We at Cutthroat Leader Co have been handcrafting more and more Leaders for the Salt.  The word has gotten out about how well the leaders cast in the wind, turn heavy flies and are extremely durable.

We handcraft the very best Furled Leaders you will find anywhere.
100% satisfaction.

Our Reinforced Ocean leaders are crazy strong. Ocean Furled Leaders.

























We put loops on most of our ocean leaders for durability reasons.
Although we can install rings, but as stated, the loops are stronger.

Our reinforced thread leaders sink fast and keeps tippet / fly at the bottom.
Creating great sand trails when stripping crab flies.

"This leader drops my crab flies to spooky Bonefish with ease. 

I never worry about breaking off with these new Ultra leaders from Cutthroat.Scott B."

Winter Fly Fishing often means, tiny flies, skinny waters and cold temps.
Of which None of these are good for Nylon Tapered Leaders.

Our leaders offer amazing drag free drifts, quite gentle presentations and no
memory to hinder your cast.  If you are heading out to  fish this winter season,
give one of our leaders a try.  You will not be disappointed.  100% satisfaction.

Simply put, we offer the very best Furled Leaders available....

We at Cutthroat Leaders want to share in the gift giving this season.  For all of our loyal customers, get yourself an Awesome Hat at a discounted price and give a fishing buddy a leader at a discounted price as well.  It is a win win for both of you. Use coupon code Gift to save 25% off our Hats and Leader combo's.     That is a HAT and a Leader for $24.00....  This sale will not last long.                                                  

Link to our Apparel Page:   Cutthroat Leader Apparel 

Fishing Streamers.... like a dry fly

This last trip I made, I was determined to throw more streamers than anything else.  See, typically I am dry fly guy.  But with the cooling temps, the top water bugs are slowing down significantly.

My streamer choice, anything from FlyLabz in the McTwist family.    These streamers have such an amazing action in the water.   Even while dead drifting, the action of the streamer screams to trout....  "BITE ME".

 During this last trip, we caught fish on streamers in the typical fashion.  Cast and swing and or cast and strip.  The strikes usually come either soon after the fly hits the water or towards the end of swing.

We came to a pool that looked extremely fishy.  We pulled fish out on Nymphs as well as stripping Streamers.  But the bite started to slow down significantly.  We knew there were more hungry fish in this section of water.  It was then I decided to change things up a bit.

 Meaning, I was going to fish this run as if I was dry fly fishing, but only with a streamer...  This would be a first for me.

I make my cast, Throw a mend in the line to eliminate drag.  My line, leader and streamer are drifting drag free.  I cannot see my fly, but I know the general area the fly by watching the current.  I see a big swirl in the general area of my fly and I set the hook.  Fish on, Good fish on...  It was actually a BullTrout.  A small Bull Trout at that, but a bull none the less.  

This was the first fish of many that would be hooked using the dead drift method with one of these McTwist Streamers.  Keep ion mind, this is during the fall when the flows are down.  Meaning, the deep pools / holes are not nearly as deep as during the high flows months.

Fishing streamers is now a close second to my passon of Dry Fly Fishing.  Depending on the lighting, depth of water, and water clarity, streamer fishing can also be a very visual experience.  Typically you will not see a complete fish, but a flash, or some indication that a fish has turned on to your streamer. To me, so much better than watching an indicator.  

If you have not spent much time fishing streamers, you should do so.  Our Streamer Leaders below are for fly fishers that do not have a specific streamer fly-line.  See, these leaders add mass and weight to your fly line head.  Making the casting / delivery / turnover of large streamers a breeze.
No more chuck & duck.

Streamers

The image above shows the three McTwist Streamers I fish most often.   Our Streamer Leader has a 36" Furled Fluorocarbon Section, an extender length of heavy fluoro and a micro swivel.

Furled Leaders

Fly Fishing Dry Fly / Dropper or Double Dropper set-ups. How do you rig?

How do you attach a dropper rig...

There are multiple ways of tying on a dropper fly.  If you ask four fly fishers their favorite method, you very well might receive four different options.  The above image reflects the four most common methods.  Which do you use...?

