Loop connection vs. knot

I'm new to this group, and I must admit to being bewildered by the
breadth of topics, and intensity of feelings, expressed. But after
reading the FAQ and lurking awhile, I am starting to enjoy the feel of
the group. Y'all are all right.

I'm fairly new to fly fishing. I converted from spinning gear last year
at the gentle prodding of a friend, who has proven both field guide and
mentor to me, and for whom I am very grateful. I am *really* enjoying
fly fishing for the challenges it presents, the intimacy of being right
in the stream, in the action, and the exhilaration of hooking and
fighting a fish on a fly. It's awesome fun!

My Question: Are loop connectors at the end of your fly line an
advantage? They sure make it easy to change leaders, but do they
provide sufficient transfer of energy from line to leader? Is it
"better" to use a nail knot? Or does it matter?

Philosophize at will.

Tim

haresear wrote:
...
Philosophize at will.

I used loop-to-loop for years. I nail knotted a piece of mono to the end
of my fly line and tied it into the smallest perfection loop I could tie.
Then I tied perfection loops on the butt end of my leaders.

I don't bother anymore. I nail knot a 7'6" 3X tapered leader to my fly
line and build a leader on that. I don't replace the tapered leader but
once or twice, three times at the most, per year and at that rate a DT
line will wear out long before I use up a significant amount of fly line
to nail knots.

Congrats, BTW, on a text book entry into this asylum. ;-)

--
Ken Fortenberry

From: Ken Fortenberry

I nail knot a 7'6" 3X tapered leader to my fly
line and build a leader on that. I don't replace the tapered leader but
once or twice, three times at the most, per year and at that rate a DT
line will wear out long before I use up a significant amount of fly line
to nail knots.

Ditto.... oops! , I mean "what Ken said", except I use the Zap-a-Gap connection
instead of a nail knot.

Congrats, BTW, on a text book entry into this asylum. ;-)

Yes, nicely done.


George Adams

"All good fishermen stay young until they die, for fishing is the only dream of
youth that doth not grow stale with age."
---- J.W Muller

There are a number of ways of attaching leaders to the fly line. Many
people believe in the nail knot to a tapered leader. they worry abut
hinging. When you are casting, the end of the line should be a near perfect
U shape on its side. If it is hinged, it will have an irregular side. A
small amount of hinging is okay.. a lot can cause problems and the leader
may not turn over.
Another alternative is a small plastic connector that fits on the end of the
line. the butt of a tapered leader is inserted in one hole, and it will
come out of a hole in the side. Tie a simple overhand knot and pull the
knot into the plastic connector. Works well but I break a lot of them.
Another guy I know swears by them and doesn't understand how I can break so
many.
Another alternative is a little barbed connector that has a tiny loop on one
end. You insert the barbed point into the hole of braided lines, and tie
the leader to the tiny loop. I don't like these because there is too much
stress on the line at the end of the barb.. Pretty soon you have to cut off
an inch or so of the line and reinsert the barb. And hinging is a problem
I prefer the loop to loop method, mostly because I prefer poly leaders over
tapered leaders. they come in all sizes and densities, and are supposed to
turn the fly over better especially in the wind. They are like mini-sink
tips. I tie on about 4 feet of tippet to the poly- leader when I begin
fishing, using again the loop to loop method, and fish until the tippet is
short, then add a new piece Poly leaders are becoming very popular in
steelhead and spey fishing. I use them for everything.


"haresear" wrote in message
...
I'm new to this group, and I must admit to being bewildered by the
breadth of topics, and intensity of feelings, expressed. But after
reading the FAQ and lurking awhile, I am starting to enjoy the feel of
the group. Y'all are all right.

I'm fairly new to fly fishing. I converted from spinning gear last year
at the gentle prodding of a friend, who has proven both field guide and
mentor to me, and for whom I am very grateful. I am *really* enjoying
fly fishing for the challenges it presents, the intimacy of being right
in the stream, in the action, and the exhilaration of hooking and
fighting a fish on a fly. It's awesome fun!

