I take NO CHANCES---New leader each time out ...I tie my own tapered leaders as I find they lay out better than the continous pre made tapers... It would just suck to loose a trophy on what I consider the most important piece of equipment you use,( yes I believe it is the leader and tippet to fly).
just my two cents
I used to use a rubber patch to straighten my leader until one day I noticed the leader had visible damage from doing this. I didn't have any real feel while using the rubber patch and pretty much burned my leader by applying too much pressure while trying to straighten it. Since then I have been using my two best tools for straightening leaders, my hands. I simply put the leader between my two middle fingers and the base of my palm, squeeze a little bit, pull the leader and I'm done. It will burn a slight bit, but I found that I have good feel and can adjust the tension as needed.
Dead fish don't make reel music.
Years back I used a piece of inner tube but now pull my leaders through a doubled piece of treated leather. If my memory serves me right, this leather straightener was once a Cortland accessory product. However I've found that any kind of straightening method I've used was only temporary. Also, the more I use that leader, the less likely the coils can be removed. I've used everybody's knotless tapered leaders and they all become like a corkscrew in the upper section tapering from the butt to the tippet. I'm the type who puts on a new leader when I replace a fly line and I just keep rebuilding it as necessary. I fish hard and often and don't believe it should be necessary, or is cost-effective, to replace the leader every other week or so.
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