1. Attach dropper tippet to hook bend with a clinch knot.  I use this method when fishing tiny dry flies and the hook eye will not accept two pieces of tippet.

2. Attach dropper tippet to the hook-eye.  This option gives the first fly better action.

3. The use of a long tag end is a great system.  This means you can change either of the two fly's independently of each other.  

4. The sliding dropper offers you the ability to switch either fly our independently.  It also gives you the ability to adjust the location of the dropper along the length of the mainline. 

Our Thread Furled Leaders are great for dry fly / dropper setups for smaller / lightweight flies.  If you are throwing heavy flies / split shot st-ups, our Nylon Big Bug Furled Leaders are the best choice.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me here....  mike@cutthroatleader.com

Fly Fishing Leaders... Dry Fly, Nymphing, Indicator Fishing, Streamer Fishing.

Every Year we receive interesting question from Customers world wide.

One of the most interesting question we have received more than once is....
Can Cutthroat Furled Leaders be used for catching other than cutthroat Trout....

Short Answer.... YES!

Cutthroat Trout...

Tiger Trout "Hybrid"

 Brown Trout

 Salmon

RainBow Trout

We receive hundreds if not thousands of "Happy Customer Pics" each year.  They include every species of fish you can imagine.  From Trout to Bone fish, Redfish, Barracuda, Panfish, sharks, etc.
If you have not yet checked us out, Please do so now.

www.cutthroatfurledleaders.com

What type of a Fly Fisher are you...?

What type of Fly Fisherman are you...?

I fish with a wide range if fly fishers.  Some of my buddies spend hours each evening before our morning departure getting their gear ready.  Others, simply grab their pack and rods that were left on the garage floor and have not moved or been opened since our last trip out.

No one type is any better than the other.  If we were all did things the same, life would get pretty dull.  Also, how could we pick on our buddies for being different…?

Type-1: Reorganize your flies before each trip.  Change leaders and or tippets before you pack up your rods.  Pack a couple different rod weights as you never know what the day may bring.   You have separate fly boxes for each river you fish most often, maybe your boxes are broken down into seasons, etc…?

Type-2. You know your set-ups are just about ready.  Not yet sure what flies you will be throwing, but you have enough fly boxes in your pack to get you through the day.  If you don’t have what you need, you can figure things our riverside to make the day a success.

Type-3:  You have a rod, and a reel with line on it.  If you do not have all you need, you know your fishing buddy will help you out. 

I am guessing I am in between type-1 and type-2.  If the trip is to some local waters, I am more of a type-2.  If this is a bigger trip that requires travel, I am most definitely a type-1.

Let us know your thoughts...

cutthroat furled leaders

Check out our most Recent Newsletter...  Link here:  News Letter Link

Coupon Code to Save cash.  Fly Fishing Stories, Videos and more.
Learn about the different furled leaders and their uses that we offer.

Does Size Matter...?

When Fly Fishing with Friends and sharing a run, meaning one fish landed and you switch places. Do you put a SIZE limit on the fish to count it as a FISH? Meaning, does a dink 3"-6" fish count? Or do you let your buddy release the little one and continue to cast. Please respond and share with your fishing buddies to get their thoughts.

Share with your fly fishing buddies to get their take.

Check out our site: www.cutthroatfurledleaders.com/    

Furled Leaders, when to use...? Cutthroat Leaders New Site.

Our NEW SITE is LIVE!!!!!
This new site will help non-furled leader users select the proper leader for their specific fishing needs.  We have Videos, Tips and more.  More info added weekly.  Stop on by to check things out.

The new site now breaks each leader into what fly type you can throw with each leader.  Below is an example of the leader descriptions.

 

 

 

The link below will bring you to our new site.

Thanks for looking.

New Site Link...

Get a child on the Water....  It is a Win, Win for all involved. 

Spent a couple of nights in the Idaho mountains, had to deal with a little forest fire smoke, but the fishing was great. The trip consisted of a long bumpy drive down a dirt road. The kids said they felt as if they were in the Australian bush… as we were lucky enough to watch elk, deer, and even antelope. (yes we know, no antelope in Australia) We actually had to do small river crossing. Only 12” deep at the deepest section, but still a true adventure for a child. 

