ok so i think im gonna try some cutthroat leaders but im a little confused. i have used the search function but dont see the answer to my exact question. I udo alot of fishing on tail waters finicky fish small flies, 12ft 6 or 7x alot . so im assuming the dry fly leader with 6ft or so of 6 or7x question is since that furled leader is fairly large does it spook fish and second will that long of a tippet turn over and allow me good accuracy seems like it would still not want to turn over and would make the fly kind of drift around and not land right where i want it.my goal is the most drag free drift and to eliminate having to change leaders after adding tippet a couple of times.
question about furled leaders
- Thread starter dpreller
- Start date
Definitely give the furled leader a try. I love it for delicate presentations and turning over long tippets, though I also use it for nymphs, hoppers, etc. Really use it for everything unless I'm swinging streamers for bass.
While it is not as clear like mono, furled leader does taper down from a thicker butt section to a thinner tip section. Also, remember that a tapered mono leader still casts a shadow and can spook fish when it's floating on the surface, so the furled leader is not as much of a disadvantage as you might assume.
While it is not as clear like mono, furled leader does taper down from a thicker butt section to a thinner tip section. Also, remember that a tapered mono leader still casts a shadow and can spook fish when it's floating on the surface, so the furled leader is not as much of a disadvantage as you might assume.
cattech89
Well-known member
dpreller,
I've not found that the large furled leader spooks fish very often, especially if you have long enough of a tippet. The furled leader will actually help you give a softer presentation. If you must have a tippet so long that you have problems turning it over you can step down your tippet. (e.g. leader, 4x, 6x.) That should help to transfer energy and help you turn over the tippet.
I've not used Cutthroat leaders but I've heard good things about them. Personally, I use Joni's leaders. http://utahflygoddess.yolasite.com/
She's a forum member and I've never had a bad product from her.
Just my half-nickel...
I've not found that the large furled leader spooks fish very often, especially if you have long enough of a tippet. The furled leader will actually help you give a softer presentation. If you must have a tippet so long that you have problems turning it over you can step down your tippet. (e.g. leader, 4x, 6x.) That should help to transfer energy and help you turn over the tippet.
I've not used Cutthroat leaders but I've heard good things about them. Personally, I use Joni's leaders. http://utahflygoddess.yolasite.com/
She's a forum member and I've never had a bad product from her.
Just my half-nickel...
fredaevans
Well-known member
As do I. I even use these things on my 2handers, work a total treat laying out at the end of a 90'ish foot cast. Only thing that I'd add as 'a must' is the tiny (2-3mm) ring on the end. Makes changing out the added tippet section a no brainer.
The sinking ones do just that, they sink like a rock. In the 2hander world you put one of these on in front of an intermediate sinking head (Scandi/Skagit head) and you are down deeper, faster, longer than you'll be with almost any head system. Better yet, the rig rolls right back to the surface (effortless) for the next cast.
And if you're fishing for Steelhead, you'll have lots of 'next casts.'
Forgot to add: If you want a floater (or sinker) give the furled leader a light coating of a musilen (or 'SinkIt). These things (usually) are made with material that will absorb water. A good thing, but if you want a 'all day' floater, you should give same a bit of help.
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I even use them for that. Just out of curiosity, why not?
I have become a serious fan of furled leaders. I also use Joni's leaders but have heard good stuff about Cutthroat leaders as well. I like furled leaders a lot more than I thought I would and really regret not trying them sooner.
silvertip8k
Well-known member
I have been using furled or braided leaders for many years...first off I like the fact that they absorb some shock experienced w/ larger species ( or just bigger trout...20" and plus size)...also that they lay out so well...
I use them rather than regular leaders a lot( probably 90%), tying onto them a length of flouro tippet rather than the typical use of leaders...
even w/ dry flies I use the same and just "grease" the flouro w/ ginks or similar for flotation...
I use them rather than regular leaders a lot( probably 90%), tying onto them a length of flouro tippet rather than the typical use of leaders...
even w/ dry flies I use the same and just "grease" the flouro w/ ginks or similar for flotation...
I have used it for that. In Michigan I'd swing streamers waiting for the hex to start and I'd be ready to switch to dries. If I'm just doing streamers on my 6 or 8wt I just put on 4 feet of straight mono and don't worry about taper or anything.
darwin
Well-known member
I fish the San Juan River in New Mexico a few weeks each year and I now always use a furled leader for dry flies or nymphing. I will not go back to tapered leaders. Easy to add Gink or Xink where needed.
thanks guys you are a wealth of info. im definetly gonna give them a try for dries. one more question. if you use the nymph leader how much tippet do you use. im generaly fishing fairly shallow water no more than about six feet and not real swift. or should i just use the floater and add tippet.
caseywise
Well-known member
i am a furled leader convert as well
besides being incredibly versatile, they are virtually memory free and, with the tippet ring, a breeze to change tippets.
as far as length, i mainly use 5' leaders and adjust accordingly
casey
besides being incredibly versatile, they are virtually memory free and, with the tippet ring, a breeze to change tippets.
as far as length, i mainly use 5' leaders and adjust accordingly
casey
A major difference between a furled leader and a single strand leader is the way each of them transfers the energy generated by your cast out to your fly.
A furled leader relies on it's inherent mass, it behaves just like your fly line does. On the other hand, a single strand leader typically has much less mass, so it relies on it's stiffness to turn itself over. So a well designed furled leader can turn itself over while being more supple. The more supple a leader is, the better it is able to deal with variance in currents as it floats on the surface.
