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The Mad Duck

Furled Leaders

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Has anyone here ever used a Furled Leader? I've been looking into making them, but before I build a jig to make them,I'd like to hear from anyone that has used them. Pros? Cons? Tips?

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I'm one of the few who don't like them ... it seems. This topic has come up before, and on one of them, a nice member sent me one to try out.

 

I used it for several trips. I didn't notice a great improvement in my presentation. (could be me and my style of casting) I also didn't notice that it improved anything about the fishing experience.

 

What I DID notice, was the drops of water that always seemed to hit me in the face when I picked up for the next cast. I had to stop and wipe off my glasses every couple of "cycles".

 

I took it off. Few people could afford to pay me enough to use one again !!!

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I like furled leader, I built a jig and I furl my own. The problem with furled leaders, and I believe this was Mike's problem, is that they are infinitely adjustable in length, taper, steps, slope and tightness. Everybodies cast is different so trying to furl a standard leader that's perfect for everybody is impossible.they really must be dialed in to the individual. The only other problem is I can furl enough leaders to last a life time on one rainy day. I might break out my jig once a year.

 

If your building a jig don't get fancy with different holes to move pegs around. Just mount your pegs on some 2 inch wide by 4 inch long 3/4" hardwood and use hand spring clamps to put them where ever you like. This way you can use the deck railing, length of 2 by 4 or work bench as an extension so you can furl really long leaders. I have an 8' board and if I need a longer leader I just clamp the pegs to a bench or whatever for the additional length.

 

My gear box is some gears pulled out of an old VCR and sandwiched between plywood. The gear box is driven by a screw in the center gear spun with a drill and star bit.

 

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I've been using them for about 20 years now. I was introduced to them on the FF@ list back them. I swapped fly tying materials for the first batch I got and the rest I got by swapping flies and materials. They're very durable and I still have a few I haven't used yet. They range from ones that I use for trout to ones that will turn over my larger bass flies. I'm not mechanically inclined so I never built a jig. All the ones I have are made from tying thread and have loops at both ends. I did buy one a couple of years ago made from fluorocarbon which had a tippet ring I clipped it off. I use them mainly for fresh water fishing. Each year I treat them with Water Shed to keep them floating. I've never had an issue with them spraying me with drops of water like Mike. I've made a couple of "twisted leaders" that I use in salt water out of fluorocarbon. Nothing fancy, usually about 5 feet long. If I do one out of 20 lb line, tapers from 80 lb to 40 lb and I use a 20 or 25 lb fluorocarbon tippet. To my surprise they turn over well. So I'm a big fan or the furled and twisted leaders. I use to hand tie my own leaders but these work a lot better for me.

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Furled leaders are about the only kind I have used for the last several years. Haven't tried them on bass as I'm just starting to look at bass with a fly rod. Built my own jig, use a drill instead of a gear box. I did drill holes so I can move the pegs for different lengths. I use 2 2x4s and make my own furled lines for Tenkara as well as my trout leaders; anywhere from 5' to 15'. Have never had the problem of water dripping in my eyes and have used mono as well as thread. I personally prefer mono but others swear by thread. I put loops at each end and do not use tippet rings. The biggest problem I see with furled leaders is when you catch tree trout, the leader stretches and then curls after releasing from the tree.

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Furled leaders are about the only kind I have used for the last several years. Haven't tried them on bass as I'm just starting to look at bass with a fly rod. Built my own jig, use a drill instead of a gear box. I did drill holes so I can move the pegs for different lengths. I use 2 2x4s and make my own furled lines for Tenkara as well as my trout leaders; anywhere from 5' to 15'. Have never had the problem of water dripping in my eyes and have used mono as well as thread. I personally prefer mono but others swear by thread. I put loops at each end and do not use tippet rings. The biggest problem I see with furled leaders is when you catch tree trout, the leader stretches and then curls after releasing from the tree.

 

Tree Trout..I fish for Tree Bass and Tree Bream, all of the time,ha ha. Maybe the furled leader isnt the best route for me.

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I learned to make furled leaders from a very good, very simple DVD produced by Kathy Scott, a bamboo rod builder from Maine. Here is a link to a brief article talking about her method, as well as Kathy's snail mail and email addresses in Maine, where you can write to obtain a copy of the DVD.

 

www.flyanglersonline.com/prorevw/kathyscott.php

 

It is by far the simplest and easiest to follow instruction on the subject that I've found. I've used her formula to make furled leaders of all different lengths and thicknesses, and they've all worked beautifully. I used to sell them on eBay years ago, and got good reviews back.

 

Pro Tip -- coat them liberally with mucilin wax or a good paste-type fly floatant (Dave's Bug-Flote is good if you can find it) before use, and they will float for a long time.

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Haven't used one and won't likely, It's a simple 5 minute task to build a tapered leader that is customized to the "today's fishing conditions"; and that can be endlessly adapted, longer, shorter, compound tapered, no taper, stiff or limp or stiff butt and limp front or really any thing.

I don't get how furled leaders can be adapted? Do you carry several and switch them out for different conditions?

 

Mike, that water slinging might be the ring, the first/only time I used a tippet ring I got splashed a lot.

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I'm not much of a fan either except when I'm fishing one of my silk lines. I get my silk furled leaders from Zen Outfitters and treat them with boiled linseed oil let them cure then wipe them with Mucilin. They turn over amazingly well. For all other lines I use my own hand-tied leaders most of the time.

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On the water they are adapted by simply tying on a different length or X tippet. I like them because there is no memory, no coils, no knots, they float like a cork, no wind knots, soft landings, they are easier to see, they will last an entire season and more, and I don't have to pack a small hoard of tippet material. For fishing on top, for me, there is simply nothing not to like about them. I also like them for nymph fishing shallow water.

 

Tying them by Kathy Scotts method is fine and furling them with just a drill and no gear box is certainly a fine alternative but it lacks the precision and repeatability of a gear box which allows you to apply a consistent weight and reduction percentage. The precision of a gear box allows for exact replication of each and every leader. a gear box is simple to construct. Furling a leader with just a drill, for me, is a royal PIA which is why I took an hour and slapped together a gear box. I was going to built a better gear box to power with a sewing machine motor but my slapped together one is still working fine after years and years of use.

 

I like a tippet ring at the end but will fish them without a ring with little concern.

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Some of my monofilament hand tied leaders last two or three seasons if I just use that line for the same kind of fishing, except for the repeated work on the tippet. On the other hand I have cut back and redesigned the entire leader several times in a long day, when changing water or fish or going from midges to streamers or jigs. .

Different strokes and all that. I tend to be pragmatic and frugal, it looks like a furled leader has enough material in it to make 50-100 single strand leaders, plus construction time.

Can you make a good 4' furled leader? and change it to 8' quickly? . I probably should read up on them again, see if I new articles make any more sense to me than they did a while back.

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Making a 4' furled leader into an 8' leader would be magical. Unfortunately you can't. You would have to change leaders which is quick with the loop to loop connection. Probably a better way to look at furled leaders is to consider them the first 60% of your leader. Finishing out the leader with tippet. I will use a 6' furled leader and a 4' tippet and nip it away to 3'. Sometimes shorter depending on what I'm doing and how aggressive the fish are. Sometimes I use a 5' furled leader with a 3' tippet that I can nip away to 2'.

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