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Hand Twisted Furled Leaders, no board.

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At this point I've tried 10# and 8# mono.  I like the 8# for small flies and prefer the 10# for anything weighted on my 3 and 5 weights.  I love that they don't have the memory of a typical mono leader. 

On 6/27/2021 at 1:45 AM, denduke said:

Made a few.   Loosing the fingerprints on my index and thumb....I

Try wearing a surgical glove on your twisting hand, it will give you the extra grip your looking for.

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Been making the heck outa them. Done changed most rods to them and experimenting with some short  furled tippets.   Got up to 25#.  You can feel the difference in the mono and fluro when twisting.  Wish there was a way to eliminate the Surgeon knot or they really would be slick.  Sure wish braided mono was available.  Could make eyes in them and might even plaid them together for knot free stuff...  Can dang near do the light line ones as fast as tying loops, joining  knots.  And like was said no memory and see the difference casting especially with the big and fluffy stuff.  I like to double the loop at fly line especially on serious stuff.  The leader loop bites/ chokes the running part of the loop rather than bottoming out and really deforming the loop mat’l...

Furled leaders....Another amazing aspect of this stuff garnered from this site.  Did anybody mention sliced bread? 😛Thanks!

E3833EA8-16C8-46E2-B4B9-4D642EE2ED0B.jpeg

C351E706-7EB6-42FB-86D0-0653E425269E.png

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On 7/2/2021 at 2:11 PM, denduke said:

Been making the heck outa them. Done changed most rods to them and experimenting with some short  furled tippets.   Got up to 25#.  You can feel the difference in the mono and fluro when twisting.  Wish there was a way to eliminate the Surgeon knot or they really would be slick.  Sure wish braided mono was available.  Could make eyes in them and might even plaid them together for knot free stuff...  Can dang near do the light line ones as fast as tying loops, joining  knots.  And like was said no memory and see the difference casting especially with the big and fluffy stuff.  I like to double the loop at fly line especially on serious stuff.  The leader loop bites/ chokes the running part of the loop rather than bottoming out and really deforming the loop mat’l...

Furled leaders....Another amazing aspect of this stuff garnered from this site.  Did anybody mention sliced bread? 😛Thanks!

E3833EA8-16C8-46E2-B4B9-4D642EE2ED0B.jpeg

C351E706-7EB6-42FB-86D0-0653E425269E.png

I'm really glad you're enjoying theses,  I certainly like the concept a lot.   I only fish with a 3wt and a 5wt so I don't need the diversity that you have made.   I really like the way these leaders "feel" while casting.  I tie them with 8# or 10# mono to a total length of 5' and use about 4' of tippet and that seems to be the sweet spot for my rods.  I prefer to float my leader and not use an indicator.  If you work the floatant into the braid with your fingers it seems to hold on to it longer than straight mono.  

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For anyone interested- I prefer to float my leader vs using an indicator.  This weekend I tried Mucillin green on these furled leaders with great results.  I worked it in with my fingers and it kept the leader section floating for hours.

image.png.9f6294d0b4674eb33a1f910323c07609.png

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Okay, I've used mono furled leaders a few times. For me I get tired of the spray coming off them and the commotion on the. I have a cyber friend who does his furled leaders in various styles and weights out of thread with a loop to line and leader ring on the smart end. Between what I've used in mono leaders by others and his thread leaders there is no comparison in performance with the Zen leaders being far superior IMO. YMMV

ps...You can buy his leaders as floating or sinking and his floating leaders really do and keep on for a long time if lightly cleaned.

 

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I've been playing around with different leader setups lately and have given some thought to trying out furled leaders.  This post just happened to catch me at the right time!  Couple of questions:

1) Most of you seem to indicate that you are using relatively thick mono to start with (20-30 lbs) and it seems to be that this would result in a very thick butt section.  What weight setup are you casting these with?  I was thinking of making one for my 4 wt since that's the rod I use the most, but I was thinking of starting with something like 4 or 6 lbs mono.

2) I wanted to put a tippet ring in mine like the first video shows, but on the finished leader his tippet ring looked loose in the loop that was left after twisting.  I have seen other furled leaders where the tippet ring looked like it was held tighter.  I imagine having the tippet ring loose like that would cause some problems with casting, but maybe it doesn't.

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On 7/18/2021 at 9:27 PM, danthebugman said:

I've been playing around with different leader setups lately and have given some thought to trying out furled leaders.  This post just happened to catch me at the right time!  Couple of questions:

1) Most of you seem to indicate that you are using relatively thick mono to start with (20-30 lbs) and it seems to be that this would result in a very thick butt section.  What weight setup are you casting these with?  I was thinking of making one for my 4 wt since that's the rod I use the most, but I was thinking of starting with something like 4 or 6 lbs mono.

2) I wanted to put a tippet ring in mine like the first video shows, but on the finished leader his tippet ring looked loose in the loop that was left after twisting.  I have seen other furled leaders where the tippet ring looked like it was held tighter.  I imagine having the tippet ring loose like that would cause some problems with casting, but maybe it doesn't.

Hi Dan - Question #1  4# and 6# will work with light/small flies but not well with any real weight on your leader (weighted/larger flies, split shot or indicators) I use 8# or 10# mono when I make mine which results in a butt section of 32lbs or 40lbs (4 strands).  The other half is 2 strands and will be 16Lbs or 20lb depending on what size you use.  I tie mine to a 5' total length with another 4' or more of tippet.  So 9' or more total leader.  Either of these sizes turn over beautifully on my  3 wt or my 5 wt.  The leader made from 10lb mono works better at turning over heavy flies and the 8lb mono is better for the lighter flies like dries or soft hackles.  

As for question 2 I'm sorry I can't offer any advise because I tie my tippet to the end loop directly with a clinch knot.

Their are many opinions about furled leaders vs a tapered leader.  Some of us love them and others not so much.   I think it really depends on what type of fly fishing and techniques you favor as to which category you'll land in.  My purpose with this topic was simply to let others know that you can make your own furled leaders without needing to set up a large cumbersome board.  These are simple, fast, inexpensive and anyone can make them.  They do have some shortcomings but offer the advantage of having no memory and a really long lifespan.   Make one with 8# or 10# mono and try it on your 4wt.  You don't need to add a tippet ring yet just tie the tippet to the end loop and have at it.  

 

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