Connections
Why spend precious fishing time fooling around with your leaders, when you can take care of making the necessary adjustments in a few seconds using loop to loop connections? A set of properly tied loops are part of a system that is very strong and considerably more reliable than a series of hastily tied knots.

Loops can be applied in multiple places:
  • On the back-end of the fly line. Form a loop in the backing that is large enough to pass the reel through using a Bimini Twist. The corresponding loop in the fly line is made by passing the line (not the braided core - this tends to wear) back on itself and tying two 7 turn nail knots side by side.

  • Make the loop on the front end of the line the same way as on the backing end, but use only one 8- or 9-turn nail knot. This loop is strong enough to consistently break the fly line before the loop itself fails.

  • A 7 1/2-foot 4X or heavier monofilament tapered leader is attached to the flyline with a Duncan Loop.

  • Perfection loops are tied at the end of the leader and in the tippet section tied in loop-to-loop.

The speed of making changes is particularily attractive. You simply have two or three leaders (butt and taper sections) of different lengths and taper rates prepared in advance. Moreover, looping the coated fly line to the leader butt actually makes a more rigid connection than the traditional nail knot leader-to-line junction.

It's a good idea to coat the nail knots used to make loops with some sort of flexible adhesive. Pliobond or Coop are an excellent choice.