Furled leader

Construction

Furled leaders are created from braided line, monofilament, fluorocarbon fishing line, fly tying thread or other thread, or silk. This material is laid out on a jig in a series of interlocking loops, thereby creating the taper of the leader. It is made in two, sometimes three or even more, legs; more legs will result in a smoother, rounder finished leader.

Depending on whether they are constructed separately or as a set of interconnected legs from a continuous thread, legs are then twisted while under tension independently, or simultaneously, in the same spinning direction. The legs are combined and allowed to untwist under weight or tension. As the legs untwist, they furl together to create the final structure. Furled leaders can also be constructed using an approach resembling rope laying, in which the legs are twisted simultaneously, under tension, while separated by a 'top', attached to a runner that can rotate. In this approach, the twisted legs 'below' the top will start furling under tension, moving the top up to the furling end. This creates a full furled leader in one continuous process.

The ends of the leader are then finished to hold the leader's furl - the butt end is most often finished with a so-called Shorb loop. The tippet end can be finished with a Shorb loop, a knotted loop, or a micro tippet ring. The leader is attached to the end of the fly line, usually with a loop-to-loop connection, and a simple or stepped-down tippet is attached to the thin end before use.

References

References

1. Memory is what happens when monofilament lines sits in a spool. It develops curls, which interfere with casting distance and causes the line to tangle.
2. "Reduce fishing line memory".
3. "Furled Leader".
4. "Twined or furled leader".
5. Zondag, Steven. (2011-04-11). "Furled Leaders: All the secrets behind creating fly fishing's best leader".
6. "Furled Leader Construction".