Trialsguy, if you get the right rope it may work without the ties but I doubt it. The rope needs to float just the right amount to catch whatever your are catching. I floating rope without the floats and without ties did not float well enough to catch my DW which as 2 to 3 inch roots hanging down. Leaves float quite high I think. I think you'll need ties and floats. I got my floats from here:
http://www.sterlingnets.com/supplies.html I bought the SB2 model, they cost roughly $0.25 each. I used 4 inch ties but I think 6 inch would work better. Mine does work well no leaves.