I just about always fish with a furled leader, but I just about always fish with dry/damp flies. The larger diameter of a furled leader can become a consideration if I want to sink the leader thru the water column. A single strand leader has a smaller cross section, hence all things being equal, provides less resistance to cutting thru the water when it sinks.
One of the reasons I like a furled leader for the types of fishing I do is that I often like to swing my fly. Since the furled leader is larger in diameter, it is easier for the current to "catch" it and create the swing I want to impart.
Hope that helps a bit.
have fun,
A furled leader relies on it's inherent mass, it behaves just like your fly line does. On the other hand, a single strand leader typically has much less mass, so it relies on it's stiffness to turn itself over. So a well designed furled leader can turn itself over while being more supple. The more supple a leader is, the better it is able to deal with variance in currents as it floats on the surface.
I just about always fish with a furled leader, but I just about always fish with dry/damp flies. The larger diameter of a furled leader can become a consideration if I want to sink the leader thru the water column. A single strand leader has a smaller cross section, hence all things being equal, provides less resistance to cutting thru the water when it sinks.
One of the reasons I like a furled leader for the types of fishing I do is that I often like to swing my fly. Since the furled leader is larger in diameter, it is easier for the current to "catch" it and create the swing I want to impart.
Hope that helps a bit.
have fun,
wt bash
Well-known member
I'm going to the one guy so far the bucks the trend here but fishing over the Maxima Cum Laude fish of the Pa Limestoners if your furled leader absorbs any water and throws spray anywhere near a fish you target say good bye. If you apply payette paste regularly it shouldn't be an issue but for me if the professor fish are looking up I get too excited to think about pastes and floatants so I switched back to long mono. All my other fishing, dries wets and nymphs, is done with Joni's leaders and I've fished Cutthroat's too. Where I think they shine is swinging wets and soft hackles, they're very sensitive and you can feel the subtle tick that sometimes happens while swinging the small stuff and gives you enough warning to make a mend and drop the fly back a little for a second take. That and getting deep without a clunky sink tip, soak it in Sinket and it drops like a stone without all the added weight and casting issues.
I don't disagree with you in that there is no one universal solution which is optimal for every situation and condition. I will say that I haven't seen a problem with furled leaders trapping water, but that's not to say it won't happen.
One type of leader that does tend to throw a spray is a braided leader. Braided leaders are hollow inside, due to the way they are constructed. They do tend to suck up and hold water. Furled leaders on the other hand aren't hollow. That's not to say they might not be fairly loosely furled, or they might be made of a material that tends to absorb water, in which case they could cause a spray.
As with all things fishingwise - Different horses for different courses.
fredaevans
Well-known member
Good call there '22' on the differences in construction. The materials the FL's are made of is all important. If you want it to really float over a long period of casting you do need to goop it, or conversely 'sinkit.'
With fishing dry, the cast will tend to knock out a lot of the water .. but time/materials used may/will take care of that being a 'non-starter.'
With fishing dry, the cast will tend to knock out a lot of the water .. but time/materials used may/will take care of that being a 'non-starter.'
wt bash
Well-known member
On a good freestone it's never been an issue but the FSB and Big Spring fish will spook at your footsteps if you just cruise on up to the bank. If you've ever fished these little creeks you'd get what I mean (I'm sure DePuy's/Armstrog and other Western waters can be as fickle). The fish are tough to find and when you do find one pushed up against the bank or sipping olives somewhere out in open water, my heart gets a'pumping and I'm more concentrated on the currents I have to deal with over how long ago did I smear some paste on there. Its a bummer too because you can really lay down a slack cast with the furled leaders and they cast great off the tip but for my own laziness when I'm on the Ivy League streams I tie on a 12/15' mono leader following the Harvey method.
I have used furled leaders when dry fly fishing for trout or poppers for bass and sunfish and I really like the way they perform. I mostly nymph fish with a small thingabobber for trout and continue to use a traditional tapered leader. I really would like to switch over to a furled leader but I am unsure how to set it up with the strike indicator. I like the furled leaders with the tippet rings and some of the runs it is not uncommon to set a depth of 3-1/2 - 4 feet between the strike indicator and the nymph. My question is how to set it up with the thingabobber? Do I just tie on 5-6 feet of tippet and adjust depth accordingly keeping the strike indicator below the tippet ring? Intuitively that seems like the only way to do it, but then the total leader will be 10-12 feet in length. I would appreciate hearing how others use a furl leader with a strike indicator.
If you get a 4 or 5ft furled leader you'll be in the ball park of a 9' tapered mono leader anyways. I have put the indicator on the tip of the furled leader if I needed just a bit more depth, but usually don't need to with 5 or 6 ft of tippet.
You would set it up the same way you do with a mono leader. I assume it would be a better non slip surface for the thingamabobber also. I have never used them so I'm guessing here but if I were to crimp a splitshot on a furled leader I know it would hold better than on mono. I haven't done that either. I had an idea that involves a thingamabobber so I am going to give it a try this next summer. I can't imagine the furled leader posing a problem.
theboz
Well-known member
Rarely do I use indicators or thingamabobbers but I did start using furled leaders this year and they are great! While Salmon fishing this year got into a lengthy discussion with some local guides about furled leaders. They all used them and all put the indicators at the last loop of the furled leader. I say loop because we all use mono furled leaders with no tippet ring. They then adjust the tippet attached to the furled leader accordingly. I would think you could do the same with the thread furled leaders with the tippet rings as well .
This system would allow you to change the length or strength of your tippet without effecting your indicator placement.
Sort of like having those plastic bobbers with the red nipple that you push in to adjust your depth!
This system would allow you to change the length or strength of your tippet without effecting your indicator placement.
Sort of like having those plastic bobbers with the red nipple that you push in to adjust your depth!