Leaders are always an interesting topic for discussion and we have had several blogs about furled leaders. Now let’s have a basic discussion about leaders:
1. Fluorocarbon leaders are monofilament and are the most common. They are good for most general trout fishing. Some of their qualities are that they are translucent as well as being abrasive resistant. They are probably the most economical, usually costing only $3.00 or $4.00
2. Nylon leaders are monofilament as well and are similar to the Fluorocarbon leaders, but they float nicely. They are good for dry flies but would not be preferred for nymphs and streamers.
3. Braided leaders are made from several filaments braided around a hollow core. They are generally light weight and they will straighten five or six feet of tippet. This characteristic makes them good for stealth on small streams while using tiny terrestrial flies such as ants. Obviously they are not good at driving a nymph. and they tend to spray water since the hollow portion picks up water.
4. Furled leaders are made of several strands of twisted nylon filament, they do not have a hollow core and they do not have any knots along the length. They have more mass and they work better with strike indicators or casting heavy flies. Furled leaders unfurl more evenly increasing an angler’s ability to deliver the fly more delicately.
It is extremely important for the leader to be capable of presenting your fly properly and yet have the elasticity to absorb shock and it still must be hard enough and strong enough to resist abrasion. "Perfect Fly" leaders are designed specifically for trout allowing the precisionand the strength that is so often required. We feel that the line of "Perfect Fly" leaders adequately conseal the fly, allow for the precise presentation and yet provide the necessary strength for those occasional huge lunkers. That is why they will soon be available right here at the university.
You can learn much, much about leaders by tuning in to the "All About Fly Fishing with Braided Leaders" Orvis Podcast by Adjunct Professor Tom Rosenbauer.