We had four youngsters casting dry’s to feisty cutthroats. At one time, we had four rods casting back and forth. We were all on the same small island in the middle of the river. There were hoots and hollers coming from each and every fisher. I was running from one to another to release a fish, tie on a fly, untangle a line, etc, etc. Yes, it was chaotic, but it was also beautiful. Too see today’s youngsters without an electronic gadget on their hands and being truly excited about hooking a trout… 

As my buddy and I were watching my son cast a double nymph rig with an indicator, we were commenting on how he can cast better than each of us. Just then, the indictor started to rip across the surface of the water. We could hear the line ripping off the reel. One of the younger kids went over to help… He grabbed the rod … He was literally pushing the rod up into the air… Now my son was fighting a big cutty as well as a 60 lb kid. I wanted the kids to do it all on their own. Land that fish that is. After a few bad netting attempts were made, and after I got a better look at the fish, I decided I should lend a helping hand. 

I fish this section of water often, and this is the biggest Cutthroat I have seen here. His jaw was all kyped up. Difficult to tell in the photos, but this was an old fish. Pictures are not great as a camera phone is all I had (which is not in a water-proof case). 

Many fish were caught, but the pics here are of the biggest of the day. Actually a huge fish for the waters we were fishing. Hard to tell who had more fun, the dads or the Kids… Make it a point to get kids into nature, it is a win for all involved… 

All fish were caught using our Cutthroat Furled Leaders.  Both Dry Fly Leaders and Indicator Leader set-ups.

Proper Mending to get great drifts…

A few trips back, I was out fishing with some buddies.  At one point we were all fishing the same long run.  This type of fishing gave me the opportunity to really watch some great fisherman in action.  We were tossing small pmd’s to rising trout.  We all got to cast three times, and then moved to the back of the line. As mentioned, the run was a long one.  Meaning you really needed to mend the line a couple of times during the drift.  One of the guys fishing with us started the day not using our leaders.  He is a great fisherman and one to be admired.  Not until he watched me and two others using our leaders, did he understand why we all made the switch to thread furled leaders.  The reason one can mend so well with thread furled leaders is because of the micro grooves created by the furling process.  These grooves create impressive stick / grab of the water surface tension.  This “grab” allows the leader to stay put when a mend is put into the line.  The fly-line with its slick coating lifts easy off the water, the leader stays.  The fact that the leaders are also memory free, they create no drag.  The leader is not stiff enough to fight against the currents so it simply succumbs to all of the micro currents and drifts drag free.  

It has been a long time sense I really paid attention to nylon tapered leaders and how they perform.  This is one application that a thread leader really shines.   While watching the nylon leader closely, you could see the leader being pulled across the surface of the water when a mend was made.  This means, the tippet and fly have pressure put on them, now creating drag. 

The fishing quickly turned from a few guys trying to hook a trout, to a group of guys trying to figure out the pro’s / cons of various leader configurations.  It was great for us “Cutthroat Leaders”, as we had a handful of very experienced fly fishers working (doing R & D) for free….

All in all, it was a great day on the water.  We end ended up with a new Convert to our Leaders and we caught a bunch of fish.

Big Bug Leader for Mousing, articulated streamers and more...

Our Nylon Furled Big Bug Leader is quickly becoming a favorite among fly fishers throwing big nasty flies.  If you throw mouse patterns, streamers, or heavy double nymph rigs with indicator and split-shot, this leader is a game changer.No kink leader makes it great for using indicators.Heavy butt sections turns the heaviest of flies.Neutrally Buoyant, floats with top water flies, sinks with weighted flies. Guide Bryan Allison below use the leaders when he mouses.  Check out his blog about mousing in Montana. Bryan Blog Post  

New Fly Fishing T-Shirt, Presentation Matters by Cutthroat Leader Co.

We have a new Shirt Design available now....

It says it all.

 "Presentation Matters"

Link to Shirt

Get your while they Last...  They are selling quick.

Use the right tool for the Job....

