I make my own leaders and came up with this question. I was fishing with a thread 6/0 uni-thread leader for dry flies, and the leader sank. I put on some mucilin, but it still sank. So, is the wax on the thread making the fly sink? I was thinking of using the gudebrod rod wrapping thread (no waxes) and soaking them in the loon silicon stuff, or in watershed and letting them dry. has anyone tried this? How do ya’ll make your furled leaders float?
Myself I find that the Uni thread is great for dries. I myself will treat with Red mucilin and it is my preferred treatment and let me stress “my preferred treatment”. It will last 45 mins. to an hour than I treat again.
I don’t.
I use thread furled leaders made from Danville 210 Flymaster Plus fly tying thread. The leaders submerge, but they don’t sink the fly ( down to size 20 2X short CDC midge dry ). I personally think you get a better drift with a submerged leader. Maybe not as nice a cast ?? But it really is about the drift, isn’t it ??
John
I’ve been making my furled leaders either out of Isacord 40 or Mono, mostly Cortland Camo 2 lb. When I lay out my loops ,if it’s to be a floating leader I’ll rub a rag with Alboline on it down the legs a few times & then again after I furl it. They float most of the day.
If your putting on the wax after the leader is waterlogged it’s like closing the barn door after th horse is out, in other words it’s too late, put it on while the leader is dry.
I read , somewhere on this Forum, that a good floor wax will work if you put it on when making the leader & I’ve made a few using Min-wax but haven’t had a chance to test them yet. I also read that some people dip them in varnish & then hang them & wipe them down to get the excess off & that’s supposed to both waterproof them & toughen them up
I have a store bought one that I treated with a triple coat of Watershed before it ever saw water, as well as a triple coat of green Mucilin. It’s just starting to submerge after prolonged fishing, so I plan to hit it with the Mucilin again soon.
I’ve been using Mucillin for a few years now on UNI leaders. Never had a problem. I grease my fly with it too. I’ve got both red and green tins. I don’t notice any difference on the leaders though.
I just run the leader thru the pad and work it in with my thumb and finger. Last’s me quite a while.
One question…is the leader already wet when you apply the Muclin?
Got to be dry. I usually carry two. If one gets a little water logged, I switch it out and it has time to dry out.
I agree with John however that I prefer them sub surface, but I make mine with a first section indicator and I like to grease that.
I fish down to #32.
Cleaning your thread furled leaders once in awhile helps too. I use the same sponge, soap & water I use on my fly lines.
The next day I grease them with Loon Payette paste and they float like a cork which is what I prefer.
UNI thread is polyester, so that means the thread will absorb water, and become water logged, if not sealed after furling…
Danville thread is nylon, and does not absorb water…
UNI polyester thread does not stretch before breaking, but Danvile nylon thread stretches before breaking.
I use UNI polyester thread for my furled leaders, to eliminate as much streaching in the furled leader (when under tension) as possible.
I also seal my furled leaders theads, with a dip in a container of varnish, then hang them to dry and harden. I wipe all excess varnish on the surface of the furled leader off, using a rag dampened with varnish. This removes any heavy varnish buildup on the surface, and will give the finished furled leader a smooth finish.
The varnish, penetrates to the core of the furled leader, and helps bond all the threads, helping the whole furled leader to transfer the energy of the cast and fly presentaion. The vanish gives the furled leader some backbone for a better cast also.
I use my own formula, and you just need to give me your loop sequece and length (s) I will crunch the numbers.
I will give you a furled leader that is completely balanced, with a parabolic taper.
Send your request to parnelli@comcast.net
Subject Line: Furled Leaders
Parnelli -
Seems to me that the varnish treatment will stiffen the leader, and perhaps very much so. That would enhance the casting qualities and maybe make the leader float endlessly, but it seems to me that it will inhibit the ability of the leader to absorb all the mini-currents between the end of the fly line and the fly.
The thing about floating leaders is that they only absorb the currents between the end of the fly line and the fly in TWO dimensions. When the leader is submerged it is absorbing those currents in THREE dimensions. The better the currents between the end of the fly line and the fly are absorbed by the leader, the better the drift. And, after all, isn’t the drift what it is really all about ??
Another thing came up in a discussion with one of my friends today. We both fished the same stream in the past week, separately. He used a tapered mono leader from Rio and I used my Danville thread leader which submerges. He missed a high proportion of “takes” by pulling the fly away from the fish. I hooked a much higher proportion of “takes”.
He is a better fisherman with a better sense of timing, and even thinks about letting the fish get the fly before he raises the rod tip and strips. I just start to raise the rod tip and strip when it seems right. What occured to me is that his mono leader which is floating and in a pretty straight line to the fly in two dimensions starts moving the fly as soon as he raises / strips. Because mine has a lot of “slack” in it as it drifts along all curled up and swirling around in three dimensions, I don’t pull the fly away from the fish, even if I start my raise / strip sooner than he would.
Stretch is not necessarily a bad thing, and for some situations is definitely a good thing. For fishing for trout in moving water in the Intermountain West, I consider it a good thing. The Danville 210 Flymaster leaders are very supple, and if stretch comes with it, that is a small price to pay. Admittedly, they don’t cast the fly as well as a couple others I’ve tried, but I’m not out there to cast.
The most desirable qualities of a leader will be different for different people with different priorities and different fishing situations. I know there are a number of people who agree that leaders that submerge are preferable for trout fishing on moving water. I wonder how many people who pursue “floatation” techniques so ardently have ever tried the alternative - the submerged leader ??
John
P.S. Next time out, my friend is going to use a furled thread leader as an experiment. Will be interesting to see what comes of it.
Ken,
Never made my own yet but for trout I have used ones bought from Quiggs on the 'Bay. I believe they’re made from 6/0.
Anyways I drag the leader thru some Albolene under my thumb so it stays in contact with the stuff. Goops it up well. I massage it in just a little then clean fingers and pull the leader thru a couple’a times.
It’ll float ALL DAY w/o putzing with it again! I’ve not fished longer than 6 hrs…
If I nymph I just tie on a longer length of 5X and watch the tip.
Whatever works for ya…we all have our prefs.
Jeremy.
JohnScott:
Silk fly lines are coated with shelac, to impregnate the fly line, at first the fly line, when first used is somewhat stiff, but once broken in, it is a sweet cast.
~Parnelli
Thanks for all the replies. I was fishing small dries and they seemed to sink more than usual. Maybe I should use more gink.
Save your money & pick up a jar of ALBOLINE at Walgreens for $11.00, it’ll last a lifetime & I think it’s as good if not better than Gink…
Hmm… I’ve always thought that the wearing off of the initial wax (on Unithread) or the floatant on a furled leader is a good thing since it gives me a chance to pause and reflect, to switch gears if I want to explore a bit.
Sometimes, like last night, a small olive caddis works so well, that I’m giddy over jewel-like fall brook trout and forget to try anything else. Then, into the evening, the leader starts sinking and just before I reach for the mucelin, I notice the steep gorge walls overhanging with cedar and spruce and the first red leaves on a maple, the ferns just turning yellow, the smell and feel of the season coming on. I switch to a fall fly, a Woods Special zipped just under the surface, and what an experience 
My 2 cents in additiona to the great advice here: I think that initial wax (first post) helps with initial flotation. And if a varnish treatment seems too stiff for personal taste, try mixing in some linseed oil.
Kat