Does anyone on the board make their own furled leaders out of just mono,I was considering purchasing some from ebay but they did not have what i was looking for. I have used on on my 1 wt and its a pretty nice rig. Pm me if you are capable of this kind of craftsmanship. Thank you in advance, heinrich
Not quite sure what you are asking, flybugpa, but furling folks make leaders out of all kinds of stuff…
flybugpa;
As Duckster stated you can make furled leaders from any material on the same board. I have a dimensional diagram I can pm you for a very basic board that makes simple but very effective leaders.
What length are you interested in? My drawing is for a 7’ leader but can be modified for shorter.
The board it’s self is very easy to construct, sort of a wood shop 101 project.
I make my leaders from few different things:
Fly tying thread, 5lb test power pro superbraid, Coates and Clark quilting thread…
The board is not difficult to make and the leaders themseves are a cinch… Here is a decent site:
http://www.peninsulaflyfishers.org/Tackle/furled_leader/furled_leader.html
fbp,
I used Jacks pattern for the furling board “with modifications” so I could furl 3’ and a 5’ leaders. Uni-mono is available in clear and smoke, and makes dandy furled leaders!! <please be aware … if I can build the board, and make furled leaders, anyone can!!>
Betty
I make mono leaders in five and seven foot lengths. I had been using thread up until a couple of years ago, but find I prefer the overall performance of the mono.
I think the thread leaders are perhaps a bit more supple, but since you can turn over very long tippets, you do get a very good drift in either case. I think the mono leader are definitely more robust and long lasting.
There are alot of types of mono available, I think the key is to use the right material along with the right formula. It also important to have a good method of attaching your leader to your tippet, you want to be sure that you efficiently transfer the energy from the leader to the tippet. If there is a hinge point, it can cause problems,
When you get everything right, they are a pure pleasure to fish.
Flybugpa, I’ve furled my own mono leaders now for the past two+ years and wouldn’t consider using anything else. The difference is that I don’t use a jig or anything else but my own two hands.
I can furl a half-dozen in half an hour, although, since they are so durable, I don’t need too many each season and end up giving most away just so someone else can have the pleasure of casting a dream of a leader.
They turn over like butter, yet they have the backbone to deliver larger dries using a 12’ leader. I usually tie a four footer for streamers and anything between 5 and 12 feet for other applications. My favorites are 7-9’ for nymphing (depending on the water), and 9-14’ for dry flies and/or spring creeks (my favorite).
I use 2x Maxima in Chameleon or Ultragreen. The leaders end up with a loop-to-loop connection in both ends and are a snap to change when needed.
I just read this post and was anxious to respond, so I don’t have all the details, but I will get you the info ASAP so you can start on your own. The learning curve is short, with extremely professional results for the time and money.
On the other hand there are some out there who tie up a really nice non-mono furled leader for dry flies (like John Scott), I’ve tried them, and can see their application, but I’m sold on the mono ones I now tie.
I’ll get you the details soon.
If you’d like, or anyone else (I’m sure I’m getting in way over my head here) I’d be glad to send you a sample with the instructions. This is nothing new as I learned the method several years ago from an article in one of the publications I subscribe to(sorry, can’t remember which one - I will try to track it down though). I have made some modifications in using only 2x Climax for most of my trouting applications.
I did use heavier mono (Ox) for a Silver Salmon trip to Kodiak Island in 2007 and they performed without failure or flaw.
Hope this helps.
Kelly
Kelly,
I’d be really interested to find out more about how you make your leaders without a jig. I have a hard time not getting tangled up using a fixture, plus it sounds like you can crank them out alot faster than I can using a jig.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
thanks,
Kglissmeyer,
I probably read the same article. I too have been making my own mono furled leaders, and have used them for a few years now. I wouldn’t trade them for anything. Instead of knots, I now whip finish the sections with some fly tying thread and coat it with a little “Knot Sense”. I use regular mono (Trilene). 4 lb for lighter lines (2-3 wt), 6lb for mid range (3-5wt) and 8 pound for my bass line (6-8wt). BTW 6lb Trilene = 2x diameter. I tie them as short as 3.5’ long for my 7’ small stream trout rod, and up to 7’ long to build a delicate taper out to a 15’ finished leader length. 5’ is the average for my 9’ rod which builds out well to a 10’ or 11’ finished leader. I have some of my homemade furled leaders that are 3 seasons old and still going strong.
