What type of knots can I use on Gel-Spun backing to create a loop to loop connection with my fly lines? I’ve never used Gel-Spun and I’ve heard that it is very slippery.
Thanks,
Erik
Tie a bimini in the gel spun. Fold the resulting loop in half and tie a surgeon’s loop in that - you should now have a doubled (two strand) loop. Loop this to your fly line.
Thanks for the info, although I’m a little confused. If the surgeons knot slips or fails, won’t the loop slip out of the fly line loop? If that would happen, then how does the bimini twist help the knot? Maybe I’m not understanding it clearly.
Erik
The bimini turns the single strand of backing and gives you two strands in the form of a loop. You could just loop this to your fly line, but the thin GSP is likely to roll over into a girth hitch, which can cut the fly line.
So you take that loop off the bimini and fold it in half - now you essentially have four strands. Tie a surgeons loop with this. You end up with two strands between the bmini and the surgeons knot, and two loops coming off the surgeons knot. This surgeon’s knot tied with the the doubled loop from the original bimini is very strong since the load is now spread across multiple strands and will not break under fishing conditions if the knot is seated correctly. I do not know anyone who has ever encountered a failure with this method. The double loop is looped to your flyline.
This is one of the most common methods used by big game bluewater fly anglers to connect flyline to backing of any type. I have seen it diagrammed in several books and articles but have not found an illustration on the web yet. Knots in gel spun materials are more subject to fatigue however, so I usually replace them once a year, and more often if the knot goes through the guides a lot - which means I have had good fishing.
Another method gaining in popularity is even simpler if you have the right material. You thread the end of you gel spun backing into a few inches of braided mono, such as Gudebrod 20# or 35#. You then make a co-axial splice by folding the backing/braided mono combo over and pulling the end back into the braid to form a loop (just like making a braided loop for a flyline, except you have also threaded the backing into the braid). Glue the splice with a very thin super glue. Currently Loctite 406 is considered to be the best glue for this since it is very thin and will penetrate that backing material. Other Loctite products are not as effective.
Thanks again,
I think I understand it now. The two strands between the bimini twist and the surgeons knot give me roughly twice as much strength below the surgeons knot compared to what I would have if I eliminated the bimini twist and only used a double loop tied with a surgeons knot.
Erik