Newbie

[cdelz]

Looking for advice, what is recommended when tying a leader to the line? I'v seen the methood of 2 suergon knots and used that style but have yet to perfect the "other" method. The later seems to be neater and cleaner.

[The Patriot]

The traditionally preferred method of attaching leader to fly line is with a nail knot. A variation which allows for easier leader changes is tying a short section of heavy mono onto the line with a nail knot, and leaving a loop in the running end of the mono. Your leader attaches here with a loop to loop connection.

There are also commercial braided loops available which you can put on the end of the line.

Another way is to make a diaganol cut in the fly line, double it back on itself, and super glue it. This also gives you a loop to attach leaders to.

I'm lazy and lack knot tying skills (couldn't tie a nail knot if my life depended on it....) so I usually ask the guys in the shop to put a loop in the line for me.

I personally prefer any of the loop connections (braided, mono, or flyline loops), not the straight nail knot.

Welcome to the site! :)

Jim

[The Fisherman]

Welcome to the site.

Like Jim, I favor the loop-to-loop connection. It makes it a cinch to change leaders, and it's a godsend if you have to do it on the stream. Many fly lines are available with a built-in loop; if yours doesn't have one, they'll be happy to do it for you at the shop. I have yet to have glued loop come apart.

[cdelz]

Thanks for the quick reply, this a new hobby for me, I'v done plenty of spin casting and bait fishing in the past but I have so many questions. Knot tying ? Fly selection ? Match the hatch ? It's funny you mention tying leaders in the middle of the stream. I was in the Farmington a few weekends ago and had to tie a leader. Almost went down, but decided to rest on a rock and still couldn't tie a nail knot ! Gave up on the knot and had a beer. Can you recommend a good book for beginners ? One more thing, I hear the hardest thing to do is set the hook gently ? Your thoughts ?

[The Fisherman]

IMHO, there are many things in flyfishing that are harder than the hookset.

"Setting the hook gently" — that's an interesting point of discussion, though. I would say that my style of hook setting is more on the gentle side; it's never been something that I've had to work at or dramatically refine. The point I'm trying to get to is that "setting the hook gently" isn't anything I ever really think about unless I'm targeting trout that are sipping sz 26 Trico Spinners and I'm using 7x tippet.

For example, if you're nymphing, you're probably using at least 5x, which is pretty darn hard to break off, particularly on a hookset. Yank away, set the hook in a Draconian way, and be happy. :-)

This may sound counter-intuitive, but I would guess that the vast majority of fish I land "hook themselves." Certainly an angler must, to some degree, set the hook and maintain pressure during the fight as much as possible, but I like to let the fish dig his own grave.

Lastly, Grady Allen (troutfitter on this site) is one of the best fisherman I've ever seen. His hookset can be politely described as aggressive, to say the least. He catches a ton of fish, and "gentle hookset" is not in his bag of tricks. To be fair, Grady will tell you that he'll break off his share of tippet during the hookset, but he also hooks fish that a less forceful hookset might not have captured.

As you become more experienced, you'll find the right equillibrium for whatever method, tackle, and size equipment you're using.

At the risk of tooting my own horn, check out my nymphing article on this site. I'm sure others can recommend some good reading material as well.

Good question!

[The Patriot]

I was in the Farmington a few weekends ago and had to tie a leader. Almost went down, but decided to rest on a rock and still couldn't tie a nail knot ! Gave up on the knot and had a beer.

Ah.... a man after my own heart... ;) You'll fit right in! :D

[pvansch1]

Hit the Fly Shop, look for the freebie magazine, Fly Fish America. Great stuff from knot tying to fishing techniques.
Just about any "How to" book will help, plenty of information all over the web too.
I don't like the braided loops of "add on" loop type connectors, as suggested above, slice the line at an angle about a 1/4" inch then a drop of Crazy glue to hold it in place, then I like to whip the connection with tying thread and cover with varnish, this keeps the connection flexible. Most tapered leaders come with a pre-tied loop.. double surgeons knot is great for adding tippet when needed. As far as adding a loop into a leader end, I prefer a "Perfection loop" knot.
check out - Just a few of the millions of sites out there.

http://www.associatedinternet.com/flyfishing101/default.htm
http://www.sexyloops.com/index.shtml

[dudley]

I use loop2loop connections with my higher weight lines, but with lines smaller than a 5wt, I'll use a variation of the nail knot called the needle knot.

Here's a site of animated knots that my help you out

http://www.animatedknots.com/indexfishing.php

[flyrodder]

Loop connections are the way to go for ease of changing leaders. I have experimented with several different types and they all seem to have their place.

Sometimes I will nail knot a 40-6lb piece of hard mono directly to the end of the fly line and then tie a loop in the other end. I then connect the leader to the loop.

I have also used the method of simply looping the end of the line back on itself and whip finishing it. I don't like that one because it seems a bit bulky.

For trout lines I just use the store bought braided loops. They work just fine. For larger lines I use the extra long Rio braided loops. I reinforce them with either a nail knotted piece of mono on the end and at the junction of the loop or I whip finish the loop. On the larger lines I also use a loop connection to connect my line to the backing.

If you are just going to be fishing for trout you can save yourself some headache and just have your rig set up at the shop. You reallly don't need to know how to tie all these knots. If you ever want to pursue big game though you better learn how to do this stuff yourself because your gear can and will malfunction.

I have taken fish up to 20 pounds on the store bought loops so they are plenty strong.

[Riffle]

"The New American Trout Fishing" book by John Merwin proved very helpful to me initially, and still is very informative. It seems like the title may actually be the new north american trout fishing book according to amazon. Anyway, it goes into a lot of great information from when to use certain leaders with different lengths, to all sorts of different types of fly fishing.

FYI I use loop to loop connections. If you ever have any questions, feel from to send me a message, I'd be happy to help.