The photograph here illustrate a current application of UNI-Thread (3/0, 6/0, 8/0) for building furled leaders. To learn more about the construction of furled leaders, consult Darrel Martin's book, Micro Patterns
The What, Why, And How of Furled leaders by Jim Cramer June, 2000
In 1995 I purchased my first two furled leaders while on a bike trip through Germany and Austria. By American standards they were quite expensive. Upon returning home, careful examination revealed that the furled section of both leaders quite short and their overall performance left much to be desired. The more I studied the leaders the more I knew that I could build a better leader. Some research and much experimentation and testing followed as I built many hundred leaders over the next few years.Following is a bit of what I have learned about the what, why and how of furled leaders. The What Five years ago probably less than one fly fisherman in a thousand had heard of a furled leader. Now thanks to the internet that number may be as high as five percent and growing quickly. In simplest terms a furled leader is like a very thin tapered rope. Multiple strands of material are twisted together to make a knotless tapered leader. This is not rocket science technology as the technique has been around since Izaak Newton’s time and was used by anglers in his day to make their horse hair lines and leaders. Then the material of choice was horse hair which was carefully knotted together in multiple strands before twisting.Today with modern materials the process is greatly simplified and the end product vastly superior. Custom leaders are easily constructed with a wide range of different characteristics to fit the requirements of many fishing situations. Having said that, I must also add that I believe that they excel for fishing small dry flies on flat spring creek type waters where presentation is crucial. They are not my choice for all fishing situtions. Note: A monofilament tippet is always used with the furled leader. I’m working on a furled tippet but that is another story. The Why Why should one consider using a furled leader? A very legitimate question. First, one must acknowledge that the primary purpose of the leader is to allow the angler to present the fly in the most natural manner possible. One could argue subsets of purpose, but the primary purpose remains the same. In many situations, not all, the furled leader accomplishes this primary purpose in a superior manner to the common monofilament leader. If one leader was to be called user friendly it would be a furled leader. A list of some of the advantages of the leaders - o Memory Free o Positive turnover provides increased accuracy o Reduced micro-drag o Natural elasticity protects light tippets o Gentle presentation eliminates leader slap o Compatible with a wide variety of tippet sizes o User Friendly, not prone to wind knots o High-visibility assists the angler in the tracking flies in adverse light conditions o Good retention of paste floatants o Excellent knot strength o Far less spray than hollow braided leaders, comparable to monofilament leaders The leaders are not without their disadvantages some of which are: o Positive turnover increases difficulty with curve and 'trick' casts o Thread leaders can mildew if put away wet in a warm dark place o Knots are difficult to remove I feel I need to add a few special comments. The first reservation most often voiced by those that have never used anything but a monofilament leader regards the leader’s visibility and susequent spooking of the fish. This is not a problem as the fish’s cone of vision is much less than two feet as they rise to a fly. Also remember that fish see a lot of flotsam and debris in the water and are not spooked by it, unless it moves unnaturally or casts a sudden shadow. On the other hand a little color helps the fisherman track his fly. A special example is when fishing the damsel nymph migration to shore in still waters; a bright yellow leader treated with Musclin keeps the nymph near the surface and makes it easy to track. A bulge in the water two feet behind the visible leader indicates a take before it is ever felt. Hang on! A visible leader makes it easier to track small dries in the fading evening light. I usually make my floaters of a light color and the sinkers of a dark color, however a bright leader can act as a long strike indicator when high-sticking with nymphs . The How Before discussing the how, lets examine some of the variables that are available in making the leaders. 1. Thread. Almost any thread or fine material like monofilament can be used in making furled leaders. Each brand and type of thread will exhibit it own characteristics in the finished leader.If you intend to make your own leaders I suggest that you experiment to see what suits your needs the best. After much experimentation my material of choice is either 3/0 or 6/0 UNI Thread.I have made many leaders of monofilament thread but I don't recommend it except for very special applications. Leaders made of monofilament tend to be stiffer and have more memory that those made of tying thread. Should you decided to try monofilament I suggest that you use the finest material available and increase the number of strands to achieve the desired strength.. For special applications leaders can be made of Kevlar or the super strong spun gel threads; but these materials do not stretch, and therefore do not protect light tippets. 2. Length. The leaders can be made in almost any length. Most of the furled leaders that I make are 6 to 9 feet in length which when combined with a tippet yield a leader of 9 to 12 feet. I have made furled leaders as long as 14 feet that I could turn over by hand. 3. Connections. It is easy to splice loops at either or both ends for loop to loop connections. For a fancier system a small stainless steel or silver ring can be built into the leader for the tippet connection. For my own use I omit the loops and use a jamb knot (Becket Bend) to attach the leader to a loop on the fly line, and attach the tippet with a double surgeons knot. 4. Taper. Three and five step tapers are most common. With the heavier threads and the shorter lengths I recommend the three step taper. For the longer lengths and lighter threads I prefer the five step taper. The steepness of the taper is easily varied. For light trout leaders try a 5 step leader of 6/0 thread with 14 strands in in the butt tapered to a 6 strand tip. The regular trout leader might start with 22 strands in the butt section. Almost any taper can be built into these leaders, but these are most common. With the interlocking loop layout system a six strand tip is standard but this also can be changed. (Breaking strength with UNI thread of a six strand 6/0 tip is 8 to 9 pounds, and the 3/0 a six strand tip is 12 to 14 pounds.) I recommend the light weight leader for use with the very light weight lines (0,1,2 wts), and the regular taper for most other applications. There is no correlation between the thread designation and the monofilament “X” designations. 5. Color. Color is limited only by available threads. I prefer Lt Cahill (pale yellow), white, or bright yellow for dry fly leaders as the angler can see and track his fly so much easier with those colors. Actual construction of the furled leaders involves three steps; the layout which determines the length and taper, the furling (initial twisting) and the forming (the joining of the legs) Several different approaches can be used to accomplished the layout; the two most common being interlocking loops and knotted strands. The layout generally consists of two legs although three legs could used. Visualize a “V” with each leg of the V representing one leg of the leader. Each leg is twisted several hundred times in the same direction. Then starting at the bottom of the V the legs are twisted in the opposite direction and allowed to progressively join one another, visualize a “Y”. There are several actual ways to preform these steps, most of which utilize a board or jig on which to do the layout. The twisting can be done with a whorl or a power hand tool like the Dremel. After using furled leaders for several years I’ve come to the conclusion that Mr. Walton and his friends were not as handicapped by their equipment as I once thought. As many guides say - “It’s 90% presentation and 10% fly selection”. You owe it to your self to give these leaders a try. END