My Question: Are loop connectors at the end of your fly line an
advantage? They sure make it easy to change leaders, but do they
provide sufficient transfer of energy from line to leader? Is it
"better" to use a nail knot? Or does it matter?

Philosophize at will.

Tim


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haresear wrote:

My Question: Are loop connectors at the end of your fly line an
advantage?

They suck on light tackle. You have this gross, doubled-over, inch-long
glob of mono -- plus the knots, which make the leader at least FOUR
times the density at spots. It's not the right setup for stealthy trout
fishing, and certainly not for dry-fly fishing.

Some people complain about poor casting with loop-to-loop connections
due to "hinging," or some other supposed effect, but I don't believe it.
I just think they suck, period. :-)

What, please tell me, is the pressing need to change leaders easily? How
many times, per fishing day, do you change leaders? If it even comes
close to 1 (from below), you're doing something wrong. And, when you do
change leaders, what is so hard about tying a three-turn blood knot in
thick mono?

Oh, BTW, welcome to ROFF, haresear!

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

"rw" wrote in message
m...
What, please tell me, is the pressing need to change leaders easily?

I use my 3 wt. and 4 wt. outfits for both trout and bluegills. I switch
leaders for the two applications. I've never had problems with the braided
loops I use. Many tools, many applications...

"rw" wrote in message
m...

....What, please tell me, is the pressing need to change leaders easily?
How
many times, per fishing day, do you change leaders?....

How many times, for that matter do you change leaders in a SEASON?! Unless
one goes over to the dark side (not necessarily an unmitigated evil, I'll
grant) and starts nymphing or swinging wets or streamers, one or two leader
changes per year should suffice......IF you fish eight to twelve hours a day
for a hundred fifty days or so.

Leader links.....for every situation, every day.

Gospel.

Wolfgang

I use poly leaders and change them a lot. Especially for steelhead fishing
with a 9' rod or 15' spey rod. I do not change them very much fishing for
trout in shallow water, but do in lakes. However one of the real strengths
of poly leaders is that they are supposed to turn over heavy flies better,
and turn over all flies in wind better. Poly leaders go hand in hand with
braided loops


"rw" wrote in message
m...
haresear wrote:

My Question: Are loop connectors at the end of your fly line an
advantage?

They suck on light tackle. You have this gross, doubled-over, inch-long
glob of mono -- plus the knots, which make the leader at least FOUR
times the density at spots. It's not the right setup for stealthy trout
fishing, and certainly not for dry-fly fishing.

Some people complain about poor casting with loop-to-loop connections
due to "hinging," or some other supposed effect, but I don't believe it.
I just think they suck, period. :-)

What, please tell me, is the pressing need to change leaders easily? How
many times, per fishing day, do you change leaders? If it even comes
close to 1 (from below), you're doing something wrong. And, when you do
change leaders, what is so hard about tying a three-turn blood knot in
thick mono?

Oh, BTW, welcome to ROFF, haresear!

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.



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Tim,
Sierra Fisher and Wolfgang are giving you good information. Leader Links
allow you to change leaders quickly and they last a long time. They don't
catch moss, cause drag or make a splash and they transfer power well. They
are strong and you will break your tippet long before you break them. They
are very economical.
Leader Link - A small nylon device that connects your line to the leader
with a simple overhand knot. Can be purchased from Eagle Claw Country Store
Phone 1-800-628-0108. Get LL1 for tapered lines and LL2 for level lines.
Ernie

"haresear" wrote in message
My Question: Are loop connectors at the end of your fly line an
advantage? They sure make it easy to change leaders, but do they
provide sufficient transfer of energy from line to leader? Is it
"better" to use a nail knot? Or does it matter?
Tim

Sierra fisher wrote:
I use poly leaders and change them a lot. Especially for steelhead fishing
with a 9' rod or 15' spey rod.

My claim was only that loop-to-loop connections suck on "light tackle."

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.