Beautiful Shot sent into us from one of our Happy Customers.  We love receiving happy customer pictures / testimonials.  Keep them coming.
We offer the best of best when it comes to Dry Fly Leaders, Nymphing Leaders and Streamer leaders.
Use the right tool for the job.  You would not use a Screwdriver to bang a nail...   Ok, we have all tried that one at least once, but we can all agree, it does not work so well....

Last week, as a buddy and myself were driving to a local fishery, we were discussing the dry fly action that we have recently been hearing about.  The drive was full of excitement and anticipation.  Our rods were already rigged with dry fly leaders, light tippets and small dry flies.  We did not have all day to fish, so we hoped to hit the ground running....

I was stepping out of my jeep before the it came to complete stop.  To say I was anxious about wetting a line is a severe understatement.  Waders and boots on, we spread apart an opening the bank hugging willows to spy all the rise rings we had so anticipated / expected... 

Nothing... Not a rise, not a bug, no surface activity what so ever.  The excitement I previously had, has now vanished.  I have been fishing these waters for years, and the one thing you can typically count on is rising fish.  You may not always catch them, but more often than not, you have targets to go after.  

Thinking the hatches were just slow to start, we did some searching with dry flies.  That ended without even a bump.   

I decided to give swinging some beadhead nymphs through the riffles for bit.  Again, not a tug or even a nibble.  

Because I was so expecting to throw small dry flys all day, I never packed my streamer set-up.  One of the benefits of owning a leader business is I typically have an abundance of leaders to choose from.  I dug through my pack and found a streamer leader for my 5 wt rod.  I attached the streamer leader loop 2 loop.  Tied on a new streamer pattern from a buddy Matty who ties some amazing flies.  We will be offering his streamers very soon. 

First cast, was not as far as I needed to to be.   Second cast landed inches from the far bank, I saw the golden flash of a hefty brown turn on my fly.  The game was on.  Being a dry fly guy at heart, I often use light tippets.  Which mean you often need to gently play the fish in order to keep him connected.  Yes, this is half the fun, but when streamer fishing, you can get away with MUCH heavier tippets.  Today I was using 2x.  This means there was no chance this fish was going to snap me off.  Yes, they can still spit the hook, but not worrying about snapping 6x tippet on a big fish is a welcome change.   

Below are some of the our best selling leaders.

 

We offer the very finest and the largest selection of furled leaders anywhere.

Why Cutthroat furled thread leaders are the best choice for dry fly fishing...  Furled leaders have small grooves that are created during the furling process,  these grooves actually grip the surface tenson of the water.  But because the  leader is memory free, the leader simply floats down river without drag.  This  helps with the most common dry fly presentation issues. The surface of moving water is full of many micro currents that we as fly fishers  never see.  Sure, we can foam lines, soft water, slower current because of  obstructions, etc.  But even in a small section of moving water, there are micro  currents that are constantly affecting our fly, tippet, leader and fly line.  Easier Mending:  When using a Cutthroat thread furled leader, line mending  and leader control are simply put, impressive.  Reason for this, the leader  anchors to the surface of the water allowing the fly fisher to manipulate line  without actually dragging the leader/tippet/fly.  With standard leaders, there is  no friction between the leader and the water.  When a mend is made, a regular  tapered leader gets pulled through the water moving the tippet & fly.    Drag Fly Drifts: Because the leader is 100% memory free, it does not fight the  surface current.  Meaning the leader sits ontop of the water and the small micro  currents that do occur simply manipulate the leader (adds curves/bends/etc).   With a stiffer nylon leader, these micro currents get acted upon via the stiff nylon  leader.  Simple physics, if the stiff nylon pushes against the water current,  the currents in turn push back.  With a thread furled leader, there is no pushing,  the leader is simply along for the ride.  It cannot be over stated how important  this is when dry fly fishing.  Just add a length of tippet from 3'-0" to 8'-0" depending on conditions.   If throwing smaller tippet like 6x & 7x.  I like to start with a length of say 4x or 5x  and then tie on a length of 6x or 7x.  Reason being, 6x & 7x tippet does not have  enough mass to turn over long lengths of tippet. Happy Fishing...

Visit our site for more info.... Visit us here.

