The Uni-Thread Leader-Quite a Find!!

Rain, sleet, and a light dusting of snow have kept me inside most of the week with the exception of my gym time a couple of mornings. This time of year I am on the computer a lot watching fly fishing videos and doing some research involving fly fishing equipment and accessories. One of the accessories that got my attention this week was the Uni-Thread Furled Leader. It’s not that I had never heard of a furled leader but I wanted to learn more about this leader before I purchased a couple. The main reason I want to try a furled leader is drag problems I encounter at times fishing the mono leader especially on downstream drifts. I hope this leader will aid in eliminating some of the drag I experience when fishing a dry. What’s your take on the furled leader?

Testing The Furled Leader

Today I was back on the Sipsey to continue evaluating the furled leader. It passed the test last week as I used it high sticking pocket water. The main characteristic of the leader that really got my attention was its low memory. Once you remove it from the package and give it a slight stretch it is ready to fish without any coiling as opposed to a mono leader. I also noticed that I could control the placement of the tippet much better with this leader mainly because of the added weight of the strands that make up the leader. Also, the grey color of the leader helps me know exactly where my tippet was during the drift through the pocket water; superb leader for high sticking.

For today’s trip, I wanted to see how it would react when nymphing and dries were added to the mix. I arrived late today and had a couple of hours to give it a try. With no hatch occurring I decided to wade into position and let a nymph drift through a small run I hadn’t fished since last year. I was using a size 14 beadhead nymph and begin working it through the run. What I notice almost immediately was how much slower the drift was with this leader. The light 6X tippet stayed in front of the leader throughout the drift. Very little mending was needed because I was just letting the leader/tippet drift with the current. As I made cast after cast I would set the leader/tippet in position at the top of the run and the rest of the way it was on its own drift. I did notice at times the leader would overtake the tippet and fly in the fast sections of the run, but after a quick mend, it would correct itself and continue the drift.

Today was one of those outings that caused me to try numerous nymph patterns until I finally connected with a bow. This was my nymph trout for the day that help prove that this unconventional drift method really worked. Two other trout were missed that helped boost my confidence level.

I moved to another area of the tailrace to cast the leader using a dry fly. There was a small midge hatch occurring in a shaded deep run close to the opposite bank. The trout were surface feeding, but not what I would call aggressively. The midges were tiny so I tied on a size 20 Renegade. The white hackle on the Renegade helped me see the tiny fly much better. I was downstream from the hatch activity and casting upstream into the feeding zone. In other words, I wanted to see how the leader performed on a downstream drift coming back to me. As I made numerous cast upstream, I kept noticing how light the tiny little fly would touch the water. As the fly touched the water I would watch as the dry would float back above the leader/tippet without any mending, this I liked. The takes were always close to the spot where the trout were feeding. Using a 4 ½ ft. tippet enable me to get the fly in the feeding area without the furled leader being noticed; I was spot casting. I discovered this technique while watching videos from Jonathan Barnes, who uses the furled leader for all his fly fishing techniques. This downstream drift was my favorite technique I tried today and is one I will continue to use on future trips.



This rainbow along with others landed and lost was brought to the net using the downstream technique. I let this rainbow have the Renegade, which was deep in its throat. I hope it will survive to fight another day.   

High Sticking in Pocket Water

I wanted to try my new furled leader out today, so no generating and off I went to the Sipsey. I forgot it was a holiday weekend, so that explained all the vehicles in the parking area and on the side of the road for a weekday. This didn’t discourage me, because I knew exactly what I was going to do; use the high sticking method on some of the pocket water I normally fish with a mono leader mending technique. 

The video below shows some of the trout I landed using the High Sticking technique in this one particular hole which is about 5 ft. deep. A couple of boulders on both sides of the hole caused fast current in the seam and at the end of the hole, a swirl of back current creates the pocket. By starting the nymph drifting at the mouth of the hole, through the middle and into the back swirl; I got the maximum attention of the trout, which were settled in a depth of 4 to 4 ½ ft. I was using a 6 ft. furl leader with 5 ft. of 6X tippet, the tippet was the part of the leader that got the work. The water was super clear, so the lighter tippet made for more action.

P.S. I am using a new program call Handbrake to increase the volume on my videos now, it works great and I hope this is an improvement from my volume in the filleting video.

I'll use today’s trip as another learning experience in my quest to become a better trout fisherman!!  

Monofilament Leader Verses Fluorocarbon Leader---Opinion???

