Hi all,

I am going to ask a really stupid question now. What is the point of a furled leader?

Pete.

It's not a stupid question Pete.

Some anglers feel that furled leaders give them better turnover than they would be able to achieve with mono tapered leaders.

Hope that helps,
m

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http://northcountryangler.blogspot.com

Hi Picture Pete

If you are a knot lover, even the thought of tying a knot-less leader might trouble you. But there are some distinct advantages. A furled leader tapers smoothly from butt to tippet. Additionally, a furled leader has no memory (at all). It is as limp as a dishrag. Consider, however, that furled leaders don’t kink. They have a superior shock absorption that in single-strand leaders is usually incorporated into class tippets (near the fly). Too, they turn over more smoothly than any step-down, knotted leader can. They land on the water like a butterfly. Nothing against a good knotted leader, but the step-downs are abrupt, and the knots can and do collect weed and slime.

We have a member who ties furled leaders who can probably do a better job of extolling the virtues of the FL than I can. Over to you Mr T

BK

Excellent answer BK, excellent. Furled Leaders are just starting to 'catch on' in my end of the world and lots of folks are posting up the same question.

Your's is the first one that I've seen that's short, sweet and to the point. Good on you!

Bookmarked this tread so I can find same in a second.

Fred

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It could also be said, that a lot of anglers who feel they cast well with a mono leader, suddenly find they cast even better with a furled leader.
Each to his own and all that.
S.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

Hmmm...not quite. A furled leader has distinct steps as anyone who has made one will readily understand. They do not have a smooth taper in the same way that an extruded tapered leader does. In this sense, a furled leader is much more like a knotted leader. Typically, they have 5 sections but can be made with as many or as few sections as one wants. (Granted, there are no knots to catch weed.)

As for shock absorption, that again depends on how they're made. The reason why some furled leaders provide a lot of shock absorption is because they have a weak or loose furl. I would hazard to estimate that commercially available furled leaders are only furled with a 10-15% compression factor, i.e. the final furled leader is 85-90% of the length of the strand runs pre twisting/furling. That's a very loose furl - the theoretical maximum tightness is equivalent to a furl reduction of 37%. What a loose furl means is that when the leader is tensioned, it can extend (shock absorption) but this comes with twist. The same thing happens during casting (albeit less so). So twist can be an issue. The other thing about a loose furl is that it can easily be damaged.

I furl to about a 25% compression factor. This makes for a hugely tighter furl, more robustness to the leader (if you have ever had to break off a snag with a furled leader that is loosely constructed you'll know you can end up with a twisted mess), less twist (with less shock absorption but more "feel") and better energy transfer (turnover). (A 37% compression would mean an infinitely rigid leader which is, of course, undesirable.)

I would say that an extruded tapered leader should have many advantages over a furled leader. The taper can be smooth (as opposed to stepped as in a furled leader or knotted leader) and there is also the opportunity to change the composition of the base material from butt to tip end so as, for example, to have a stiffer butt end and softer tippet. None of this is possible with a furled leader.

That said, I had fun making my furled leaders and greatly improving on the techniques used in order to achieve a tighter furl and better leader. If you look after them, a furled leader can last for quite some time (as would an extruded leader if you used tippet rings.) I make them with thread, copolymer tippet material (much preferred for dry fly fishing) and fluorocarbon (especially for saltwater). I can change the taper, butt thickness etc to suit each weight of line I use.

Try one and see, it might be the right thing for you but it may not, you got to try it for yourself, Its what feels and works right for you .

Cheers
Spencer

I, and others, are getting a heck of an education here. Keep it coming.

Link (to this) has been posted up elsewhere 4 times already.


fae

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"The problems we face today are there because the people who work for a
living are now outnumbered by those who vote for a living." -- Anonymous

Furled Leaders - My Thread (Just ignore the cr*p from the old dog AgedSage.)


BTW I should say that I do own a couple of furled leaders from Mr Trout. He does some nice work and I would recommend his leaders. I wanted to explore a tighter furl.

Thanks to everyone who replied to my question.I am going to try one to see how I get on with furled leaders.This is what I really enjoy about this forum,someone always has the answer.

Pete.