Furled leader FAQs...
The art of making furled leaders dates back hundreds of years, yet many still prefer them to modern plastic leaders because of their unique casting abilities. Because of their increased mass, they transfer the energy of your cast more efficiently than any plastic leader can. That means greater turnover of even the largest flies, with very delicate presentation.
The act of casting a fly with a fly rod and line, is a very complex process involving mass, inertia, energy, speed, levers, pivots……you name it. To me, the simplest way to describe why a furled leader is better at transferring energy, is to simply look at the mass of the fly line, and how it transitions down the leader, to the tippet, then finally, the fly. With a furled leader, the mass is far greater than a plastic leader, so the mass of the line and energy of the cast is dissipated smoothly, resulting in a gentle presentation where you aim it. With a plastic leader, the energy loss can either be too abrupt (leader lacks mass), resulting in tippet and fly piling short of target -OR- with too short/stiff of a plastic leader, the fly and leader can slap the water. That just doesn’t happen with furled leaders. As I’ve mentioned several times, it’s all about the effective transfer of energy. You need to take the very considerable energy of your cast, and place a tiny fly, with comparatively no mass/weight in a specific spot, generally far from where you stand, and also place it delicately to represent a real fly that has even less mass and weight! No easy task. Have you ever noticed the profile of a bull whip mimics the profile of a fly line? Have you ever snapped a fly off on your cast (yes, you did, we all did!). That’s because the transfer of energy was so abrupt that it caused the bull whip’s tip (or your fly) to ‘turn’ so quickly, that it literally broke the sound barrier, creating that snap sound. Yes, this is an extreme comparison, but the point is, if you where to properly taper the tip of the bull whip down, in stages, to the diameter of tippet, it would no longer be able to ‘crack’, as the transfer of energy would be so efficient that it would be impossible to make it crack. The idea is exactly the same in casting flies-take the energy of your cast and have it dissipate to exactly zero in the exact spot you want your fly to land, so delicately, the fish thinks it is a real fly.
Ok, enough of my long-winded explanation. I’m sure it was filled with inaccuracies, to boot. Feel free to message me with any corrections! However, I think it demonstrated my point, which is that a furled leader simply transfers energy far more effectively/efficiently than any plastic leader ever could, and it’s simply science, not simply being nostalgic. Don’t even get me started on bamboo or glass rods…
What length leader should I choose?
As a simple rule, I recommend matching the size of the leader to the size of the water you fish-rivers and lakes, 78 or 106 inch leaders. Creeks and small streams, 50 to 60 inch leaders. But…that isn’t the best answer, honestly. There are simply too many variables for a simple answer. Here are a few things to consider before you choose the leader length, but ultimately, I recommend trying several different lengths to see what works for you, in that exact situation.
- The longer the leader, the more delicate the fly will be presented. Remember that whole energy dissipation thing!
- You will be adding 3-4 feet of tippet to your furled leader, so keep that in mind before you decide. Some people add considerably more tippet, it’s up to you.
- The leader needs to fully extend (roll out, for lack of a better term) for the best transfer of energy. If you are only casting 15 feet, you probably don’t want 2/3 of that being leader and tippet. That can work, but it’s not ideal in my opinion.
- If you tend to fish in windy areas, you probably want to err on the side of caution and go with a slightly shorter leader, say a 60 instead of a 78 inch.
- If you are drifting your fly in waters with varying currents, you will want a longer leader, and possibly use a “junk” or “dump” cast to put slack in the leader to help avoid unnatural skating of the fly.
Will my furled leader float?
Zen Outfitters’ floating leaders are treated with our proprietary process so that they float straight from the package, with no need to do anything to them.
However, there are things you can do to keep them floating longer. The most important thing, is to keep them clean. Dirt will sink your leader faster than anything. For this reason, NEVER LAWN CAST YOUR FURLED LEADER, this can also cause damage to the leader, so just….don’t.
You can also apply Snake Oil, or any paste floatant to your DRY furled leader before hitting the water. Never apply any paste or liquid floatant to a wet leader, as this will simply cause dry rotting to occur. Apply sparingly, and remove any excess, as too much paste can attract….you guessed it…dirt. A regular application of paste will also keep your leader supple and prevent it from drying out.
How should leaders be stored?
You can simply leave the leader attached to the end of your line and wound up on the reel. When doing this, remove all tippet first, as the tippet can go down between the loops of line and cause you infinite headaches.
Your main goal, is to keep the leader clean, dry and free from damage. If you choose, you can store it in the same zip seal bag it was sold in. Just make sure the leader is dry, to avoid any dry rotting. Also, do not store the card packaging, or any other paper inside the same bag touching the leader-this will leach the floatant out of the leader, causing it to sink.
If your leader becomes dry from storing it, simply apply a liberal coat of Snake Oil, or other paste floatant, rubbing it into the thread. Then wipe off the excess. Now it’s ready to fish again.
Which material? Silk? Uni? Poly?
Again, there is no “best” material for a furled leader. They all excel in certain areas, so it just depends on your needs and how you want to use the leader. That said, you may find you want to have several different varieties, to cover any given fishing situation. You carry different tippet and flies, after all, why should your leaders be any different?
Here is a little breakdown to show the basic differences for each material type:
UNI
The original material for our leaders. UNI is tough and versatile. It is excellent for all around use and can can be used for dry, wet and nymph flies (though using a nymph leader will get the fly lower for wet/nymph). It can be a great “scouting” leader, when you will be changing flies and techniques to establish how the fish are feeding.
Uni is the toughest of all the different materials. These can last literally years, if taken care of.
Excellent resistance to wind.
SILK
Silk is the most delicate of leaderds, in all senses of the word. It will present your fly so so delicately that you will have difficulty differentiating it from the surrounding hatch.
Pound for pound, silk is stronger than steel, however, the silk leader is quite a bit thinner than a UNI leaders, so it is not as strong.
Silk is best for spooky trout, where the most delicate presentation is an absolute must.
Good to excellent resistance to wind.
POLY
Poly is our newest leader, which combines the best of worlds between UNI and Silk.
Poly will turn long lengths of leader, with a presentation that comes very close to silk, yet is substantially stronger.
Poly will present better than UNI, but not as well as Silk. It will be stronger than Silk, but not as strong as UNI.
Poly has the ability to turn flies with longer lengths of tippet than Silk or UNI in most cases.
Excellent resistance to wind.