Fly line to leader connection/knot

[JimKennedy]

Nail-less nail knot. Second place. A buddy of mine who knows a mess of salt water knots for sailfish, tuna and the like, taught my son to tie it when the boy was in single digits. I figured I should learn it and give up my nail knot tool. It has never failed me on salmon up to 30 pounds in a stiff current, or steelhead up to 15 pounds, also in a stiff current. I’ve never lost a big fish on a nail knot, but…

The Albright knot is even better. Number one in my estimation. It’s essentially a nail knot where the leader wraps around a small loop in the end of the line, doubling the strength of the nail knot.

Both nail and Albright are a pain in the a55 to tie, so I tie a foot long piece of 15 pound test to the line, and tie a tippet ring at the end of the foot long butt.

Pound test on fly line is generally 20 pounds, and thickness of 15 pound mono is an acceptable notch down from a trout fly line (or even a salmon line). The tippet ring allows you to swap out leaders.

I use the setup to swap among tight lining, dry fly, and standard wet fly, classic nymphs, and flat leader streamers.

I spool my different leader styles on tenkara “reels,” which are really just super convenient spools for short lengths of leader and tippet.

For almost everything else, all you need is a pitzen knot. It’s almost as simple as a clinch knot, but 10 times as strong. You need an animation or diagram to really learn it, but once you’ve got it, you’ll be able to tie it without looking.

Pitzen instructions: https://www.netknots.com/fishing_knots/pitzen-knot

Pitzen gets a bad rap because it is also known as the 16/20 knot, so named because the boast is you can land a 20 pound salmon on a size 16 fly (or a 16 pound salmon on a size 20 fly line) if you use the knot.

Maybe that’s possible, but I dare say that the fighting skills of the angler will be the deciding factor in either case.

The knot doesn’t make up for inferior landing skills, but I can say from experience, the tippet will break before the knot pulls loose. I have never snapped off a fish with a pitzen knot and ended up with a pigtail because the knot was weak.

 

[MBWCC]

I have two preferences. My first preference is a short (10") piece of fluorescent orange, red, or green Amnesia leader material, 20# (0.019"), attached with a nail knot to the fly line & a perfection loop on the other end for the leader connection. Second preference is to create a loop at the end of the fly line by doubling the fly line back on itself, binding wrap the tag end to the fly line with 8/0 thread, and coat the binding and tag open end with UV sense. The fluorescent Amnesia leader material option doubles as a nice strike indicator when fishing really small dry flies.

 

[Bamboozle]

I have one of those tools - brand name "Tie Fast".
Can be used to make several other knots also

In one fly shop the guys have the Tie Fast tool on their key chain. I have one in my tackle bag.

It isn't the Tie Fast tool.

I'll have to dig it out of my tackle bag.

 

[Trapshooter]

pretty sure the first cheapy flyrod outfit i had a million years ago had a metal barbed eyelet inserted into the end of the line. i actually think i caught fish with it and it held.

I have seen those eyelet's, but never had one.

 

[Trapshooter]

Back in the day I used these. Now I stay with the welded loops or a nail knot depending on the fly fline.
View attachment 1641239600

I remember Eagle Claw leader links from the 70's. They do work.

 

[JeffK]

I have tried them all over the close to 50 years I have fly fished - first 40 years with a nail or needle knot. A needle knot is a nail knot where you use a needle to push the leader through the center of the braid core and then out through the fly line and then tie a nail knot. A PITA to tie but goes smoother through guides. For last 10 years I having been using the loops. Originally, I made them by lashing a loop at the end of the fly line, but the loops they come with are so good that I mostly use the factory ones. Then I got hit by the Euronymphing bug and tried misc. knots to go more smoothly through the guides. Started with super glue connection, but that failed twice over time. After a couple of other iterations, I have settled on tying the leader to the welded loop with a clinch knot. Easy, goes through the guides well, and has never failed me. However, with my past history I know I am going to try something else.

Saltwater I use loop-loop for fish 10 lbs or under more or less. Use loop-loop for bonefish. For larger saltwater fish go with Albright knot.

 

[jrcll]

i keep the welded loop on the end of fly line , but i just tie the leader to it with a clinch knot , quick easy and doesn`t have the bulk of loop to loop

 

[jifigz]

They're still out there.

Weird.

 

[jifigz]

i keep the welded loop on the end of fly line , but i just tie the leader to it with a clinch knot , quick easy and doesn`t have the bulk of loop to loop

I would not recommend this. You have to carefully cut the leader off each time you want to change. Plus, you'll have to cut very close to the loop without cutting/damaging the loop to get all of the leader off.

 

[Bamboozle]

It isn't the Tie Fast tool.

I'll have to dig it out of my tackle bag.

I finally found out what nail knot tool I have...

It was called the Moodus 621 Angler's Tool. I seem to recall it sucked, but at least I know the name. 🙂

 

[joebamboo]

The Tie Fast tool, much easier:

 

[bringthepain]

I would not recommend this. You have to carefully cut the leader off each time you want to change. Plus, you'll have to cut very close to the loop without cutting/damaging the loop to get all of the leader off.

I had the same thought. This sounds like a neat idea at first then i am not so sure. I bet it goes through the guides real easy

 

[wbranch]

There were too many posts to see if someone had already mentioned this improvement to the nail knot. As soon as I buy a new fly line I cut off both loops. Then after tying as perfect as possible nail knot I get my squirter bottle of Loon Knot Sense and very sparingly apply some to the Knot and to the adjacent sides. Then hit it with the UV light for about 15 seconds. Now you have a perfectly smooth transition between the line & the leader butt. It will never hang up in your tip top which could result in a lost fish or worse a broken tip.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Like wbranch, I can't recall mention of something else. I know furled leaders are used with a lot of success by several on this board. Is it best to loop-loop a furled leader to a loop on the fly line, or to a loop on a mono stub nail-knotted to the fly line? Leader to stub with an Orvis leader knot or other knot?
I had some time a few days ago to try my hand at a couple furled leaders and want to try them out this spring. (Actually, it was three attempts with two successes... one for rods < 7.5' long and the other for rods > 8' long.)

 

[Bamboozle]

I don't know what is best, but I like welded loops on my fly lines and all of the leader types I use; traditional knotted, furled, braided butt & woven silk all have loops on the end so I can just loop to loop to my fly line.