It does not seem that the tradition methods of getting my leaders straight work very well for me. I left the leader off my 3 wt. (which I use mostly for dries) under tension for several days thinking that will surely work. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
I use a piece of rubber for opening jars in the kitchen, which I keep in my pack. Works great with just a couple of pulls through this and I use Maxima for the leader. I don’t pull the last two sections of leader and tippet through it to avoid weakening the tippet. I am assuming the curled part is the butt and middle part of the leader anyway.
Good suggestion. Friciton on the tippet will weaken it.
I prefer to avoid the problem by putting my rod and reel in a cast and keeping the leader and fly strung up. For a 9 foot rod, a 4 foott 9 inch rod case with integrated reel pouch will allow you to double the rod up and store it in the cast with the rod and reel strung.
In the parking lot, take the take the rod and reel out and put the rod together. 9 feet of leader will be straight since it was not stored on the reel. You are ready to fish. Sometimes there is no need to even change flies.
Uncle Jessie;
Have you ever considered furled leaders ? Very minimum ( if any ) curling, or memory. Very easy to make, inexpensive, but addicting lol lol. One more hobby to explain to misses.
I actually have made a couple of furled leaders but have never used them. I thought they were only good for nymphs, etc.
Uncle Jessie;
I’ve made some with 140 denier thread for my 3wt, and I love them. Youre milage may differ. I made some out of flouro for nymphing. I mostly fish streams, and I like wet flies. Don’t fish dries very often, but have had no issues with them either.
Good Luck and tight lines to whatever you choose
I haven’t ahd a problem with leaders other than getting little knots in the tapered end… real tiny little knots tat laugha t you and say " I’m here for good and I’ll leave you wonering if I’m to blame for your skunked day! Muahaha!" how to get those out would be helpful. stashing the tips sofar down for the record as well- never know when ANYTHING you hear could come in handy.
The best method that I use is to simply string the leader through both my forefingers and thumbs
and pull with tention inches at a time unti the entire leader is pulled through and repeat.
After a couple of pulls this way you can feel the friction and the leader striaghtens and becomes
limp once again.
It has always worked for me even with some leaders that are several years old…
It dose take some practice but is very simply to learn…
Forget the rubber and other aids, not worth the money,
My 2cents
Be safe
i use asmall piece of inner tube. Fold it over and lightely pull the leader through it.
Desertman
I dug up one of the furl leaders I had made, worked just fine and did not curl or kink. I may be another convert.
The method I use is to simply pull the leader through and across each forefinger and thumb,
using just enough tension so you can have it pulled taunt. You will feel the mild
heat build up as the leader passes. Four or five pulls will do the trick
most of the time…
It dose take some practice but very easy to master…
I do it this all the time, might explain the grooves in my thumbs.
No need for any type of aid , like rubber as this may ruin the leader.
But:
If you have sensitive fingers then it may not work for you,
thinking this may be the reason for all the leader straightening gadgetry …
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.
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.