Ha, excellent point.

Sorry Cliff. Didn't think you'd pick up on it.

I was recently in the garage fooling around, checking out all my flyrods. Short tippet, long tippet, etc. So I just decide to cut it all off & tied on 10lb flourocarbon, not sure how it will work or won't work as I've yet to fish it. But I do get tired of constantly trying to keep my tippet the right length, say 4'.

I predominately fish for Bass & perch....so we'll see????

Cliff; if you would try a furled leader, say 3 or 4 foot, then add2 to 3 foot of tippet you'd be awed by how much better you cast; the fly would turn over and land softly; you would have a grin on your face and a song in your heart! Give Robin a hidy-ho and he'll fix you up(course, you wouldn't catch any more fish but you'll look so much better doin' it-p-

I like the furled leaders made from florecarbon for wet flies and mono made for topwater fishing. A furled leader will almost last forever-p-

+1 on the flurocarbon furled leaders for wet and mono furled for dries. I tried the thread furled but I had a hard time keeping them afloat.

Don

It's either furled or straight mono for me. I hate extruded tapered leaders - no amount of pinch-rubbing and stretching will get rid of the coils, and energy transfer efficiency is horrid. Applying red mucilin on thread leaders seems to do the trick of keeping them afloat.

Les, with the F-C lightweight trout furled leader I haven't had any issues with the tippet ring bogging down the leader, but I tend to grease the mono furled leaders as well.

Cliff, I think of furled leaders as a way for maximizing energy transfer efficiency. Yes, you can "paint" a fly on target nicely with a furled leader with a soft cast. You can also use the energy transfer efficiency to make some serious waves with a hard cast. I've inadvertently made plenty of flies go *splat* when I first started using furled leaders; now I can control how hard they land.

I use straight mono when I fish my favorite local pond b/c I get sick of the panfish chasing and striking the tippet ring/knot instead of my damselfly nymph.

- Albert

Basically for simple leaders I use the AJ McClane 60%(butt)/ 20%(Mid)/20%(tippet) works about as well as anything out there and are quick to tie. If it get fancier I use braided leaders from Orvis.

Exactly what I use! I twist up a 6' leader (usually 8# Mason line), add 18" of 8# line, then tie on 2' of 3 to 5X tippet.

I use a little of everything. +1 on the furled for dry flies. I do have a couple of compensated sinking furled leaders for nymphing and swinging wet flies. I modified 9' tapered mono leaders to 20' to 25' for chironomid fishing, and use ~4' of straight 3x mono with full sink lines.