As I was fishing the tailrace the other day I kept noticing how my leader was reacting on the water surface. I realize that if one doesn’t get the line to lay straight on the surface after a cast, then you will encounter a coiled leader and tippet. If I can see the coil tippet then the fish can see the tippet. If you hit that sweet spot in your cast most of the time then there is no coil in the leader or more important in the tippet. It was a slow day on Thursday with Charles and me fishing the tailrace, and on those slow days I tend to notice little things that I wouldn't notice on a more active day. Thursday was one of those days, and that little thing I kept noticing was my tippet coil. Yes the cast plays a part in the coil, but not having your leader and tippet stretched before you ever start fishing also plays a big part in the leader/tippet coil. The more I cast the more I notice something else that many of us I am sure have seen; and that is being able to see your tippet on the water surface in gin clear water. The tailrace is always gin clear and most of the time I can see my leader and tippet line, which is mono. I don’t use the most expensive tippet line, which is fluorocarbon as opposed to your standard mono line. I do feel the fluorocarbon is less visible in the water, but according to research the mono floats somewhat better. Research also tells me that fluorocarbon tends to coil less coming off the spool, which of course would help with fewer coils on the water surface. So with these factors in mind I decided to do a little more research into the mono verses fluorocarbon leader/tippet concept. I thought the following read I found on the internet recently explains most of the issues I was trying to find answers for on Thursday; but I am also interesting in your opinion on mono verses fluorocarbon, and why would you choose either leader?  

 

Differences between Fluorocarbon and Monofilament.

• Material-fluorocarbon in made from a sophisticated polymer.  Mono is essentially plastic.
• Fluorocarbon is “More Clear” in clear water (refractive index is nearly identical to water.)
• Fluorocarbon is more abrasion resistant than monofilament in the same size.
• Fluorocarbon stretches less (almost none.)
• UV(sunlight) damages monofilament over time, but not fluorocarbon.
• Monofilament floats, fluorocarbon sinks
• Surprisingly, 10lb mono and 10lb fluoro are about the same diameter.



Orvis 'Super Strong' Leaders are monofilament.  Orvis 'Mirage' Leaders are flourocarbon.

Dry Fly Fishing: When water conditions are not gin clear, monofilament floats nicely.  And while mono is slightly heavier than water, surface tension holds the mono on the surface.  This will help keep dry flies on the surface.  When fishing a clear lake on a dead calm day, fluorocarbon may be better, because it is more invisible, but you will have to grease you fly to keep it floating.  But most dry fly fishing is on a lake that is tannic, or on a river that has a ripple surface.    Either disguises mono.  So, most of the time, use monofilament when fly fishing with dry flies.
Wet Fly or Nymph Fishing:  Fluorocarbon sinks.  This is a perfect match for fishing subsurface flies.  Even lightly weighted flies sink easily in a pond with fluorocarbon.  On the river, again the fluorocarbon sinks and gets flies down.  Don’t be mistaken, weighted flies are needed and sometimes split shot is still needed.  For anglers who refuse to use indicators, a mono leader with a fluorocarbon tippet creates a nice combination.  Make sure to seat the knot carefully when typing fluorocarbon to monofilament.
Top water popper fishing:  Mono, unless the water is gin clear, then use fluorocarbon.  If fishing a popper/dropper, use fluorocarbon on the dropper tippet.

Fluorocarbon tippets tied to a monofilament leader:  Originally not a good combination, but better now.  The flexibility/stiffness of the two materials may be different, so the tippet might be too stiff or limp for the leader that it was tied. Carefully flex your leader and see if transitions are smooth arcs, or lumpy.  This is easier than it sounds, and surprisingly critical to turning over a fly.  Ideally, use the same brand and type of tippet material and leader.  I prefer a 100% fluorocarbon leader (when using fluorocarbon.)  Also, the fluorocarbon has a shell-like exterior, so knots that are mediocre will hold in a mono to mono connection, but will not hold in a flouro to mono connection.  Make sure the knots seat perfectly, lubricate with moisture, and tighten slowly.  Newer flouro is easier to knot than the original fluorocarbons.
Recently, the makers of most fluorocarbon leaders removed expiration dates.  Simply, it has been found that UV does not degrade the material and the shelf life is perhaps five years or more.  It is also much more abrasion resistant, and the leader just last longer.  This is the economy fluorocarbon.  It is a great tool for the angler when applied properly.

 

 

 

 

 

Fluorocarbon Leader/Tippets a Winning Combo For Me

I have got into the fluorocarbon thing as far as leaders and tippets are concerned.  I like the fluorocarbon leaders and tippets much better than anything I have ever used because of the stealth technology and its strength. Another thing that impresses me about this leader is the non existence line twist that the tippet possesses. On most of the leaders I was using especially when fishing larger poppers for bass was the tippet twist. Most of the poppers I fish are the number 4 and 6 with the concave face. These type poppers will twist most conventional tippets when working them back to you. I switched to the fluorocarbon tippets recently and eliminated the twisting effect with a 3 and 4X size. Not only did these tippets work to perfection for me but I get the added bonus of the stealth technology. I am referring to the Fluorocarbon Mirage Leader/Tippet combo from Orvis. I really like the loop to loop connection for added ease and quickest of the setup. Orvis has got these combo’s at a great price right now for 9.00 instead of the 19.95 original price. When researching leaders lately I discovered Orvis offers a great Guide Chart to help you determined the correct leader and tippet size for any type fishing you might be doing. Check the chart out it is well worth the look. Have a great week everyone.

