# To loop or knot to loop?



## ducman491 (Oct 31, 2011)

See what I did there? Seriously though, I bought a new leader for my 8wt and it had a loop tied in it so I tied a perfection loop in the fly line. Should I do another loop to connect the tippet? Also a follow up question, how long should I make the tippet? I have an 8ft leader and it seems like 4ft of tippet is a lot but if I use 2ft I'll only get 3 maybe 4 fly changes before I have to replace. 

Thanks 
Jason


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## Patricio (Feb 2, 2007)

no. the leader length depends on the fish. some fish are more leader shy than others.


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## ledslinger (Aug 24, 2006)

Patricio said:


> no. the leader length depends on the fish. some fish are more leader shy than others.


yep, Patricio is correct---no direct answer or set rules---i do loop to loops at the leader butt and wrap a small loop on my line if it doesnt have one---i put a small perfection loop on the tippet end of the leader for most fish but if i think they are leader shy, i blood knot the tippet on and go longer and lighter as the situation dictates. Leader length and diameter are determined by the fish, water clarity, fly type, fly size and wind.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

So you're tying a perfection loop at the end of your fly line? On lines that didn't already have a pre-made loop on them I tried making my own loops, but they didn't reel through the guides well. Perfection loops probably won't either. What I ended up doing is using a nail knot to tie on a short piece(like 6in maybe) of strong mono to the fly line then tying a perfection loop at the end of the mono. Then I just do a loop to loop to take on/off leaders. 

For tying on tippet I use either an albright knot or a blood knot. I've heard of people using small swivels and "tippet rings" also.


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## ducman491 (Oct 31, 2011)

Yup I put a perfection loop on the fly line. After looking at it I'm don't know how it will work. It is a bit bulky.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Perfection loop in a fly line is too bulky. Cut it off, double the fly line over onto itself and tie 2 or 3 nail knots over the 2 lengths. Glue & epoxy. Thin and stronger than factory. 

Kid tested, tarpon approved.


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## toobnoob (Jun 1, 2010)

ducman491 said:


> Yup I put a perfection loop on the fly line. After looking at it I'm don't know how it will work. It is a bit bulky.


When the fly line doesn't have a factory loop on the end I've always attached a small 6" piece of mono (20-25 lbs) with a nail knot and tie a perfection loop on the other end. Put a layer of UV resin or super glue on the nail knot and it will slide through the guides much better than a perfection loop in the fly line itself and cut through the air much better when casting.


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## sbreech (Jun 6, 2010)

fallen513 said:


> Perfection loop in a fly line is too bulky. Cut it off, double the fly line over onto itself and tie 2 or 3 nail knots over the 2 lengths. Glue & epoxy. Thin and stronger than factory.
> 
> Kid tested, tarpon approved.


What he said. 

If you don't want a loop, just nail knot the leader onto the flyline.


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## ducman491 (Oct 31, 2011)

I like the idea of the loop. It seems like it would make changing leaders for conditions easier and waste less line than cutting and re-tying.


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## nitsud (May 22, 2010)

You could also make a DIY welded loop:

http://salmo.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=lines&action=display&thread=1686

Not too hard.

Yet another option is to use your favorite fly tying thread to whip a loop in the line.


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## TheJGRDispatch (Jun 15, 2012)

fishinnick said:


> So you're tying a perfection loop at the end of your fly line? On lines that didn't already have a pre-made loop on them I tried making my own loops, but they didn't reel through the guides well. Perfection loops probably won't either. What I ended up doing is using a nail knot to tie on a short piece(like 6in maybe) of strong mono to the fly line then tying a perfection loop at the end of the mono. Then I just do a loop to loop to take on/off leaders.
> 
> For tying on tippet I use either an albright knot or a blood knot. I've heard of people using small swivels and "tippet rings" also.



This is what I do, except I use Amnesia mono. Works awesome. One will last a long time, although I replace it once a year just in case. 




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