T.F.M. Interviews "Furl Girl"

As with most of the Offer of the Month posts I wanted to give everyone a little background on Joni Tomich and really appreciate her taking the time to answer a few questions.

Joni, can you give us some background to your introduction to fly fishing and where it has taken you?

I grew up with the Snake River for a back yard. My Grandfather and Mother fly fished, so the gear was there. I used it off and on for most my youth, but it wasn't till my mid twenties that it became my only way of going after fish.
My husband Alan is just as enthusiastic and we both kind of taught each other and grew together. My best friend, fishing partner AND husband....I got it made.


How did you get started with furling your own leaders?

Alan introduced me to furled leaders and I wouldn't have even tried if it hadn't been for Kathy Scott. It only took one leader and I was sold for life. I was making my own tapered knotted leader anyway, so when I heard of furled I knew this was the answer for me. I have been making them for close to 8 years now and have come up with formulas that I like and stick with them. I remember a young man asking me if these would work on his NY Salmon. What a challenge, so I called Kathy. She had never made anything for that big of fish either, So, I experimented and came up with a couple I sent him. In return, he sent me pictures of what he caught. It was so special to me, and exciting, I was hooked forever.

What are the advantages to using furled leaders and in what types of fly fishing do they excel? Are there negatives to using them as well?

The only negative I have come across is the material. They work for every type of fishing. Moss could be a problem, but it is the leader and the tippet can be made any length to maybe help this. I have never had moss be a big problem and I have put them through some heavy algae. When I say material, the thread turns over the best and is very light and smooth, but can become water logged and a need to replace while it dries out. This generally happens if you are hooking allot of fish on a dry or you have been nymphing and switch to dry. I recommend always carry at least two for this reason. I also have a MONO that is made by UNI. It is not like fishing mono. More close to Polyester or Nylon thread. It is a little stiffer and is not as delicate on light presentations, but it is great in the winter. On the cold days, I found thread leaders were freezing to rocks while I changed out flies. The Mono doesn't do this. If you don't fish these conditions, then the thread is perfect.

Can you talk about your Slip Indicator and how that works?

These indicators were a dream come true. We fish stillwaters from a tube/pontoon and there are times that deep nymphing is the answer. We will fish with floating line and up to 30' leader. The leader is straight Fluorocarbon (our choice, but mono will work) in a weight for the size of fish to be had. Most the time it will be P-Line 6lb. No knots in the leader. I am not sure how he found them but Alan did. They were the Philip Rowley & Chan Indicators. A styrofoam ball with a plastic peg. We ordered some and these were small. About the diameter of a nickel. Great idea and they worked. Later a good friend and a mentor started making these and selling them (the late Dennis Brakke). He passed this year. I did find a new supplier.

What happens is you have 10' to 30' of leader, a fish hits and you will be fumbling trying to move the indicator to get to the fish. Barbless hooks making this even more difficult. These indicators do the work for you. You slide them up the leader (peg first) to the desired depth. Separate the peg from the ball or egg. Form a small loop in the leader between the peg and indicator then re-insert the peg. A couple of tries MAX to figure out how hard to insert the peg. When the fish hits, it straightens the loop and the indicator and the peg slide freely up and down. No more slack line. Plus the BIG indicators are great on really choppy waters. You never really loose sight and they give the fly some killer movement.


Winter is coming to Utah, do you spend your winters fishing, furling, or tying flies?

WINTER IS HERE! No snow but I think it is because it is too cold. I welcome the snow! If I am de-icing guides every other cast, I stay in. I do tie flies and love fly swaps. I make leaders as needed, and this year I am wrapping and finishing fly rods (glass of course). I like that a lot.