I'm Poor, Selling Leaders

[FoulHook]

I've been making furled leaders for a few years now and used to sell a handful a year. Now I've decided to ramp it up to help pay for some of the extra expenses (lots of beer) that go along with being in school for seemingly the rest of my life.

I'm using you all to gauge the interest to see if it's worthwhile to setup an online shop or find a better way to sell these things. I've talked with a shop and we are working on doing a test run to see how well they do, but it's hard to rely on that because they get half the profit.

Anyway, here's some pics:


Dorky flyer for the fly shop.


The nylon is clear, and hides itself pretty well in the water in my opinion.


Currently I'm only selling Nylon leaders. Fluorocarbon has too much overhead ($/yd), but if interest is there I can consider adding it to the lineup. I'm planning on doing some testing and developing a bigger 6+ wt. version specifically designed for distance casting bigger flies like poppers and clousers, or whatever you warm water guys use these days. That may have to wait until the summer though. These have to sell well first.

Furled is not braided. If you've used a braided leader before, these are very different.

Hopefully some of the folks here who have used them will chime in on their experience, good or bad.

I always give 15% off to BRFFF-ers. Shoot me a PM if you're interested or just have questions.

$8 ea. for 4'. $10 ea. for 6'

Woolly: If this is too spammy, feel free to delete it. No hard feelings.

[Dougfish]

I'm not the best caster in the world, but these really help me. No more tapered mono with memory curls for me. 6 footers on the long rods. Lays out a 12'+ leader/tippet combo real pretty. Only downside is if you pick it up too fast/sloppy it will kick up water. Slow down, Doug! 
I use the 4' with a few feet of tippet on the crick rods. You can cast that little bit with a fluffy dry.
And they last forever. 2 years and counting. I just got a re-order. 

Get some in some of the bloggers hands to review. TFM, G&G, etc.

[benben reincarnated]

I give my seal of approval.  Been using his leaders for years now.  They last forever, strong as hell, and cast great...a roll casting dream.    -0-

BTW, I ordered two more last week.

[overbrook]

If you're willing to make a few of those heavier ones for warmwater I'd definately be interested....would need a breaking strength equal to about 20pds.

I've tried making a couple and sucked at it. 

[Al]

I've been using Orvis Braided leaders for years and love them. Never used a furled before but I need to replace a couple so might try. Can any of you guys who have used both braided and furled tell me the difference and advantages of furled over braided.

How do we place an order - ie do ya have an address, email, correct spelling of name for check, etc.

[overbrook]

I've been using Orvis Braided leaders for years and love them. Never used a furled before but I need to replace a couple so might try. Can any of you guys who have used both braided and furled tell me the difference and advantages of furled over braided.

How do we place an order - ie do ya have an address, email, correct spelling of name for check, etc.

Al....I'm no expert...but from what I've seen and the couple that I've had....the braided leaders are usually made with thread or something other than mono.....and the ones I used did'nt cast near as well....or roll out as well as a furled mono leader. They tend to soak up more water.
Furled leaders are great for throwing streamers, big warmwater flies and even nymph fishing.....I just would'nt use them for dry fly fishing.


P.S.   One trick I've found with furled leaders (actually any mono leader) is to hang them up with about an ounce of weight to straighten them out overnight  vs. taking them right out of the package where they've been rolled up for a long time.....the claim they have "no memory" is'nt entirely true in that respect....you'll get better performance after having stretched them out.

[FoulHook]

I've been using Orvis Braided leaders for years and love them. Never used a furled before but I need to replace a couple so might try. Can any of you guys who have used both braided and furled tell me the difference and advantages of furled over braided.

How do we place an order - ie do ya have an address, email, correct spelling of name for check, etc.

Al, I've never used braided leaders so I can't comment from experience, but the advantage as I know it of furled vs braided is that furled picks up less water each time you cast. I've never had a problem with water spraying off the line while casting furled. Also these are made with nylon as opposed to thread, so they don't soak up water as traditional thread does.

Are braided leaders typically tapered? I make these with a very noticeable taper. This allows it to match the diameter of the fly line at the butt end and very closely match the diameter of the tippet on that end in order to maximize energy transferred from the rod all the way to the fly.

I am taking payments through paypal where I can create and invoice and send it to your email. This way I can also print shipping labels easily and expedite the whole process. We can do that through PM  if you're interested. If you don't have paypal we can do the old check in the mail routine, it just takes a lot longer.

[FoulHook]

Al....I'm no expert...but from what I've seen and the couple that I've had....the braided leaders are usually made with thread or something other than mono.....and the ones I used did'nt cast near as well....or roll out as well as a furled mono leader. They tend to soak up more water.
Furled leaders are great for throwing streamers, big warmwater flies and even nymph fishing.....I just would'nt use them for dry fly fishing.


P.S.   One trick I've found with furled leaders (actually any mono leader) is to hang them up with about an ounce of weight to straighten them out overnight  vs. taking them right out of the package where they've been rolled up for a long time.....the claim they have "no memory" is'nt entirely true in that respect....you'll get better performance after having stretched them out.

A couple points I want to make is that I think you may be confusing furled and mono leaders. When you say "furled mono leader" there is no such thing. Monofilament leaders are made from one solid piece of material, usually with a taper. Mono=one filament=thread.

Furled leaders however are memory free. They are made in the same process that most rope is made. It is many small pieces of thread or similar material which is then twisted in 2 directions with weights creating tension. There will be some kinks, especially with a brand new leader, but I find that goes away within a few casts and especially after the first fish or tree is caught.


