Pomper,
Sounds like you are right on. Thinking about our comments…it seems the knot is breaking where I figured it would. I thought by not doubling it back and using the tippet end loop you are halving the strength. Well, if your testing shows it breaks at the shorb loop knot…seems to ring true. I think at that point you are splitting the furled leader in half …and ending up with half the thread again. The strength would be about the same as the original tippet. Seems like it is breaking at the same point I was thinking about…where only half the tippet is in use. Make sense?..or too much babble? Point is…might be totally stronger to forgo the shorb loop, knot it and tie tippet on above the knot…ans someone suggested. Sounds like a stronger arrangement to me.
Gemrod
First, thanks to all for these discussions. I started playing around with furling threaded leaders last year and like them very much.
I’ve only furled a few leaders (6/0 thread), and since I’m still using them, I haven’t played around with the jig recently. For the first batch, I tied perfection loops at each end and crazy glued the knots and loops. The thought was that it would make the loop a bit more durable. Seems to be working so far, although it took a few trips to wear in the loops.
I’ve been using loop to loop connections because I thought cutting a cinch knot off when changing the tippet might damage the leader.
Bamboozle,
I’ve done a bit of looking around too but have yet to try these furled leaders. I’ve seen a couple fishermen with then, watched their casts/presentations etc. and thought they were very gentle and usually turned over quite well. I wouldn’t mind trying one.
That fishing you described would match my small spring creek stuff, including the nymphing, so I’m interested. I also usually dry-fly it but the below stuff is relatively shallow…water depth being less than 3ft normally.
I tie my own mono leaders using a nail knot w/some Pliobond (very tiny amt.) on the knot so I have a few questions.
Do you prefer to attach this threaded leader to you fly line w/a small loop? I’m thinking on whipping a very tiny loop with 8/0 thread and using Pliobond there.
If I didn’t use those tiny rings to attach tippet to, instead of a Perfection loop, do you have a preferred loop? I’m thinking the strength factor in fine tippet. I like to use a lot of 6X.
Also, and very important for me is this, can you reasonably get away with a attaching a length of say 5X to a 5 1/2 furled leader then some 6X to that? I guess I don’t fully understand if they are meant to allow these extra tippet sections. Please excuse my ignorance here.
Thanks for your help. I’m seriously considering this. I can’t say I don’t like it unless I’ve tried it.
Jeremy.
Jeremy:
First of all make SURE to try both a thread furled leader and a mono version before deciding if they are for you.
The mono versions are readily available from Blue Sky & Feather Craft but I didn’t care for mono for my applications but THAT’S ME.
I presently only use thread leaders. I have said many times that if it wasn’t for thread; I would NOT be using furled leaders but you may prefer the mono so again, try both before making up your mind. Thread leaders are usually home made and there are a quite few folks here on FAOL who make them. I’m sure if you put up a post asking for someone to make you some you will get responses.
Here is how I use mine for my kind of fishing:
I attach my furled leaders loop-to-loop with my fly line like I attach all of my leaders because I do swap leaders frequently. All of my fly lines have either factory welded loops or braided loops and I have no complaints about either or my chosen attachment method. There are lots of ways to create a loop at the end of a fly line. The simplest is to just attach a section of mono to the line using the knot of your choice and then putting a loop on the end of the mono to attach the leader. Other folks like to create loops with the fly line itself. I believe Fly Goddess has a few posts on here that show her “whipped” fly line loop which is another great way to create a loop to attach leaders.
As far as attaching tippets:
Although I now prefer the rings I have a few thread leaders with Shorb loops on the tippet end. On those leaders I have used a Perfection loop on as small as 7X with no problems. I have also just used a clinch knot to attach a tippet to the Shorb with no issues. I do tend to add a short transition section to my regular length furled leaders to get them to the length I like so I don’t have to use 6+ feet of tippet. So for example when fishing with 7X I may have 24" of 4X & 24" of 6X before I attach a 36" 7X tippet. I also like this set-up because I can easily lop off the 6X-7X section from the leader but leave it attached to my fly and NOT throw it away but carefully wind it up and stash it. I then can try prospecting using a nymph fished shallow using the 4X section without changing out my leader or whole tippet. If the nymph works I can add some more 4X if needed and if I want to go back to a dry, I just reattach my saved tippet section & fly. It may sound like a pain but I use fluorocarbon and at $15-$16 a spool I hate to waste the stuff figuring things out. 
As far as other loop knots I basically only fly fish for trout and I’m lazy so even though I know better knots and know all about knot strength I just use a Perfection loop or clinch knot. I can tie either knot drunk, with one eye closed and three broken fingers so I stick with what I know best. I routinely fish with tippets down to 8X and almost ALWAYS break fish off because of my stupidity not because of knot failure although your mileage may vary.
I hope when you try them you like them as much as I do!
Just FYI you do not have to do a loop to loop handshake to use a furled leader. I attach furled leader to fly line with the Castwell knot. Also on the tippet end you do not have to do loop to loop. Some use clinch knot, one I know uses the Eugene knot…and of course you can loop to loop. I have been told on the tippet end that the surgeons loop would be stronger than the perfection loop.
Gemrod
Bam…thank you. I have some experimenting to do. I’ll post my own findings etc. sometime later.
I appreciate the help. It’s exactly what I needed to know. This should be fun!
Jeremy.