Gently slide the loops off pegs 1 & 2 and lay them along the middle of the jig. Then run the drill hook through the loop at the cup hook of the first leg. I give a couple of tugs on this to make sure the loops are even and there is little to no extra slack anywhere in the loops. If you are trying a new layout, you will need to measure the length of this leg before you begin twisting.
The next step is to twist each of the legs separately. The easiest way to know if you have twisted each leg long enough (with Uni Thread) is to figure for a 10% reduction in length of the leg. Measure the length of the leg and multiply it by .9 for the twisted length, or tack point, to aim for. Mark this length from the end peg (X) along the center line. For this layout, my tack point is 60” from the far side of the end peg (X). Before twisting, insert the thumbtack into the same loop as the hook on the drill. The ridges at either end of the plastic will keep it in place through the twisting. Then squeeze the trigger of the drill to begin the twist. Which direction you twist makes no difference, as long as both legs are twisted in the same direction. This is not a case of ‘opposites attract’, and twisting in different directions will make the furl impossible.
Continue to twist until the tack in the loop reaches the ‘tack point’ you made earlier. You will have to watch the tension of the leg as you twist. You want some tension to keep the leg from twisting up on itself, but too much tension will make the leg difficult to work with and possibly even break the thread. It’s really a practice and feel thing. Slip the drill hook out of the loop and stick the thumb tack in the jig at the tack point.
Repeat the process for the second leg. When it reaches the same length under the same tension as the first leg, slide the loop onto the tack with the first leg. To help with this, I would recommend inserting a tack into the loop of the second leg as well before twisting. Then slide the drill hook and second thumbtack out of the loop when you put it on the tack with the first leg. The legs do not need to have the EXACT same amount of tension or twists – just make a reasonable attempt to get them as close as possible.
At this point, make sure you have your mechanism for hanging the leader set up. In my case, I have the clamp on the door. Going back to the jig, remove the spring clamp from the end peg and hook a paperclip on the thread, sliding it around the peg to where the very end of the leader will be. To the paper clip, hook your weight(s).
Long arms are a definite bonus now. With one hand, pull the thumbtack out of the board, keeping tension on the leader. Then, using the paperclip, slide the other end off the end peg, again keeping tension on the whole thing. Turn it all upright with the tack in the air and the weights on the bottom and you can let the weight-end go. The leader will twist back on itself, or furl. I then hook the thumbtack in another paperclip on the end of my clamp and let the whole thing hang and furl itself. The final length of this will come to about 5’2”. This will take a little time, so you can either go put down more thread for a second leader, go to the bathroom, have a beer, or whatever you choose.
When the leader is finished furling (stops twisting on itself), you can unhook the tack at the top and no longer need to worry about keeping tension on it. I also take the weights off at this point to get them out of the way. You can take the paperclip out of the tip end without ruining anything (I leave it in), but do not take the tack out of the butt end without finishing it. If you do, the ends will begin to untwist and you will lose your furl.
Finishing the Ends
The last step in finishing your leader is to fix (to secure; to finish) the ends. As I mentioned before, the tip end (in this method) will not unfurl at this point, but the butt end will - if not fixed. My choice of action is the Shorb Loop. With the lack of knots being a positive of the furled leader, why gum it up with a big knot at each end? The Shorb Loop gives a very strong loop for attaching with essentially no knot bulk. I use this knot on both ends of the leader.
To make the Shorb Loop, you need the knit-pick I mentioned earlier. Figuring the size of loop you want, insert the knit-pick between the two strands of the leader. If you want a loop ½ inch long, insert the knit-pick 1 inch above the end. For these, the general consensus is that smaller loops are better, as long as they are big enough to work with on the water. Grab the loop at the end of the leader with the hook on the knit pick and close the little gate on the hook.
Now pull the knit-pick back through the leader and slide the small end loop down the shaft of the knit-pick.
