"Mike" wrote in message
ups.com...

snip

Apart from which, using the tag end of a knot is asking for a break,
it is a very weak rig, and not at all advisable.

MC


Maybe so, but in 30+ years of fishing for steelhead with a two fly rig,
swinging flys on or near the surface, that has been my standard set-up and
it has never given me any problem. I almost invariably use hand tied leaders
of Maxima Chameleon with 8# tippet and 10# next section. The dropper fly is
tied on the 10# tag end.

I don't know how many steelhead I've caught in that time, but it has to be
high in the thousands with the largest being a 22#er. Many many years ago I
thought it was my duty to catch as many steelhead as possible, and in the
last season of that period of my evolution as a steelheader I stopped
counting 2/3 of the way through the season at 200 fish brought to hand..

Have I had fish break off? Of course, far more than I like to admit. But
I can probably count the number that broke off at the first blood knot as a
result of using the tag for a dropper on my hands with fingers left over.
Most breaks occured: 1. At the connection of the tippet to the point fly,
2. At previously unnoticed rock nicks, or 3. At unnoticed (or to lazy to
deal with) wind knots.

I have however acquired some leader rings (per your suggestion) and will
likely switch over to them so I don't have to replace both the 8# and 10#
sections as often.

Bob Weinberger