Thing is, I tend to use my 6 wt fly rod for both trout fishing as well as steelhead. I use either 3x or 6x leader and I hate alternative between leaders by cutting and retying a nail knot. Could I connect the two with a loop in loop knot? If so, do I use a double surgeon’s loop? I tied it once before, but I don’t know exactly how strong this knot is, but I like how I can change leaders very quickly without actually tying a knot. If I do tie a loop in loop knot, will the casting be affected at all? is there any disadvantages to the loop in loop knot?
also, I see these devices for connecting the fly line to the leader, how are those?
Nail knot a 24" or so section of heavy butt material to your fly line and tie a Perfection Loop in the end. Do the same to your leaders and then loop-to-loop.
You’ll hear all kinds of pro and con on the connection and its effect on everything from casting to global warming but the bottom line is if you want fast leader swaps; it is the best choice IMHO.
I second Bamboozle’s advice, though I will admit that I keep my permanent butt section shorter than 24".
If you don’t have “butt material” laying around just use the butt section of an old leader that you have already attached to your flyline and put a loop in it.
I think I nail knotted exactly one leader to a fly line in my lifetime. After that I made a loop in that leader and have used loop to loop ever since.
If you are concerned about the nail knot passing through your guides Loon Outdoor’s UV Knot Sense is great stuff for coating knots.
ah nuts. i dont have any butt material. makes me wish I didn’t throw away my old leader so quickly. hmm… about what size is the butt leader ? could I use like 17 or 30 lb monofilament line? If not, could I try 80 lb Powerpro? does it have to be old leader butt?
oh. also, I have old fly line. could i cut a 15 inch strip of that as well? I used to have the Bass Pro White River orange fly line and replaced it with WF6F Mastery Trout line… could i use the old fly line and nail knot it to the new fly line and put a loop on it? or 12 lb mono? 17 lb mono? 30 lb mono or even 80 lb powerpro braid. those are my sizes of other line I have. I’m curious on what size diameter 5x Fly line is at the butt end of it
It’s the diameter that’s most important. The butt section of many leaders is often between .019 - .024. For a 6wt I’d go with between .019 - .022 and I’d probably make it 12" long or less.
Monofilament fishing line in the 17lb - 20-lb might be OK too, I’m just not positive about the diameters.
Note: I just checked some 17lb Suffix I bought for one of my baitcasters and it is .016 so maybe you want 20lb test.
Like Bamboozle said. Last year I finally got smart and before cutting off an old leader I just tied a perfection loop on the end and loop to loop my leader to line. I noticed no problems with casting and I’ve yet to replace it in a year. Takes all of 10 seconds to change a leader.
I’m sure I’ll wear the line out before haveing to do so, unless of coarse a big fish pulls that nail knot off. Then I’ll have to re-think the whole process.
“I’m sure I’ll wear the line out before haveing to do so, unless of coarse a big fish pulls that nail knot off. Then I’ll have to re-think the whole process.”
It’s happened just ask JC.
I’m not making fun…if it has been observed to fail why not use a method that seems better…
There are reasons but seems to me it’s good to be aware…
I knew that was comming, :roll: just didn’t think so fast. So far it’s held good for me. A better choice would be an albright or put a loop in the end of the fly line.
Leo, at least, now that it has had some use, check the knot really close for wear. Look for cracks in the coating, everything. Should be just fine unless you go after really big fish. Probably be OK then too! lol
For line to leader, a loop to loop connection is handy for changing leaders. Theoretically the strength of this connection is of minor importance since your tippet would break before this junction does. That is why there are many methods of making the loops - they all work almost all the time. On fly line, I have tried whipped loops, slip-on loops, nail and needle knotted mono, etc. There is even a zap-a-gap no-knot join. The end of my flyline gets beat up from flailing away - this can lead to failure but it does not happen very often. Out of curiousity I ran a strength test with a nail-knot versus a whipped loop. The whipped loop was by far stronger - the nail-knot pulled off the line first every time. So, I use a whipped knot. On the leader end, I only use a perfection loop because the knot is relatively small. Just my experience, others will have different preferences.
I discourage anyone from using pre-made leader loops. I have lost entire leaders when the connector wears and separates from the fly line. Like Bamboozle and others, I nail knot mono (20# about 6-8" long) right onto the fly line with a perfection loop on the end. The perfection loop is so simple and versitile that everyone should know how to tie it. If a big fish pull that knot off the fly line, I’ll be bragging here for a really long time.
Sometimes, actually more times than not, a failure in a nail knot to fly line connection is more the fault of the fly line than the nail knot itself, especially when dealing with fly lines of 7 or 8 weight or less, and fish of less than 20 pounds.
There are many fly lines out there that have “strange” cores and “strange” coatings that don’t accept nail knots very well. In those cases an Albright knot is not any more difficult to tie and less work than a whipped loop.
For line weights 9 and above a whipped loop on both the leader end and the backing end is preferable simply because it passes through the guides better.
