Fly line to leader knot

[Red Owl]

I currently tie my leader to the fly line because I thought the turn over may be better but a loop to loop connection would obviously offer the advantage of changing leaders quickly. I believe you need to buy some type of braided loop for the end of the fly line to do this. Does the loop to loop connection turn over as well as when the leader is tied to the fly line? Any negatives to the loop to loop connection? Thanks.

 

[FrankB2]

Oh Boy..... ...... I've done everything except for the braided loop:
Tie a 10" section of butt material to the line, and tie a perfection loop on the
leader end.
Tie the leader directly to the line, using one of the following: nail knot, needle
nail knot, or a Zap-a-Gap connection a la Dave Whilock.

Most of my lines have a short section of 40lb mono (5/6wt lines), needle knotted to the fly line, and with a perfection loop to attach the leader.
I keep the perfection loops VERY small, and can see a smooth tunrover
when casting.

You can tie the leader right to the fly line, and use a 3X size. If you want
to move down to a 4X, clip all but 6" of the 3X tippet off, and then tie
20" of 4X tippet to the end. You can snip the 3X off, tie 6" of 4X, and then
add a 5X or 6X tippet section to that. I did this for a while (and still do
when I only have a 4X leader for example, but want a 5X), and it works very well.

 

[Greenwood]

Yeah, I agree with Frank. The braided leader loops are always seeming to hang up in my top eye. ..and when I'm on the water trying to get a line out, that rates right up there at the top of jacking up my BP. So, I've switched over to a piece of butt tippet tied to the fly line with a small perfection loop on the end for easy on and off. I usually let that piece about 4 or 5 inches long.

 

[Joni]

For years I have been folding the line over and making my own loop. Securing it with fly tying thread then coat.....and guess what, LINE COMPANIES ARE DOING IT! No extra knot from butt section, plus make it smaller than any braided can offer. Strong has heck, I have had the line break 6" up from the loop but never the loop.
HINGING, not here, infact I did a video to prove it to myself. But I use furled leaders.

 

[wlb06]

Yeah, I agree with Frank. The braided leader loops are always seeming to hang up in my top eye. ..and when I'm on the water trying to get a line out, that rates right up there at the top of jacking up my BP. So, I've switched over to a piece of butt tippet tied to the fly line with a small perfection loop on the end for easy on and off. I usually let that piece about 4 or 5 inches long.

Any way you could give a picture or drawing of that??? It would really help me understand what you are talking about.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Silver Doc]

There's a neat device made by Shimazaki (you can find it in Feather Craft Catalogue). It's a leader splicer that works beautifully. You then nail knot the leader to the fly line. Neat! :wink: Frank S.

 

[Joni]

I have that tool and it is awesome, HOWEVER, you are limited to how thick you can got, but a tapered leader does male it easier.
Also, allot of lines have an inner core that prevents using that tool. Like SYLK.
Or any of the clear lines.
BUT, the ones you can use it on are fantastic and CLEAN, Plus when the leader does where out, cut it down and make it the butt section.
Keep in mind, you can't use furled leaders though till you do make a butt/loop

 

[tjammer]

I found this knot last year and find it extremely simple and quick, with no problems or failures.

Fly Angler's OnLine "Fly Fishing the Salt - 18 - Wading"

TJAmmer

 

[shorthaul]

red owl
the first thing I do on any new line that doesnt have a loop at both ends is to cut a taper on the end of the line and make a loop in the line and wrap it with 6/0 tying thread and coat it with knot sense or something to keep it from unravelling----I never get a hinge at the connection---any problems i might get is a bit incomplete turnover or "hang" in the tippet but that usually can be adjusted out with tippet diameter and length vs fly size and wind resistance or a haul in the front or loop tightening

 

[Joni]

red owl
the first thing I do on any new line that doesnt have a loop at both ends is to cut a taper on the end of the line and make a loop in the line and wrap it with 6/0 tying thread and coat it with knot sense or something to keep it from unravelling----I never get a hinge at the connection---any problems i might get is a bit incomplete turnover or "hang" in the tippet but that usually can be adjusted out with tippet diameter and length vs fly size and wind resistance or a haul in the front or loop tightening

That is the same thing I do.