As for not using them with dries, I can understand that. It's better to have options while on the water. However, I definitely use them with dries because it lays the fly on the water so delicately. Adding a bit of extra tippet with help distance the fly from the leader to prevent spooking fish.

I made these with nylon specifically to appeal to dry fly fishing. The density of nylon is 1.15 and water is 1. Anything over 1 density sinks, but it is very slow since it is close to 1, which gives plenty if time to drift before being pulled under. For reference, fluorocarbon is 1.78 which is why it's good for non surface uses. Adding some floatant to the leader can help, but I don't find it necessary.

Hope that helps clear things up. Happy to answer more questions or opinions.

[Dougfish]

Adding some floatant to the leader can help, but I don't find it necessary.

I do dress mine, along with the last few feet of line. That's just me.
I think it helps on more turbulent water and on loooong Smiff drifts.

[overbrook]

Al....I'm no expert...but from what I've seen and the couple that I've had....the braided leaders are usually made with thread or something other than mono.....and the ones I used did'nt cast near as well....or roll out as well as a furled mono leader. They tend to soak up more water.
Furled leaders are great for throwing streamers, big warmwater flies and even nymph fishing.....I just would'nt use them for dry fly fishing.


P.S.   One trick I've found with furled leaders (actually any mono leader) is to hang them up with about an ounce of weight to straighten them out overnight  vs. taking them right out of the package where they've been rolled up for a long time.....the claim they have "no memory" is'nt entirely true in that respect....you'll get better performance after having stretched them out.

A couple points I want to make is that I think you may be confusing furled and mono leaders. When you say "furled mono leader" there is no such thing. Monofilament leaders are made from one solid piece of material, usually with a taper. Mono=one filament=thread.

Furled leaders however are memory free. They are made in the same process that most rope is made. It is many small pieces of thread or similar material which is then twisted in 2 directions with weights creating tension. There will be some kinks, especially with a brand new leader, but I find that goes away within a few casts and especially after the first fish or tree is caught.


As for not using them with dries, I can understand that. It's better to have options while on the water. However, I definitely use them with dries because it lays the fly on the water so delicately. Adding a bit of extra tippet with help distance the fly from the leader to prevent spooking fish.

I made these with nylon specifically to appeal to dry fly fishing. The density of nylon is 1.15 and water is 1. Anything over 1 density sinks, but it is very slow since it is close to 1, which gives plenty if time to drift before being pulled under. For reference, fluorocarbon is 1.78 which is why it's good for non surface uses. Adding some floatant to the leader can help, but I don't find it necessary.

Hope that helps clear things up. Happy to answer more questions or opinions.

I used the term "mono" in general.....in other words a furled monofilament leader.....I guess if ya wanna get technical you could say a furled nylon monofilament leader.......are you not using one piece and then furling it vs. braiding multiple pieces??    wether it is a furled leader, tapered mono leader, tippet material.....its all monofilament to me.....or if I wanna get all redneck I'll just call it plastic fishing line.   Sorry for the confusion.

[benben reincarnated]

I currently have a braided leader on, only because the 2 leaders I had got from Foulhook a few years ago got so knotted up over time due to my shitty casting.

Next time I'm out I'll switch back to the furled leader and give a break-down. 

[FoulHook]

I do dress mine, along with the last few feet of line. That's just me.
I think it helps on more turbulent water and on loooong Smiff drifts.

I'm a small stream guy, so usually there's not enough time for it to sink before it's time to recast. 

I used the term "mono" in general.....in other words a furled monofilament leader.....I guess if ya wanna get technical you could say a furled nylon monofilament leader.......are you not using one piece and then furling it vs. braiding multiple pieces??    wether it is a furled leader, tapered mono leader, tippet material.....its all monofilament to me.....or if I wanna get all redneck I'll just call it plastic fishing line.   Sorry for the confusion.

I understand now. You are talking about the material before it becomes a leader. Yes, the nylon is technically a monofilament before it goes through the process, and a furled leader is made from one long continuous length of material whereas braided is made from multiple strands. I guess it all just depends on how you view the process vs. the end result.

If you look on eBay probably 90+% of the furled leaders you see will be made from thread, usually fly tying thread. I don't see the value in these as much as nylon because the thread is easier to fray as it hits against rocks and sticks underwater. It also soaks of water making it heavier. These though, would not be monofilament as the thread is made up of many smaller strands.

[benben reincarnated]

This just in via the mail carrier...

[overbrook]

I used the term "mono" in general.....in other words a furled monofilament leader.....I guess if ya wanna get technical you could say a furled nylon monofilament leader.......are you not using one piece and then furling it vs. braiding multiple pieces??    wether it is a furled leader, tapered mono leader, tippet material.....its all monofilament to me.....or if I wanna get all redneck I'll just call it plastic fishing line.   Sorry for the confusion.

I understand now. You are talking about the material before it becomes a leader. Yes, the nylon is technically a monofilament before it goes through the process, and a furled leader is made from one long continuous length of material

yes....now we're on the same page.....and I agree....the braided thread leaders suck in my opinion....but they may have a use that I'm not aware of.

And when I talked about the leaders having a slight memory....I have had some with slight kinks or curls to them right out of the package.....I just think that its worth the time to let them stretch just a tiny bit and sit overnight so that they are really nice and straight when using them.

Let me know if you'd be interested in doing me about 8 or 10 heavier ones?  I can send you cumsocks full of pennies via paypal if you're up to it.

[FoulHook]

Now available at Great Outdoor Provision Co. in Cameron Village, Raleigh