I have starting tinkering with the idea of making my own leaders. I have scan the net and found that the Furled Leader is one that I might try to make myself. There can be a lot of work in creating a nice leader that should last all season, so I am following the instructions in this
video, I found on the net. Take a look and see what your opinion is.
Bill, great idea! how ever I think it would be more trouble than its worth. Way too heavy for dry flyin and what about hooks and such sticking in the twists.. Looks like the point of the twists is to have less knots and still get a taper.. yet there is a surgeons knot, in the fat butt section and a loop at the other.. I believe you can make a better leader by..
ReplyDeleteTying a piece (16") of 30lb to your fly line and leave it there for two seasions, to this you can use three 3' pieces of leader tapering down in size leaving you a 9 foot tapered leader with two knots. attach that to that butt section with another blood knot (use the blood knot)!!! or a loop to loop. its lighter, hook friendly, and it's way easier to tie two blood knots rather than twisting and twisting,, which when layed parralell will merry up and twist together.
Cool idea though Bill, do, make your own leaders but play with the methods. and if you dont already know it well... you need to know the blood knot, it will help you on the stream..
I like the idea of the 16” ---30 lb test—so you are saying to start with say an 8lb, 3ft. long and add a 6lb 3ft. long and add a 4lb 3ft. long to gradually taper down using blood knots through out. I agree with you that the twist could be cumbersome and hard to keep the fly from getting caught in the twist. I am heading to the Caney next week and I will try the method you are talking about. I like experimenting with different types of leaders especially if it is going to save me some money. Leaders can get expensive, especially if you buy the furled leader.
ReplyDeleteyea but I think 20lb then 12lb then 8lb makes for a 9 foot 3x then you can add a foot of 4x or 5 to get it what you want... this leader will "roll over" real clean and lay down a small bug real quiet.
ReplyDeleteBill... Regarding the furled leaders, they are something you should try, just to see if you like the way they fish, but before I got too wrapped up in making my own, I'd go out and buy one, then spend some time on the water with it. You'll never know if the girl can dance until you take her on a date! I would recommend that you stay away from the "braided leaders" like Orvis sells as they hold a great deal of water on the pick up and can create rain showers while false casting. There are advantages and disadvantages to all styles of leaders and a lot will depend on your fishing style.
ReplyDeleteBigerrfish
ReplyDeleteI think that set-up with the 20lb as the butt section is better than the 30 lb. ---so this will actually make the leader a little over 10 ft. which would work where I would be fishiing on Thursday. The water is super clear, and the further I can get the fly from the trout the better. This is the set-up I will use on Thursday. Check back for the post.
Midgeman
ReplyDeleteI agree that the braded furl leader could kick up some water on the pick up, which in turn would result in a slower pick up. I am going to try one to see if I like the feel and how it performs with different flies. The most important aspect of any leader to me is how it will present the fly to the surface of the water--in other words is it a life act presentation? Of course a lot of this presentation depends on the angler. At this point I am in search of that type of leader, wheater it is one that I have made or the furl leader.
Mr. Trussell,
ReplyDeleteRegarding your considering the use of furled leaders and eventually making your own I would side with the comments of your reader Midgeman. Furling a leader is not difficult, but before you jump on the band wagon you should purchase a good quality furled leader and fish it for a few days. A simple internet search will bring you to a number of sites where you can purchase furled leaders in a number of configurations including weight forward models that would be extrordinary when you're fishing bass bugs or large flies. I am a member of the San Fransisco Casting Club and a number of our members much prefer the furled leaders to their older hand tied or manufactuered tapered leaders and for several reasons. First is their ability to turn over smoothly even under windy conditions. Two is the fact that their mass causes them to lay out in a straighter line increasing accuracy. All of this adds up in competition casting! On the water, a reasonable caster can lay out the full furled leader with four to five feet of their desired tippet and fly quite easily. A good caster can add more length to the tippet and realistically turn over between seven and ten feet of tippet with fly. As to concerns of having a fly penetrate the furl while casting, that is extremely rare as the furls are tight, will give you a cleaner loop and help solve any trailing loop problems you might have. As to delicacy of presentation the furls will deliver a fly as delicately as any leader made providing you properly turn over the leader at the right height above the water and they almost eliminate micro drag as they are not effected nearly so much as a normal leader by micro currents. Last but not least they are forgiving with fine tippets as they have stretch, but no memory. You get a positive hook set and can still protect 6X or smaller tippet with a great deal of confidence. They are somewhat expensive, but if an angler purchases two they will have a fishable leader for a full season. I also agree with your reader regarding the braided leaders. There is a huge difference between furled and braided! The furled leaders dress nicely to float, pick up no more water than a hand tied leader and do not mist when false cast. The braided design is just the oppostie. The braid does not float well and because of it's woven make up it absorbs a great deal of water and mists on every pick up.
The end result being that you really should try casting a furled leader for a few days! I think you'll be impressed and in as much as you seem to concentrate your trout fishing to a tail water the extra length it will add to your casting and the delicacy of the delivery should increase your catch!
Nice blog by the way!
Anonymous
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the information. I will certainly use your suggestions when I purchase the leader and start using it. I am convinced that the furled leader is probably the one I will go with because of the presentation of the fly. I like the fact that I can have added distance to my cast with this type leader also. Again a big thanks to all who commented on the furled leader. Check back for a report on it performance this next week.