Questions on Leaders and Tippets Sizes

There are so many leader brands out there now that it is a wonder a fly fisherman knows which one to use. I personally like to use a 5X –9 ½ ft. when I am on the streams fishing for trout. When I am on the lake fishing for the gills and Kentucky Spots I like a 6X—7 ½ ft. but on crystal clear Smith Lake I like the longer leader with the 9 ½ ft. length. I usually like to use a tippet when my leader length has wasted a couple of feet. I have learned that I can make a leader last for numbers of trips if I keep a check on the length and know when to add tippet, to achieve the desire length. Leaders can be quite expensive and when one is on fix income you need to watch every penny that is spent. One of my buddies finishes off leaders faster than the wind changing directions. I am curious as to what type of leader do you guys used, and when is time to add the tippet? Do you enterchange tippet and leader sizes? Why would it be necessary to consider mismatching leader and tippet size? What is your take on some of the questions I have put out there today?

The Beartooth Braided Shocker Butt Perfection Loop

I always like to share products and any information about fly fishing I come across with my fellow bloggers. I recently purchased the Beartooth Braided Shocker Butt—section with spliced perfection loop. The main reason I went with this product is the break offs I had recently with my tippets on a fishing trip, especially when I set the hook with force. Randy at our local fly shop recommended I try the shocker butt and today I put it to good use with the wooly bugger on a spot in 5 ft. of water. It worked to perfection and what really surprised me was less tension on the tippet. I will diffidently keep using it especially when I am nymphing. The following is a description of the product---


The Beartooth Shocker Butt not only connects the fly line with any type of leader but incorporates an elastic, shock absorbing material that stretches to nearly twice it's original length, and cushions the sudden strike from the fish that would normally snap tippet. For more products by Beartooth check out their website   Beartooth Flyfising

Tinkering With The Furled Leader

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.

Considering Fly LInes, Tippets and Leaders

Fly fishing can be just as technical as bass fishing with one exception the computerized equipment. To be successful at fly fishing you need to know something about the equipment and all the accessories that is a part of fly fishing. I still get confused sometimes trying to match the tippet size, with the leader, the fly size, and the hook size verses the leader or the tippet size, not to mention the rod type to compliment the fly reel. So with that said I thought I would share with everyone a link I found on the Orvis website. There is some really good information on line, leaders, and tippets on the site. One can never learn enough about fly fishing. I find I learn something every time I get out on the water.

The Knotless Leader by Scientific Angler

Well I am still on fly fishing knots. I don’t know if any of you know much about this leader without the knot tie, but I have found out that this knotless leader has merit. It is the L2 Re-Connect Leader by Scientific Angler. Brandon at the local fly shop got these in on Monday. I have just got back from the lake yesterday trying them out and the first thing I notice was greater casting distance. The reason is because of the lock indicator, which by the way serves as an indicator and floats high in the water. Another thing I like is the extremely large butt taper down to an extreme 4X, 5X, and 6 X tippets choices. I like the fact that I can tie on 3 or 4 of my standard flies at home instead of at the lake, which gives me more time for fishing. All the leader snap ends are color coded so you know exactly what weight leader you are using all the time. The leaders are 9 ft. long with a breaking point at 10 lbs. plus. The following illustration shows exactly how the system works.  

With L2L Reconnect, you can adapt to changing conditions quickly and easily which means less time fussing and more time fishing.
You can connect line to leader in seconds. And unlike knots, L2L Reconnect offers great fly fishing advantages:
Quickly change leaders, line tips, and flies
Keeps line floating higher
Casts easily and slides smoothly through guides
Pickups with less friction – doesn't grab surface
Doubles as a high-vis strike indicator
L2L Reconnect Leader ends are color coded so you always know what size leader you're using.

There are two organizers which holds 4 leaders with the flies you have already tied before you hit the water. The organizers are stored in one side of the fly box, which is by Scientific Angler -----while the other side holds a selection of your files.
So there you have it-----------what is your opinion---I have tried them and they do everything the ads say they do. It was good being out on the water, and catching a few small bream and spots using the keystone minnow with this leader. I will be using it again this week on our local lake to see how it works with some dries and nympns. Check back for a report on that outting.