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Furled leaders to flip big flies??

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How are they as far as accumulating algae and other crap from the water? Most of the places I fish are weedy and algae filled, and even dirty. Do the furled leaders pick up a lot of junk in all the tiny crevices? When I used to use braided loop connectors, I would notice they got dirty pretty fast. Same with furled leaders?

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Fishing a lot of similar water....hadn't even began to consider the "debris factor"? :blink: Glad you found this thread! Great question!

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Yes, they'll get dirty. I hadn't noticed it too much, as the one's I've got are made with a green colored mono. If they're light colored or clear, then that type of water will certainly dirty them.

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I would imagine that could become troublesome if one was fishing light leaders for selective fish. I wouldn't think that would be the case for my particular application. Would it?

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It's never been a real problem for me. For trout fishing, since most of it is done in streams, I doubt you would see much debris in most cases. In still water, especially for bass in some locations it could be a problem. Most likely early in the season with pollens, and late with algae. The rivers I fish are dark, tannic colored, and sometimes there's algae & snot grass, but it's been no more of a problem than having to clean the knots on my single strand knotted leaders was. If the water is that dirty, I'm not sure I would want to be fishing flies anyway! <_<

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Big Bass love nasty cover....would think it may be a "slight" problem in clear streams for the more wild smallies...shouldn't be anything I can't deal with for the largemouths...thanks TWF

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Has anyone got any good info on making furled leaders?

 

What sort of materials and size specifications would youy suggest for casting big bass flies?

 

 

For Bass leaders I use 4 pound test Trilene. The furled leaders I make end up being about 7 1/2 feet long. What kind of specs are you looking for?

 

Bass season doesn't open in Minnesota until the end of May. You guys are killing me :)

 

Rootski

 

 

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I just started making them & can't believe how easy they are to make & how well they work. I've made them out of 6/0 & 3/0 uni thread, flat waxed nylon, 2 & 4# test mono & my favorite is light green 6# spiderwire which is about 5X. I make them in 7.5 ' & 5.5'. As for colors I'm still experimenting. I like light grey uni & the pale green spiderwire, pale yellow uni the best. I just made up a few 7.5 footers with about 18" of bright red butt & going down to a light grey 6 strand shroub loop tip. I haven't found any little solid rings for the tip yet so I loop each end. I put a small swivel on the end of one to try. I got all the info off the internet & I think I will get that video so

I can experiment with different materials & number of wraps. I've handed them out to a number of fishing buddies to get their opinion but no replies yet. The thing I noticed is that if you get a wind knot you better take it out right away or it becomes a hassle. Also the thread ones are very limp & after catching a fish you can't just cast them out past the rod tip like you would a normal mono leader. I've' also just made a few out of kevlar thread because I was told it would be a faster sinking leader but I haven't tried them out yet. I've put a loop on both ends of about 18" of 3X tippet & looped 1 end of 18" of 5X to it & it turned over reasonably well with a 12 caddis on the end. To those who are on the verge of making & using the jig I'll say do it you won't be disappointed & the money you'll save on mono tapered leaders in a year will more than pay for the materials & supplies needed to get started..Plus you'll have the admiration & thanks from your friends(as long as they don't fail while they have a fish on anyway).

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:rolleyes: Great thread, guys! It certainly has educated me. Steve, I recieved your leaders this (Friday) afternoon. Will be going after some whites and hybrids this Sunday...Will PM you with my "evaluation". Thanks for your thoughtfulness...and just so you can really get ready for Bass season, here's another nice little bass taken on my last outing with my 8 wt...

post-20880-1241211110.jpg

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The fall 07 issue of American Angler volume 30 issue 5 has a great article and instrutions for making your own faux furled leaders. It's a quick and easy process I made my first one in my living room while my wife watched some tear jerker on the wifetime channel in about fifteen minutes. Start with a 25 foot piece of mono tie it off to a door knob or other fixed object and stretch it to remove the memory coils. 1.Find the center point and fold in half forming about a half inch loop at the center point. Then spread the two free ends as far apart as possible seperate them around a chair or something to insure they remain apart. The loop you formed will become the end your tippet will attach to when your done. Gently pinch the junction of the loop you just formed between the thumb and forefinger of your left hand (if your right handed) gently is the key the line needs to be able to spin freely within and thru your fingers. 2.With your right hand grasp the bottom of the loop, just above your left hand fingers, and begin rolling the pair of lines between your right thunb and finger. Gently pull as you twist, letting the fingers of your left hand giude the lines together, and the twisted line will feed out of your right hand fingers. 3. Once you've pulled out two to three inches of twisted leader, reach back to your left fingers and repeat the twist and pull. Keep spinning the lines toghether until you reach the free ends. 4. Once you've twisted the two legs all the way to the free ends, the leader should be stable enough that it wont unravel: at least not much. Your leader is a little less than half the length of the mono you started with. 5. Take the now-twisted lone by the free ends-opposite the loop end-and fold that end over the rest. But this time, make your fold at about the one-third point of the total lengthfrom the free end, rather than at the halfway point. Again, form a small loop at the fold(now in the doubled portion), pinch it between your thumb and finger again, and start twisting , just as you did with the single strands. 6. the loop you formed will connect the leader to the fly line. 7. Once you've twisted the full length of the free end leg onto the longer, loop-end leg, tie a double surgeon's knot at the junction of the free end and the double strand to lock it together. Trim the tag ends of that knot and your done with the leader. Tie a perfection loop in your tippet and your loop to loop connected. Start with a longer or shorter piece of mono or fold at the one-third point to change the length of the finished leader. Like i said I twisted one up pretty quick I have only fished it once but I was trowing a pretty large bass bug in the wind and was turning it over very well but I haven't fished it enough to form a solid opinion. I hope thats not too confusing those instruction a verbatim from the article so if you have any questions just let me know. Hope it helps happy hunting.

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Mr Teeter,

 

Thank your for your contribution! Great instructions! I think I have that issue in my archives in the "man cave" ( wife-speak for garage)

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Teeter - never heard of that method before. How much of a taper does it actually give you?

 

I recommend doing a search for a Shorb Loop. Use it on both ends and it gives you a solid loop with zero knot bulk.

 

Deeky

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Teeter - never heard of that method before. How much of a taper does it actually give you?

 

I recommend doing a search for a Shorb Loop. Use it on both ends and it gives you a solid loop with zero knot bulk.

 

Deeky

 

 

Well I guess it gives you a two to one taper, your base section would consist of four strands of whatever pound test you started with, and the forward "tippet" section would be just two strands of base material. That being said the base section would be four times stronger than the forward section would be twice as strong as the lb test line you started with.

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I just started tying furled leaders myself. There is a furled leader forum http://furledleaders.proboards.com it has help me out alot. There is alot of good info about them here. I made couple today with some gudebrod thread. I am going to test them tomorrow. Here is how you make a shorb loop http://www.furledleaders.co.uk/pdf/how-to-shorb-loop.pdf

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