My issue has never been the welded loop coming apart but rather the mono in the butt section digging into the fly line at the loop to loop connection to the point where I don't trust it. I generally use 8 weight lines and 25 pound monofilament butt section on my leaders.
My only issue is the loop being caught in the rings but after initially pulling the line out of the guides that is no longer an issue since I only have to do it once per fishing session.
with trout, my issue with welded loops was about hanging up in the guides and, most importantly, the energy transfer from the line to the leader while casting. i’ve found the needle nail knot to be strong enough for my trout fishing and to cast more smoothly and present the leader/fly more predictably and delicately. I use it with salmon and steelhead too, and it’s never let me down, but i can’t claim the same benefits as with trout. i think the best things about rigging with loops is twofold-it is convenient and easy. But neither aspect makes a lick of difference when trying to present the fly well to trout. i could see that loops would be great in the salt where delicate deliveries are less key to success and your leader never runs into your guides?
I love factory loops. Kelly Gallop and Flip Pallot insist on amputating them. Then they put on a small section of heavy mono nail knotted to the end of the fly line. Then they tie a perfection loop in the mono and loop to loop the leader. Looks awkward. Use the factory loop.
Often people don’t tighten the handshake knot enough, should be closed completely and flattened. I use home-made blood knot leaders with 30 lb. butt section of Maxima (25 lb. for 3 weights or lighter). Both of these solutions will significantly reduce hinging, and no loss in energy transfer. Maxima chameleon is much stiffer than most store-bought leaders, so it matches both diameter and stiffness of the fly line. And, the step down leader formulas lay down the leader and line on the water just fine. Most store bought leaders suck, both in durability and the taper which is too abrupt. Also, people forget the loop has the core of the line running through it, so even if the plastic coating gets worn through over time, the core is still there holding it. Not sure why strength is an issue because this connection should always be stronger than your tippet. Make sure handshake knot is tight, don’t use a leader loop that is too small in diameter, and you can catch hundreds of fish before you would ever notice any wear. You can also make a new welded loop easily, with shrink tubing and a lighter or heat gun, so repair is easy.
I always cut them off and always will. Nothing to do with the strength, it's the ugly lump at the end of the line. I nail knot to the end with a tapered mono leader and connect a tippet to that. That provides a smooth set of connections and transfer of power along the line and very little to get snagged on rings.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 84 วันนี้!! คู่เอก "ก้องศึก vs เมืองไทย"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3kuzsAIDf1c/mqdefault.jpg)
Simon's the man!
My issue has never been the welded loop coming apart but rather the mono in the butt section digging into the fly line at the loop to loop connection to the point where I don't trust it. I generally use 8 weight lines and 25 pound monofilament butt section on my leaders.
My only issue is the loop being caught in the rings but after initially pulling the line out of the guides that is no longer an issue since I only have to do it once per fishing session.
with trout, my issue with welded loops was about hanging up in the guides and, most importantly, the energy transfer from the line to the leader while casting. i’ve found the needle nail knot to be strong enough for my trout fishing and to cast more smoothly and present the leader/fly more predictably and delicately. I use it with salmon and steelhead too, and it’s never let me down, but i can’t claim the same benefits as with trout. i think the best things about rigging with loops is twofold-it is convenient and easy. But neither aspect makes a lick of difference when trying to present the fly well to trout.
i could see that loops would be great in the salt where delicate deliveries are less key to success and your leader never runs into your guides?
I love factory loops. Kelly Gallop and Flip Pallot insist on amputating them. Then they put on a small section of heavy mono nail knotted to the end of the fly line. Then they tie a perfection loop in the mono and loop to loop the leader. Looks awkward.
Use the factory loop.
Sometimes the loop to loop connection can cause hinging. “ Sometimes “ if so a nail knot would be better for laying the line out.
Often people don’t tighten the handshake knot enough, should be closed completely and flattened. I use home-made blood knot leaders with 30 lb. butt section of Maxima (25 lb. for 3 weights or lighter). Both of these solutions will significantly reduce hinging, and no loss in energy transfer. Maxima chameleon is much stiffer than most store-bought leaders, so it matches both diameter and stiffness of the fly line. And, the step down leader formulas lay down the leader and line on the water just fine. Most store bought leaders suck, both in durability and the taper which is too abrupt. Also, people forget the loop has the core of the line running through it, so even if the plastic coating gets worn through over time, the core is still there holding it. Not sure why strength is an issue because this connection should always be stronger than your tippet. Make sure handshake knot is tight, don’t use a leader loop that is too small in diameter, and you can catch hundreds of fish before you would ever notice any wear. You can also make a new welded loop easily, with shrink tubing and a lighter or heat gun, so repair is easy.
I always cut them off and always will. Nothing to do with the strength, it's the ugly lump at the end of the line. I nail knot to the end with a tapered mono leader and connect a tippet to that. That provides a smooth set of connections and transfer of power along the line and very little to get snagged on rings.
The loop just gets in the way, clunky at least for me.
I've gone back and forth but right now, I'm leaving the loop on. All the talk about a hinge is not true.
never had one break either