Quote Originally Posted by JohnScott View Post

I am still curious about what you are trying to accomplish. Regarding a tighter furl - how much reduction do you favor when you furl your leaders. Way back when, when there were a bunch of folks posting and participating on this BB, it seems most talked about reducing 10%. How that became some kind of standard or norm is something that I never understood.

Personally, I have always gone for 20% reduction ( noting that I only use thread for my leaders, except a couple of nymphing leader made of fluoro which are much different in length and configuration than the thread leaders ). Greater reduction alone might account for the tighter furl that you are interested in. As to a heavy butt section, just add a few loops more for the butt section than you normally do. The combination of more loops on the butt section and 20% or more reduction might get you exactly where you want to be - or not.

John
Tig -

No, this is not a sale advertisement.

Wondering how you are doing with your friend, and approaching the issue of using a floating leader for nymph fishing.

A couple weeks ago I happened across a very old thread, while looking for some other information, which included some thoughts from one of the really good furlers on this BB at the time. He suggested furling to 30% reduction to improve the stiffness of even a thread furled leader. I haven't tried it because I much prefer the most supple leader I can make, but it might be something that will work for you.

On the subject of thread furled leaders being used for nymph fishing, yesterday I was fishing one of my "standard" thread furled leaders with about 4' of 4X tippet to a large salmonfly dry fly with a couple small nymphs ( t.c.t.k. and later a flashback PT ) dropped with another 4' or so of 4X. That rig worked just fine with my fast action 9' for 4 wt rod. My thread leaders don't float, by intention and design - they submerge, but will not sink even a small dry fly. For example, after I was done nymphing yesterday, I tied on a size 16 mahogany dun emerger pattern fished on the surface dry and caught several fish with that set up.

Anyway, just thought I would pass along the information for you or anyone else happening across this thread interested in the subject.

John