What is your favorite leader to fly line connection?
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What is your favorite leader to fly line connection?
Loop to loop. If the fly line does not have a loop then I tie on a very stout and short leader butt section and form a loop for the leader. If the leader has no loop then I tie a Perfection Loop on the butt end.
Larry ---sagefisher---
I use a short, 6ins, of 12lb Maxum or amnesia with a nail knot then a perfection loop and then the leader is loop to loop. I use furled leaders 99.9% of the time.
I'm with Sagefisher on this one all the way. If the line I buy doesn't have a loop, I make one by whip finishing a thread wrap and giving it a coat of Goop or some other water resistant adhesive. This makes changing leaders on the water a snap and most of the time the loop lasts the entire life of the flyline. On the rare occasion when a flyline cracks right behind the loop ( usually after 2-3 seasons of use), then I simply make another loop. This has worked great for me for the past 15+ years.
Jim Smith
I have used whipped loops and of course factory loops for loop to loop connections for a long time. However on a recent trip for trout nymphing a deep slow run i needed a leader longer that my fly rod to effectively catch fish . About 1/3 of the time after landing a fish my fly line loop would get hung up in the tip top when trying to get my flies back in the water. i am also interested in trying French/ Spanish nymphing this coming year which use leaders much longer than the rod so i am really interested in the strongest line leader connection that goes in and out of the guides like it is not there.
The Dave Whitlock Zap-A-Gap splice:
https://books.google.com/books?id=gE...age&q=whitlock leader splice&f=false
Chuck
Castwell Knot is my first choice. Loop to Loop would be second.
Brad
i often use a castwell knot for my local warm water fishing. Our local waters are fairly stained so i generally use less expensive lines and my leaders are shorter than rod length. it may go through the guides fine i just have not used it with long leaders. I have also used the castwell knot to bail a friend or two out when their line leader connection failed on a trip
Over the years I've tried different connections and knots for attaching the backing to the reel, the line backing to the flyline and the flyline to the leader. Today I'm with the loop to loop crowd, and that's with making a loop at the end of the fly line. Depending on the butt end dia of the leader, I'll use either a perfection loop or a simple overhand loop.
The OP wanted a connection that would slide through the tip guide w/o hanging up. I use loop-to-loop connections a lot but, for a totally seamless connection, the Whitlock splice in my link works super well.
Chuck
I'm with Jim on this. I whip my own loops in the end of the fly line. If I do this carefully -- keep the loop small, cut fly line end at a sharp angle, wrap neatly with small mono thread, and coat with Plibond -- they seem to slid through the tip top just fine. Tie a perfection loop in the leader butt and use loop to loop to easily change leaders while on stream.Quote:
Originally Posted by James Smith
Thanks for the replies . I am going to try a needle knot for my trout fly lines. It is a variation of a nail knot. It is also similar to the whitlock superglue connection with some extra insurance.Testing at home this knot goes slips freely through the guides.
http://midcurrent.com/videos/tying-a-needle-nail-knot/
This also looks interesting . It is basically a nail combined with a jam knot. It ties up neatly and also goes easily through the guides
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKFIBbDzAK4
I will either use Capt. Mels Tube Knot or a whipped fly line loop or nail knotted fly line loop on my heavier lines
For all my sinking and intermediate lines I make my own braided loop. For my floating lines I use a short piece of mono with a perfection loop and needle knot it to the end of the line if it doesn't already have a loop. Loop to loop all my furled leaders.
Loop to loop. Makes everything so much easier. Also use it on backing, and tippet...
Castwell knot on 6 wt or smaller and albright on anything larger
I'm a loop to loop guy, do you guys who make your own loops by thread wraps have issues with it floating?
1hook,
I don't think that by using thread wraps you would increase the chances of the tip section of the line sinking. However, that said, I seem to have problems with the tip section, like the first foot or two, sinking. I clean and treat my line before every say of fishing but about halfway through the day the tip portion seems to like to be under water more than on top. So, I give it a treatment again, this time using a product that is made for on the water use and that resolves the problem, usually for the rest of the day. While water may look clean, it isn't and there is a lot of buildup of matter on the lines that cause them to sink, hence the cleaning.
Larry ---sagefisher---
If the line does not have a factory loop, I do this, except i use mono, and put a light drop of zap a gap on the knots at the perfection loop and the nail knot on the fly line. I haven't had much luck whipping a loop on the fly line.Quote:
Originally Posted by narcodog
If you use the method shown by Lefty Kreh (it's always amazing to me how much this guy knows!) in this link, it makes the process much easier. He uses a fly tying bobbin and spins it around the line.Quote:
Originally Posted by pillcaster
https://books.google.com/books?id=Yx...20loop&f=false
I use this on most of my lighter weight lines, 6 and below.
If you scroll down to the next topic past the whipped loop, you will see Lefty's method for securing a braided loop and it is very similar to the one shown by Dan Blanton.
Ted
Quote:
Originally Posted by tedshuck
Thanks for that!
Loop to loop here. I fish SA floating lines with factory loops and tie mono loops on the sinking lines I use that don't have factory loops. I tried the chinese finger puzzle loops (I think by Rio) and went through 2 packs before giving up. Some suggest gluing them, but I didn't think to try it when I was fighting them.
Simple: Leader with a perfection loop, tied to the line with a half hitch. The line already has a half-hitch prior to the leader connection.
I found this strength test on itinerant angler i thought it might be of interest
http://www.itinerantangler.com/blog/...od-reel-video/
okflyfisher, thanks for this thread, it is quite timely for me. I needed to replace a worn line, and SA discontinued my old favorite, the Supra, and the only DT in their line up now comes in at a hefty $75. So I decided to try Hook and Hackle's line in the DT5F. They are, of course, loopless, but to save $45 I can tie a couple knots. I did a "test" with the castwell knot direct to a leader loop, and I could not break the connection, as much as I tried. Despite all the endorsements, it takes a leap of faith to trust such a simple knot, but a fine film of Zap a Gap will add to my confidence. This rig is less bulkier than the nail/perfection loop I am using now, and has the added advantage of being easier to replace on stream if needed.
For more info this is a good thread also.... http://www.flyanglersonline.com/bb/s...be-a-nail-knot
UYep...another convert! Been using that knot for years and it is hard to get anyone to believe that it will do the job, but it does. Well.Quote:
Originally Posted by pillcaster
Glad you have seen the light. :)
Brad
cast well knot works for me when the loop on the end of the line gives out
From my own testing:
Nothing goes through the guides like a needle nail knot with a small perfection mono loop, Whitlock's super glue connection would also work well
The needle nail knot also recommended by some big names in the sport Gary Borger, Lance Egan , George Anderson for what that is worth. They do have lots of experience on the water
From relative strength standpoint a nail knotted fly line loop is stronger than an albright knot, an albright knot and a castwell knot are about equal strenght and a needle nail knot while fairly strong is the weakest. 30% of the needle nail knots were stronger than a castwell knot. YMMV
Each Knot has it advantages. The Castwell knot is strong the simplest of all the knots. The needle knot goes the rod guides the best, the nail knotted fly line loop is by far the strongest and it is easy to make a very small compact loopand the albright knot is strong and a knot most people are familiar with because they have used it as their fly line backing connection
I have used the castwell knot for years and it has never failed me.
Since I'm old and have fat thumbs I avoid knots whenever possible! Loop-to-loop.