There is nothing more annoying by the water than moments of good strikes, when you need to make a knot in no time, and here once again nothing comes of it. Such situations are unlikely to happen to fly anglers – provided, that they have mastered the art of making loops.
The time of actual fishing is very valuable. The tedious installation of equipment above water is just an unnecessary waste of time, it can also be very annoying. By assembling the equipment before fishing with a series of connecting loops, from the backing to the final leader (drawing A), you will save not only valuable time, but also you will not be unnecessarily nervous. A well-made loop is a much more secure connection than a knot, especially when it is tied up in a hurry, fingers ruffled from the cold, and what's more, you stand in the middle of the river, still being careful of the water current. Thanks to the loop connection of the foundation (backing) with a fly cord, it is much easier to replace the line later or to remove it from the reel. Apart from that, for example, after fishing in salt sea water, washing the rope and backing is much easier. A loop at the end of the sleeper (to be connected to the lanyard) however, it must be large enough, so that the entire fly reel can pass through it effortlessly. The bimini-twist loop turns out to be the most practical (figure B).
Bimini-twist
It takes a little practice to make this loop. By the way, I will add, that it is much easier to tie it with a braided line than with a monolithic line. So the line is not a very good base. Fold the end of the foundation in half for a distance of approx 60 Cm. Then we hold the end of the sleeper together with the sleeper going to the reel, With the other hand, grab the loop and twist it about twenty times around its axis (1). Attach the final loop to the knee and keep it open, tighten the undercoat twisted around you, stretching it to the sides (2). Keeping everything taut, press the twisted backing on the inside with the index finger. Important: hand, whose index finger presses down on the twisted backing, must also hold the free end of the underlay at the same time.
Twist effect
Effect: while pressing, we twist the underlay with the second layer around the first twist (3). Holding this double twist in our hands, we make a simple tightening knot around one of the two branches forming a loop and tighten the whole (4, 5). Then finish the loop knot by making three wraps around the base of the loop and tighten the end of the liner (6, 7, 8). Now we will need a loop at the end of the fly line. So that the just made loop at the end of the backing can pass through the loop at the beginning of the fly line, the latter must have at least since 5 into 10 Mm. A double braided knot is ideal for making a small loop at the beginning of the fly line (finished with a needle). The streamlined shape of this knot is a great advantage when hauling (figure C.).
Wrap around knot
We make a small loop at the end of the fly line by gluing the diagonally cut end of the line to it with instant glue (1). Then we make from the fishing line 0,25-0,30 mm two wrapping knots, seven each, eight turns around the loop (2, 3, 4). We must pay attention to this, that the first wrapping knot completely covers the point where the fly line sticks together.
We tighten this knot very tightly, that the line is firmly clamped on the soft surface of the fly line (5).
If anyone wants, it can additionally secure the wrapping knot with a thin layer of neoprene or PVC glue. These adhesives, unlike the others, they are also stretchable after drying.
The perfect extension
A double braided knot can also be used as the end of a heavy fly line. But personally, I prefer to connect a string (especially lighter lines) with a piece of thick monolithic fishing line (with a diameter from 0.40 into 0,50 Mm) finished with a "perfect" loop”. I attach this line to the string with a wrapping knot.
"Perfect" loop (figure D) it is an ideal extension of a line or line, from which it was made (does not bend sideways) and this is undoubtedly its greatest advantage. If we decide to finish with such a loop also the fly tying, we will be able to replace it when necessary in just a few seconds.
With a little practice and a needle (to the activity 4 i 5 in fig. D) it is possible to make an extremely small loop. It is very important however, that we tighten even the smallest loop on three sides, so that it is always the perfect extension of your fly leader (6). Because the series of loops allows you to easily change between individual lengths of your leader, we will never fish with too long anymore, hooklength too short or improperly tapered. On windless days, we will not scare any trout anymore, just because, the leader was too short on the first cast.
Surgical knot
The fly fisherman with a high intensity does not only change artificial flies many times a day, but also exchanges the final stretch of the leader. If we were still tying the leader with a buffer knot, the hooklength would get a little shorter each time. The solution to this problem is a tiny loop, the end of the leader is tied with a bumper knot (figure E). This has a dual use – first, we know exactly, how long is our leader, secondly, when fishing with nymphs, we can very quickly adjust the length of the leader to the depth of the fishery.
To make a loop, fold the penultimate piece of the leader in half and twist both ends of the line together. (index fingers and thumbs of both hands). If we take our hands apart from time to time while turning, the loop will be smaller (1). Then we grab both ends with one hand. With the other hand we make a double surgical knot in the distance 1-2 cm from the loop (2). We then tie the final piece of the leader to this loop (3). The series of loops proposed by me can be used for both the class twine 3 for grayling, as well as the rope of the class 8 and bonefish. But the most important thing is this, that thanks to the loops, we will be able to use the time on the water much more effectively for actual fishing.
Knots can untie at times, especially when hauling or struggling with the hook. This unpleasant "feature" is mainly characterized by non-stretchy braids. So if someone wants to be sure of his knot one hundred percent, should additionally secure it with instant glue. Soaking the knot with instant glue has another advantage – the glue covers the knot surface with a protective layer, and this in turn greatly reduces the possibility of the line or line breaking mechanically in the tied area.
