Loop To Loop Connections
w . w . w . r e d c h a s e r . c o m
How To Be A Quick Change Artist On The Water.
It's been my experience, both
from a personal perspective, and from feedback I've gotten from people I've
instructed, that learning all of the required knots is one of the most
intimidating aspects of fly fishing to the beginner. While there is no
way around the fact that if you fly fish, there are certain basic knots that
you have to learn. There are ways to minimize how often you have to tie
these knots, particularly while you are on the water in fishing situations.
There are few things more frustrating than having fish tailing within easy
casting range while you are fumbling with a knot to re - attach a leader to
fly line, or tie on a new piece of tippet.
In recent years a system has
been developed of using loop to loop connections where frequent changes take
place. Namely where a leader attaches to a fly line, where a tipped
attaches to a leader, and often where a fly line attaches to backing.
The basic idea behind loop to
loop connections, is to tie a stable, non slipping loop knot in the end of
each piece of material to be joined, then join them by interlocking the loops.
When a change is needed, instead of having to cut then re-tie a knot, you
simply slip the loops back over one another and connect a new piece of
material that already has a loop in it. Of course for loop to loop
connections to be of real value on the water, you need to have leaders, and or
tippets, with loops pre tied in their butt section before you get on the
water. Below is an illustration of how to make a loop to loop connection
between the butt section of a Leader and
a fly line. The same principle applies when connecting a tippet to a
leader using a loop to loop connection, or perhaps a running line to a
shooting head. In the illustration below, the loop in the front end of
the fly line is formed by attaching a piece of mono the same thickness as the
leader butt section that is about 4 or 5 inches long to the front of the fly
line using a Tube Nail Knot , then tying a Non
Slip Mono Loop knot in the front of that short piece of mono.
You could also form the loop in the front end of the fly line using a spliced
loop made of braided mono, or by folding the tip of the fly line back over
itself and whip finishing a loop. The loop is formed in the butt section
of the leader using a Non Slip Mono Loop.
Figure 1
Begin with a loop in the end of each piece of material you want to join. The Non Slip Mono Loop knot makes a good loop for this purpose, however any method of forming a loop that doesn't slip, and maintains line strength can be used including forming spliced loops, whipped loops, or making loops out of braided monofilament.
Figure 2
Pass the loop in the front end of the fly line, through the loop in the butt end of the leader.
Pass the tippet, or front
end of the leader through the loop in the front end of the fly line forward
of the loop from the butt section of the leader.
Figure 4
Pull the leader and fly line
until the loops snug into what looks like a square knot. If you are
using loop to loop connections to join tipped to leader, make the loop in
the front end of the leader large enough for a fly to pass through.
If you are using loops to connect a fly line to backing, make the loop in
the back of the fly line large enough for the whole fly reel to pass
through.