Not wanting to Hi-Jack okflyfishers thread, I thought I would post a new one. His question about line to leader connectors reminded me of my experiences with the braided line to leader connectors. About 16 years ago I was getting ready to go salmon fishing up in Canada and I went to the local fly shop to get a new line. They asked me if I wanted a braided leader to line connector installed. I figured, why not, so they put one on.

When I was up fishing and catching lots of salmon, I had just brought in and released a Coho and checked the leader near the fly and noticed the salmons teeth had damaged it, so I decided to put on another leader/fly that I had already rigged up. I cut off the fly and started to undo the loops from the line to the leader when the braided line connector simply fell off in my hand.

That ended my trusting those things and I immediately went back to the short heavy leader/loop combination that I nail knotted to the line (actually for large fish I wrap two nail knots to the line rather than just one, but for trout I just do one nail knot).

Then last year I was trout fishing with a buddy in Montana and he had gotten his leader caught on something on the drift boat and cut it up a bit so I just suggested he swing the line over to me and I would put on a new leader. That is when I noticed he had the braided line to leader connector on his line. I started telling him about my experience up in Canada when his braided line to leader connector simply fell off in my hand. I couldn't have timed that better even if I had tried.

So, he now has a nail knotted short butt section on his line.

I know some people use the braided connectors and are very happy with them but I just can not have any faith in them anymore.

Larry ---sagefisher---