Tom Rosenbauer on Fly Fishing with Braided and Furled Leaders

September 15, 2009 By: Marshall Cutchin

In his new podcast, Tom explains the difference between braided-monofilament and furled leaders, and offers some expert insight on why you might want to stick with nylon in standard trout leader setups.
“I use nylon leaders for most of my trout fishing, because they float better than fluorocarbon, and most of the time I don’t want my leader to sink too much. If I’m fishing a dry fly, I don’t want it to pull the fly under. If I’m fishing a nymph, I want part of my leader to float so that the front of my fly line floats so I can see a fish strike. Also it’s easier to get a drag-free float.”
On braided vs. furled: “These leaders are constructed in different ways. Braided leaders are made up of many tiny filaments, and they’re hollow inside — the filaments are braided around a hollow core. Furled leaders are slightly different in that they’re a solid core, made of a bunch of filaments that are twisted together.”