The advantages of using furled leaders over level leaders.

[adric]

The advantages of using furled leaders over level leaders.
I have been fishing tenkara for about a year now exclusively with furled leaders. This is because I make them myself. I mainly fish small to very small streams which are overgrown so I don’t need to cast very far. I have even stood several feet back from the stream so I can get a cast in.

I either use a 3.5 meter leader with an appropriate tippet depending on my style of fishing. This is used on a 3.6 meter ESO or a 3 meter leader with my 8ft ISSU The tippet length is usually less than 3ft.

My question is would I gain any advantage using an appropriate weight level fluorocarbon line?

Thanks

Richard

[Paul G]

I find that the main advantage of a furled line is the slightly better capacity for "loading" the rod during a roll cast (where space is very tight). They might possibly be easier to land more lightly on the surface where you can't keep the rod tip high enough to get a true "fly first" cast (for example due to overhanging tree limbs). In that circumstance, they are also possible to float fairly easily by using a floatant "grease".

Having said all of that, I almost never use furled lines now because I find the fluorocarbon level lines so much better for casting. You can also, especially in lines lighter than a #3.5, hold level line off the water much more easily - without as much tendency to drag the fly back towards you. Level lines also don't pick up water as readily (so negating the need to false cast off target to clear any spray before aiming towards the fish).

I know that there are strong advocates for some of the copolymer level lines (due to their floatability and also ease of holding off the water) - and that is worth exploring too. I would say that I would still take a light fluorocarbon level line (say a #1.5 to a 2.5) for its better casting and adequate floating ability (once treated with payette paste). Co-polymer is pretty awful for casting, but it just depends on what your preferred compromises are; both for your own fishing style and also your own waters.

Myself and John have also recently sourced and are currently trialling some hollow level lines that give great casting with good floatability. I'll update on results, but so far they have performed very well.

[paul1966]

I really enjoy casting with furled lines and for the first 12 months of my tenkara fishing they are all I used, but I have now realised the big advantages to level fluoro lines. However if you are fishing at close range the sag of a furled leader probably wouldn't be too much of an issue.

[orangeotter]

Hi Richard,
I've always been a great advocate of furles but when having the pleasure to fish recently on the Dee with Custheyder,flatsghost and Simon I could see the advantage of level fluoro - far easier to hold up at the fairly considerable range they were fishing at. I do suffer from sag but maybe that's just my age !

I intend to try the level mono', let you know how I get on.

[adric]

Hi All

It seams for close work the furled leader might be better but for distance work a level line might work better.

Richard

[daves]

Hi there,

Unlike Paul, I prefer a level line of 0.35mm copolymer about 2' to 3' shorter than the rod with 2 to 4' of tippet (usually 2' of 3x & 2' of 6x). In most conditions casting this is not a problem. I've tried light fluorocarbon lines with Payette paste float ant & find they still don't float as well as copolymer. For open waters in all but strong wind short light fluorocarbon lines are superior for casting & hold off the water well but in situations where it is not possible to hold all the line off the water (often encountered on the heavily tree-lined rivers I usually fish) I prefer copolymer. Furled lines cast great but are much harder to hold off the water due to line-sag.

Dave

[daves]

It's been quite windy recently & I've been testing out some very light Fluorocarbon lines (1.5 & 2 weight), plus my mate Steve & I have been looking at some video clips taken in Austria when I used a 4 weight fluorocarbon line on a breezy day. There is no doubt that fluorocarbon lines cast much easier than copolymer, partly due to their greater density & partly due to their increased stiffness compered with copolymer.

The 1.5 weight, 0.205mm diameter fluorocarbon casts as well as my usual 0.35mm 2.5 weight copolymer line. Furthermore the Payette paste recommended by JohnP works well on the 1.5 & 2 lines & pretty well on the 3 weight line in keeping them afloat in situations where I can not 'high stick'.

It looks like I might need to reappraise my preference for copolymer (although the latter is much cheeper & more environmentally friendly as it degrades with UV light).

I'll be trialling these super-light lines on a range of rods over the next few months & will feed back my observations. Stu Crofts is weighing & checking the true diameters of a range of lines. His results should be interesting.

[cm_stewart]

Richard, with fluorocarbon, you will gain the advantage of using a lighter line that will cause less line sag. You should get better drifts. If you are fishing wets and rely on line twitches to indicate takes, you will find that the lighter line is more sensitive and thus better for indicating subtle takes.

In a nutshell, it is easier to cast with furled, but it is easier to catch fish with fluoro.

[orangeotter]

Chris: when I bought my Daiawa from you, I also had a 13ft orange tapered fluoro' line - I 've been using #3 or 3.5 level fluoro for some time and find it good. However, I used your tapered line recently and found it even better, it obviously combines the finesse of a very light line with a good casting weight.I wonder if you supply it in a colour other than orange, I'm currently using yellow Yamatoyo but can't get it less than #3 otherwise I'd make my own tapered.

Tapered lines seem to be in the minority but have distinct advantages.