I think both are fine. I personally use two nail knots side by side on a small loop and then fleximent it. It will hold like that for forever and a day.
Yeah, I don't know what the "best" way is, but I did 50# braided mono loops on each end, threw on a 12 turn 12# test nail knot of mono over the overlapping braid and flyline and either zap-a-gap or flexamented it. Worked great, loops went through the guides fine, and I'm not sure if I will even need to replace them this year.
FWIW go with the pale yellow SW Micron backing. I've heard of guys complaining that the bright fluorenscent stuff bleeds into the clear line and then it's no longer clear.
I just use an allbright knot to attach any flyline to backing and have been using the 444 clear intermediate because it takes a plain nail knot so well. No loops in the system at all.
Not only do I use the same Albright knot and nail knot, but also the same name fly line. This is scary, Juro! Are we starting to think alike?
Wulff recommends that you not use a nail knot on their smaller intermediate clear lines.
Typically the nail knot will neck the fly line down some what to hold it from sliding off the end of the line. If you are concerned about failure, you can also heat a butter knife and touch the end of the fly line to form a small bud.
All that being said, there are times when I am 'in the loop' (wow what a bad workplace joke!).
Hybrid sinktip systems for big salmonids in rivers depend on good loops systems - in fact loops are a critical part of the equation. There is still an allbright on the back end and a nail knot on the front though, the loop allows on-the-spot blending of various tapered segments to each other to match current, depth and presentation needs.
Some of the more advanced flylines with long-term no-cracking finishes require a loop to attach line to leader butt. In such cases the loop to leader is the only way.
Trey Combs writes about using a large loop for changing entire fly lines on the same spool from the back-end.
Marvin - that stuff you sent a sample of the other day was very interesting. Did you just pull it inside itself using a needle?
Sully,
I was one of the ones who suffered some bleeding from flourescent backing into my clear line--the rear quarter of my line is still a pale greenish color....
I kinda like the flouro tinting on the back end of the running line. I was lucky enough to watch it screaming into the wash more times than average last year and it acted like a warning sign to expect the knot any second... klunk/klunk/klunk - there it went! Never had to look down at the spool.
Now if it were a double taper and the other end was my longevity plan, I might not feel quite as non-chalant about it.
Juro- Yes-I just treated it like braided mono, and made one of my regular loops. I have plenty of it if you want some- let me know. Actually, my splicing needle is just a folded over piece of Mason #6 leader wire.
Ssully- My line from last season (originally white) now has that day-glo thing going on the back 10-15 feet, so I'm expecting it to happen on this new line also. Doesn't bother me too much- I figure, it's the first 20 or so feet I need to worry about- any fish that I spook with yellowish line 60 feet away from it isn't likely to get caught anyway.....at least, not by me. And like Juro, it lets me know when I'm close to getting pulled into the backing- or making really good casts
Marvin, I called Airflo and they said to use an Albright knot which I have been using for a season with no problems. I coated the knot with Aquadseal which helps it go throught the guides. Colored Micron is known to bleed. However, I was told that the Telflon coated stuff will not. Maybe they just wanted to sell me the colored backing who knows.
FishHawk
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