The furled leaders I make perform well. What I like most is that I can turn over a bigger fly well OR execute a slack cast with ease with the same leader. They work well for slack casts since they are much more supple and have little or no memory, unlike regular knotted mono leaders with butts tied with stiff mono. I seem to get a better drag-free float with them. I use a furled butt and a George Harvey type taper for the mid and tip section. I coat the butt end with a little muscilin and it floats like a cork all day and mends well. Good stuff.
The amount of help I recieved on this board has ben phenominal, thank you all for your guidance and instruction. Best, heinrich
Afishinado, Bingo!
I’d like to learn this, too. Can you please post the instructions or send a PM? Thanks.
Dennis
Here’s a couple of diagrams that may help. The dimentions for the peg locations will give you a 7’ leader when the legs are twisted up 10%. Pegs 1 & 2 28", pegs 5 & 4 61" and pegs 4 & 3 33"
Changing the distance between pegs 1 & 2 to 18", pegs 5 & 4 to 24" and pegs 4 & 3 to 24" will give you a 5’ leader. (different materials may vary a bit)
You can also make your start and end loops 1/2 the distance between pegs 1 & 2 for a heaver butt section.
This pattern will give you a leader that is 3 X the strength of the material used.
Dennis -
There are several different approaches to furling leaders. Jack has shown one, that is probably the most widely used. Kelly has described one that seems rather obscure. The one I use is maybe the most obscure, but it works for me.
If you would like to see my system and actually furl a leader for yourself, you are more than welcome to come out to my place in Rigby and have at it. Just send me a PM and I’ll reply with my phone number and address.
John
I use thread for my leaders - Danville 210 Flymaster Plus. But I do have formulas for a variety of other threads and mono, if that is what you want to do.
Dal and others I apologize for the delay on getting you this info. As John reported the method may be a bit obscure, but I first learned of the method from an old article in American Angler titled “Do The Twist” by B Craig Phillips.
I have modified much of what they taught in that article so maybe it is a little “obscure”, but believe me I wouldn’t trade them for anything.
I will work out the instructions tonight and PM all who have requested as well as post them with this thread. Thanks to those who have requested samples and they will be sent out shortly. I appreciate the response.
Kelly
What color mucilin tin must i buy??? I remember seeing 2 different cans of the stuff. Thank you heinrich
I don’t remember who made them but I have two made by Hog Creek that I got over on the Ultralight Fly Fishing Yuku board and they work great on my little 1wt as well as my 3wt. If I ever screw these up I will be buying more from Hog Creek.
Probably the best kick off point for learning how to make furled leaders is Henk Verhaar’s (bio here) article where you can go from zero to hero in about 10 minutes.
I made a modified version of his furling board to enable me to produce radically different tapers for different applications and now only make them out of 2 materials - UNI thread and the cheapest 3lb mono I can find, Maxima usually. 1 spool of UNI thread will make about 4 x 5’ furled leaders and a 100m spool of Maxima about 3 - 4 depending on taper selected.
I am in the process of designing an upgraded version with power winder and counter for more accurate repeatability in forming furled leaders.
Sounds like you are headed to a motorized version of the one I use. Mine utilizes a simple hand powered gear box for the twisting and furling. I’ve thought about adding a motor and counter, but at my age it doesn’t make a lot of sense when I can “crank” out enough furled leaders in an hour or two to last all year ( 125-150 days fishing ). Now, if I was going to sell them…
It was more expensive to build than the ones a lot of folks around here use ( I built it and started furling leaders before I happened across the FAOL BB ), but it is simple and requires only rudimentary woodworking skills and tools.
John
P.S. If anyone is interested in a mechanized system that allows for highly accurate “repeatability,” I can post some photos on the set up.
A long thread re furled leaders and not a word from Kaboom…what’s up? Come on, Kaboom, you’ve been into power furling for a couple of years now. Even on to your Beta version board - a remarkable setup.