When it comes to leaders ,do you like them right out of the package.Or do you prefer to tie your own.Do you think one is more beneficial then the other?
Yes, I think one is better. I make my own…furled.
Gemrod
I mostly use furled leaders, attach three or four feet of tippet and cast away. Treat the leader if fishing with dries or leave it as is. I will buy monofilament leaders I find on sale and sometimes I tie my own. No sense buying mono leaders that cost four bucks when a bit of tippet or tying my own costs pennies.
Ronnie Z;
First, I must have missed your first post so “Welcome Aboard” on the best of the best.
You have just heard a couple of opinions on “Leaders”, there should be several more soon. I fish Furled Leaders only but, that is my preferance.
Going on four years using thread furled leaders almost exclusively. The only time I have used mono during that time is to fish tandems of big weighted stonefly nymphs under an indicator. Lately, I’ve been using a beefier furled leader for that rig and doing just fine with it.
Thread furled leaders are very inexpensive - about $.35 without a tip ring, and from $.45 to a buck with, depending on what kind of ring you’re using.
They turn over a dry fly beautifully, handle dries with droppers and nymphs with or without an indicator and single or in tandem with no problems. Change out the tippet on the same leader going from 2X to 6X ( probably 7X if you fish that small, which I don’t ) and don’t miss a beat.
Some folks treat them to make them float. I don’t bother. The thread is so density neutral to the water that the leader and tippet may be submerged but an appropriate size 18 dry fly will float, and carry a dropper without sinking.
And they last almost forever - well, for a loooooonnnnng time.
Sorry that I avoided your question about mono. But maybe you have something new to consider when it comes to packages and tying pieces of mono together.
Did I mention that you can put together a furling board for practically nothing, that it takes probably less than half an hour to figure out how to make them, and less than ten minutes to make one after you get the hang of doing it ??
The ONLY PROBLEM WITH MAKING YOUR OWN - it’s fun to make them but you use so few of them you hardly ever get to make any, unless you like to have a large inventory, or give them away regularly !!
Again, sorry for avoiding your question.
John
Jack has me sold on his furled leaders nothing turns over better. I think I need to go back to Tullahoma and pick up more.
Ronnie Z, Furled leaders are the only way to go, Jack Hise and WarrenP turned me on to them, I now make my own thanks to them.
Yep, count me in with the furled leader group. I twist mine up with 4lb florocarbon. I can layover 3X - 8X tippets with no problem. For dry flys you have to grease up the leader to make it float though.
I use furled leaders when I fish only dry flies. Usually I use some sort of tandem or dropper rig when legal. If I am fishing subsurface with only one fly I use either straight mono or a one step leader.
In my opinion, tapered leaders are over rated and there only benefit is when fishing dry flies on long leaders. I also think many people fish too light of a tippet and the tapered leader helps turn that over, but again this only really matters when fishing surface flies IMO.
tie my own although eventually I will try furled leaders. heard good things about them. if I like them I will learn to tie furled leaders too.
I use all three. furled, store bought and I tie my own. Furled are above all the best in 99% of most cases of fishing. Store bought leaders are good when you forget your leaders or wear one out. I tie my own for Steelhead. I requires a much shorter leader that is heavier then most. Which one do I like the best depends on the fishing, but if I was requeired to list it would be
furled
hand tied
store bought
furled turn over a fly really well, Hand tied are nice because you can get the right taper for the situation down side is the leader is only as good as the knots you tied. Store bought in a pinch will definately fill in in most cases
Ask Kaboom1! He makes some of the best I’ve seen!
It’s hard to say that there is some concrete benefit one way or the other. Tying your own is satisfying, much like tying your own flies or making your own rod. If you know how to tie a blood know, make a couple and give 'em a try.
I have leader recipes here:
http://www.hookhack.com/handtiedleaders.html
And you can learn a blood know here:
Hope that helps. Thanks.
Ron
I’m in the furled leader camp. After learning about them here on FAOL I bought a DVD from Kathy and made some from thread and 2# flourocarbon. Tried them this year and I am sold on them. I switched all my fly lines over to them.
Beaver
I too first read about them here and got into tying my own furled leaders. After the first cast I was sold. I use them almost exclusively now and like many parts of fly fishing , making your own may not be cost affective but it sure is gratifying.
I like furled leaders, thanks to Mr. Hise, his are the best. Now for the change below.
I have a friend in CO that’s a guide & says he just ties a 1x about 6’ long and then ties about 5’ of 6x or 5x on for fishing out of the his drift boat for all of his clients with no problems or complaints… He says they turn over well, I guess I’m going to try it.
Mr. Hise your’s are still the best for dry’s sir…perfect system.
mlc
Texfly
Oh contraire sir. Making your own is EXTREMELY cost effective! I like them not because I made them. I like them because they are great and cost effective. Try buying ONE tapered Orvis leader at Wal Mart.
I can make “10” furled leaders out of ONE $2.35 spool of fly tying thead. I made one out of cheap dark green thread from Wal Mart and these are the ones my friend PREFERS. This is a 75 year old chap that grew up on Henry’s Fork. At first he did not like the furled leaders. I kept giving him my learning ones. Not trying to sway him over at all. He is our fly club VP. I just gave them to him to experiment with because (he is open minded enough to try tyem) and they were not up to par for me. He is now converted and likes the cheapest one from Wal Mart above all. It’s Coats & Clark dark green…I think it stated at Wally Forest Green…not sure. But “300 yards” on a spool and his favorite. It has 37% cotton and the rest polyester. It is softer and has more give than fly tying thread or say type A rod wrapping thread. Therefore he likes the give it has built into it.
Anywhooo…I do agree and like them a lot.
gemrod
Ok, confession time and please don’t send me any leaders. it’s all my fault. You know how it is when a guy buys some widget from the Umptysquat company, he has to nearly swear that he loves the things or admit he was a jerk and made a stupid purchase. Well, this is not like that. So far you guys who make your own furled leaders all seem to actually like the things. I don’t like them.
I know, I’m wrong, It’s just me, but they ‘seem’ to be wimpy and not turn over with any flow of power. I might need to learn how to cast them or start making my own. Be patiant with me, I’m a slow lerner. 
JC,
Do you like tapered mono, hand tied, or straight leaders more for your dry fly fishing? Or maybe you use something cool that I’ve never even heard about?
Furled. Do you suppose there is a trend here? They have zero memory. I like that.
That is OK JC I find it is usually a love em or hate em thing.
Another confession…I have a &10,000 dollar machine in the dungeon to make furled leaders and I still use mono from time to time. Sometimes I like the way mono does a job better that a furled one. I don’t think I will ever switch to one or the other for all of my fishing.
Brad