

After reading about building your own furled leaders this winter on FAOL, and devouring every online resource suggested by FAOL members, I decided to build mono (#2 TrileneXL) and fluoro (#2 P-Line and #4 Vanish) furled leaders for myself and some curious friends. (Curious in both senses of the word.)

I put them on my 3-, 5-, 6- and 8-wt. rods -- have fished each of them at least once this season -- and can honestly say I love 'em. In 12 outings over the past 3 weeks I've had exactly one wind knot, and that was in my fly line! (No joke. My casting is sometimes THAT bad.) For me, at least, furled leaders just seem to cast more easily.

Even including the ones I screwed up and discarded, my cost per furled leader is less than a buck, probably close to 80 cents. I'd encourage you to give them a try. If you do, please let us know your impression.

[Kaboom1]

Greg
If you want a couple to try, PM a snail mail address and I will send them to you.
Brad

[anglerdave]

I have used some made out of thread that Kathy Scott sent me a few years back. I like them for fishing small poppers for blue gills and drys for trout. I also have a heavier one that I use for deer hair bugs for bass.

I have not tried any made out of mono or fluro so I have not used them for subsurface fishing. But, I don't see any reason they would not work.

[Greg Hunsicker]

Brad
I sent you my address. Thanks for yuor offer it's a great way for me to give them a try. Do you make them yourself?

I did some research earlier this year on designs and making furled leaders. I don't see why they wouldn't work for every kind of fish swimming.

With warm water fishing I guess I was a little concerned with picking up dirt, algea and moss. So far I haven't gotten any negative opinions.
Greg

[SteveW]

I have been really interested in furled leaders for both warm and cold water fishing, but did not want to give 12-15 dollars to experiment. i have been steadily talkig myself into it. My question concerns the tippet. When you add tippet to the end of the furled leader do you add one single piece. For example, three feet of 6x for trout or three feet of 2x for bass. Or do you have to step down with the tippet, for example 18 inches of 5x then 12 inches of 6x.

Thanks
Steve

[rrhyne56]

SteveW

You should not have to step down on the tippet. A properly balanced leader should work fine with a section of straight tippet on the business end.

One point about furled leaders that does not get mentioned so much is that they can turn over a greater amount of tippet than an extruded leader of the same general size. More tippet = greater stealth.

[Kaboom1]

Greg
Yes I make them. I built a powered furling board. I can spin one up in a jiffy! I will have your leaders in the mail Tuesday.
Brad

[parrotheadcrb]

Ggualls a list member here made some for me out of mono and those things are great. They last for several seasons. I wouldnt bass or bream fish without one.