So I recently moved to Pike and Musky country and realized I needed to learn how to tie wire leaders. I went through a few other brands, which turned out to be an exercise in frustration. Eventually I discovered the Tuf-Line Tufleader for toothy fish such as pike and musky.
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The manufacturer claims that Tuf-line ties like mono. That statement is partially correct. Knots such as the improved cinch knot, double uni knot, and perfection loop work well with this leader. Forget about tying the palomar knot with this though, it’s just not possible.
I find it works well to use less loops when tying an improved cinch knot than you would with an equal test mono line. The extra friction makes cinching down big knots more difficult, but also means the knot has good holding power even when tied a bit smaller. To tighten the knot, lubricate it (I use spit honestly), and carefully tighten using a pair of pliers to pull the tag end.
It fishes well, although the leader is a bit heavy. If you’re fishing topwater flies, the leader will hang between the fly and the floating line. You also have to make sure it’s a very buoyant fly (Frog patterns heavy on the foam work well) or the leader can sink it on you. It works well with streamers and other subsurface flies though. It is not as stiff as many other wire leaders, and actually has a bit of memory to it that imparts a bit of extra action to the streamers as you strip the fly back. I use about 6″ of this leader between the fly and the mono.
Tuf Line Tuf-Leader (Amazon Link)
Overall it’s a decent leader. I’m still not a huge fan of tying knots with it, but it does work. Tufline is a good choice when you want a subtler presentation than some of the pre-rigged leaders than come with snap swivels.