New to using furled leaders.

FAOL Community Fly Anglers Online
1

Hello all,
I received some furled leaders and have been trying them out. I like the way they turn flies over easily. I was wondering if these are a good idea if you mostly fish subsurface, swing streamers or flies that need to get down to the bottom of say 3-5’ pools? I mostly fish for smallmouth and have some craw patterns I wanted to try. The furled leaders seem really nice for dry fly and topwater fishing, and that is all I have tried with them so far.
Janus

2

Janus,

While I’m not an authority on furled leaders the ones I have used for subsurface work are typically made from fluorocarbon. Since it tends to sink, I get the best below the surface performance from these. Either with a flourocarbon or wieghted mono tippet from three to five feet long. At the depths you describe (3 - 5 ft) I wouldn’t think you’d have much of a problem getting down to the bottom with any leader or tippet combo as long as it is appropriately weighted, either on the fly or on the tippet.

I’m sure others with greater furled leader experience will chime in but that’s my limited perspective.

3

If I’m fishing the surface water, I treat my furled leaders with red Mucilin. I’f I’m fishing subsurface (3’-5’) I don’t treat the leader and I use a sink tip or full sink line depending on the speed of the current. I don’t fish a dry with dropper rig because that’s too much for my feeble mind to consider.
But, that’s just me. :p:p:p

4

Janus;
For subsurface fly’s I recommend a 7’ furled leader made from Berkley “Vanish Transition” fluorocarbon and 4-6’ of fluorocarbon tippet. It’s the fastest sinking fluorocarbon I’ve found, and I’ve tried many!
PM your mailing address and I’ll send you one to try.

5

Janus
More than 90% of my fishing is for smallies on flies. As Jack says fluoro carbon will sink quicker but if you only have mono leaders they will work under the conditions you are describing just fine. You will need a little weight for the pools of course. I add the weight in the flies I tie. I have also been fishing poppers and surface flies for bass with a furled leader and have tied on woolly buggers right after on the same leader set up. If I need to go a little deeper I just make the tippet longer. Furled leaders are very versatile.

6

Thanks for all the input…steelhead are leaving smallies are coming in here now so I just wanted to be prepared.
Janus