Furled Leader Testimonials

We receive emails and phone calls all season long from customers saying thank you.   It is often the same story, the fly fisher heard of us from a friend, etc.  They were very skeptical, but after some coaxing, they finally gave our products a try. That is all is takes.  If I can get 10 fly fishers to try one of our leaders, we will have 8 life long customers....  Yes, they are that good.  And we stand by all of our products with 100% satisfaction guarantee.  What other item in your fly fishing gear actually affects  (for better or for worse) your presentation more than your leader....?   Answer, Nothing.....

We have a large selection of products, if you have any questions at all, please reach out to me via email: 
mike emails




Recent Testimonial:

Mike-

Just wanted to thank you for your products.

I made many believers of CutThroat Leaders today catching small trout in a very publicly pressured section of the Utah Provo River. 

All afternoon people were asking what I was using to catch the fish. I showed them your leader and even gave the empty leader package to a lady that will probably be contacting you soon to purchase for her and her husband.

Any day fishing is a good day. 

Using your leaders makes it a great day fishing!

Thanks again.

Respectfully-

Charles

Cutthroat Furled Leaders are handcrafted in Boise ID.  100% satisfaction.  furled leaders

Best Dry Fly Leader setup.

We often get asked questions about rigging / setting up our Furled Leaders.

Below is a graphic I put together to show / explain the different set-ups.  Even through I have
access to thousands of leaders, I typically keep one leader tied onto my dry fly lines all season long.  Because of this, I Nail Knot the leader to my fly line.  For most of the past 20 years I have been fly fishing, I most often used the loop 2 loop connection for leader to fly-line.

60% of our customers use our Cutthroat Furled leader with Loop on Fly line end and ring on tippet end.  Just add 4'-0" of 5x tippet....

The next group is about 20% of fishers use the loop on the fly line end and the loop on the tippet
end.  Just make a perfection knot in your tippet and attach loop to loop  Stronger than the tippet ring.

15% of our customers tie the thread furled leader to the flyline with a 3-wrap nail knot.

The last group, about 5% of fly fishers use the nail knot to the fly line and the double surgeons knot to connect tippet to leader.  This system offer the very best transition of energy from line, leader to tippet.

If you have any additional questions, please email me @:  mike@cutthroatleader.com

www.cutthroatfurledleaders.com/

What Leader do I need...?

Even before I began Cutthroat Leader co. I was a firm believer that you needed the proper tool for the job.  Not just in fishing, but when doing finished carpentry, landscaping, furniture building and more. Having and using the proper tools not only makes the task more enjoyable, but very often, the project outcome is typically much better.  

Same thing for fly fishing.  Having the proper tools makes for a more enjoyable and productive day. No other item in your setup aides in the delivery of your fly as the leader you use.  

While doing the fly fishing trade show circuit, we often hear from fly fishers that want one leader to do everything.  Sure anyone can throw on any fly they decide to their leader and catch fish, (once in a while) but is that the best system.  Think of tying a large weighted wolley bugger on the same leader that you deliver a small size 20 dry fly to rising trout...?  Even if you are a great caster, this outcome would not be pretty.

Because 90% of new fly line have welded loops, changing leaders takes less than two minutes.  That two minutes will make large improvements to the delivery of your fly to feeding fish.

Most of my fishing is with an ultimate dry fly leader, a dry fly and or a dry fly  / dropper setup.  On a typical day of fishing, I will throw small dry flies as well as large heavy streamers with the same fly line.  This means a quick leader change occurs often.  If while tossing streamers against the bank, I see a small hatch materialize, I quickly change my setup to deliver dry flies to feeding fish.  This system not only increases catch rates, but also makes the day on the water much more enjoyable.

A couple different style leaders in your arsenal is all you need.

We do offer a nylon furled leader for those that want that one leader to do everything.  I will admit is does nothing perfectly, but does perform many different fly fishing scenarios better than most.  If fishing dries, simply apply some leader floatant to eliminate any over-spray.   This leader is great with bobber style indicators as the leader does not kink.    Depending on size of tippet you use, you can throw small dries, up to weighted streamers. As mentioned above, it will not be perfect in any one situation, but it will be decent in many fly fishing situations.. 

Nylon Furled Leaders