Coat with Knot Sense, heat with a hair dryer to thin and coat evenly and perfect.
I haven't had the hinge or the hang problem, but maybe it is because of the Furled leaders.

 

[Red Owl]

Thanks to all for the tips.

 

[fishenrg]

I started using one of the woven loops this year. I've never had a hinging problem...that I know of. Then again, I'm not all that great of a caster. But here's what did happen: hiked 2 miles to a fishing spot and spotted some hungry guys. After my first cast, I look and say "where's my fly? wait, where's my leader??" The woven loop had broken somehow so it was dangling straight...bye bye fly and leader.

 

[Fly2Fish]

Problem with woven or braided loops is that I can never be sure how secure the connection is. Like Fishenrg, I've had the woven connection separate. Don't like the "shrink tubing" method either, as it's hard to determine when too much heat for a tight shrink fit will damage the fly line.

For quick line-leader connections without these problems, I've switched to Scientific Anglers L2L Reconnect leaders, which only require a simple twist of the connector to change out the leader. Since I like to build my own leaders, I just cut the S.A. leaders back to the butt area when the leader's pretty well worn and use that butt as the basis for a new hand-tied leader.

 

[FrankB2]

I decided to add a 12" butt section to the fly line, and then blood knot my leader to this section today. I've done this before, but not in a while. I
have to say it's less bulky than the loop to loop connections, and the
occassional poor cast doesn't tangle up the tippet on the loops. I build
my own leaders, so this shouldn't have to be replaced for a while. Blood knots
are pretty simple to tie anyway.....

 

[Red Owl]

I followed Frank's directions. Worked great, line turns over great on #7 and # 4 wt lines I have. Thanks. Used pliobonver the thread.http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/f107/how-do-i-make-loop-my-fly-line-3957.html

 

[Joni]

I followed Frank's directions. Worked great, line turns over great on #7 and # 4 wt lines I have. Thanks. Used pliobonver the thread.http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/f107/how-do-i-make-loop-my-fly-line-3957.html

I have been doing the basic same thing except the stripping part. I just know I would mess something up with chemicals, LOL. I will get brave here in the future. It is the best, just like store bought.

 

[Frank Whiton]

I followed Frank's directions. Worked great, line turns over great on #7 and # 4 wt lines I have. Thanks. Used pliobonver the thread.http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/f107/how-do-i-make-loop-my-fly-line-3957.html

Hi Red,

I am glad to hear that someone used the tutorial. Was there anything that was not clear or something that could be better? Maybe we can make it easier for the next person. You can also make a splice in fly line using this procedure. It is easy to shorten or make longer a fly line with a braided core.

Joni,

You don't have to use any solvent. I use the blade on a pair of paper cutting scissors. They will break right through the finish but not cut the nylon fibers.

Frank

 

[Joni]

Hi Red,

Joni,

You don't have to use any solvent. I use the blade on a pair of paper cutting scissors. They will break right through the finish but not cut the nylon fibers.

Frank

I can do that! Thanks.

 

[Red Owl]

I didn't use any solvent. On the first line I was over aggresive in removing the coating and cut through a few of the fibers so I cut off that 5/8" and did it again. I used the back of a nail file to scrap off the coating. Just a few scraps and then my finger nail. That removed the outside coating and left all the core fibers intact. By doing this the splice ends up being about the same diameter as the original flyine. I put on 3-4 very thin coats of pliobond.
Other than that I followed the directions as given.

 

[Nooksack Mac]

There's a simple way to remove a fly line coating from the core, at the tip, and it doesn't involve chemicals or sharp blades. You might call it the garotte method. Cut a foot of 12-15 lb. mono; tie it into a loop (a double overhand knot is good here). Make a wrap around the fly line near the tip. (With some fly lines, you can strip off just a half inch at a time; repeat as necessary.) Use some kind of tool, like a pliers handle, in the other side of the mono loop to spare your hand. Yank, and a half-inch of coating comes off slick as a whistle.