Grab the new loop in the hook. Pull this all the way through the previous small loop on the shaft of the knit-pick.
This new loop is your final loop. Give it a good pull and you are ready to fish it.
Other Considerations
Layouts – There are a fair number of different layouts available on the web. Using these, or if you design your own, keep in mind the final length of the furled section is not the total, fishable length. You will need to add at least 18 inches (generally) of tippet to the end. If you decide to try more than one layout, use a pen to number the holes in your jig for readjusting the pegs later.
Materials – You can also use mono, fluorocarbon, the ‘super braids’, or other materials. Clear nylon thread is becoming a popular material with good qualities and very low visibility. In my experience, mono fishing line stretched so much that it was difficult to determine the amount of twist that was in the leader as my method goes by a 10% reduction in length (again, to be discussed later). I have also tried some Fireline that I had lying around. Because of a total lack of stretch (and most likely other properties), the Fireline shrunk in length very quickly, and even with a 15% reduction in length, did not furl well. In short, I would recommend Uni Thread to start with. Besides, it’s actually cheaper than the others.
Tip Strength – One of the biggest challenges for me was to find the break strength of Uni Thread. Here is what I have come up with for a single strand: 8/0 – 1 lb.; 6/0 – 1 lb., 13 oz.; 3/0 – 2 lbs. For this leader, the tip section had 1 ½ loops, meaning 3 strands in each leg, which were doubled together in the furling for a total of 6 strands at the tip, giving us 12 pounds. The physics of the furling will add some additional strength (the total is greater than the sum of the parts), but for a safety margin, I just figure the total strength of the individual strands. If you are using 4 lb. fluorocarbon, your tip strength would be 24 lbs.
Twist Length – I have always used the 10% length reduction for figuring the amount of twist in each leg. For those even more anal retentive than myself, there are more precise methods. For example, divide the total number of twists required in a leg by the number of rpm’s of your drill, then find a stop watch. I would recommend a corded drill for this, as a low battery will cause your drill to slow down its rpm’s. Some have even gone so far as to put a counter on their drill to get the exact number of twists. If you are that into precision beyond usefulness, go for it.
End Connection – While I prefer the Shorb Loop for both ends, there are a few other approaches out there. First, you can whip finish the end and make a nail knot. You can also use a Perfection Loop, but be sure to finish the butt end before allowing it to unfurl. The most common use among the professionals for the tippet end is a small, solid metal loop to tie your tippet to. Some are also using snap hooks for larger leaders with less line-shy fish.
Strike Indicator – If you are using particularly small flies or have trouble finding the end of your line for some other reason, furled leaders are particularly conducive to strike indicators. A piece of yarn or other indicator can actually be thread through the furl and then tied, keeping it solid at the level you like. The other option is to actually use a loop or two in each legs’ butt sections of fluorescent orange thread. It is like an arrow pointing the way to, but not all the way to the fly, thereby spooking fish.
Treatment – By nature, the Uni Thread leader will absorb water and sink. If you would like it to float, use a good paste floatant worked into the leader. Also, be sure to allow your leader to dry before being put in a plastic sleeve or other container. Something about moisture, dark, rotting, mildew – it just doesn’t sound good when your next fish might be a trophy.
As I mentioned, all of this information is available on the Internet. I particularly used Claude Freaner’s web site for instructions (including diagrams and layouts), although pieces were used from other sites.
Also, a big thank you to Kathy Scott. Although she could have sold me her dvd at the Greatwaters Expo and made money, she freely gave a ton of great advice and tips in our conversation. Being not overly wealthy, with a wife that doesn’t fish or hold it as a priority, and having a new baby, free stuff is always appreciated (especially when the information is that good).
Hatches Magazine Subscription
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The Premiere issue is ready for shipping & the Fall 2008 issue will be available September 1st.
Hatches Magazine Subscription
Price: $6.95 for each issue
The Premiere issue is ready for shipping & the Fall 2008 issue will be available September 1st.
