08-11-2009, 01:59 AM
I forgot one thing (and it is a biggie).
If you do not use the loops and go for a nail-knot, then do yourself a favor and tie on a 12" - 18" (heavy end) piece of an old leader to the end of your fly line and leave it there (semi) permanently. Then use that "extension" to tie your leader on to. This way, you never have to cut off any of your actual fly-line when you change leaders.
What happens is every time that you tie on a new leader, you "waste" a few inches on your expensive fly-line. It doesn't seem like a big deal until you consider that you are cutting off the "weighted" portion (weight forward lines) of your line every time you change your leader and tie a new nail-knot. It only takes a few nail-knots to "ruin" a $50-$100 weight forward (WF) line.
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If you do not use the loops and go for a nail-knot, then do yourself a favor and tie on a 12" - 18" (heavy end) piece of an old leader to the end of your fly line and leave it there (semi) permanently. Then use that "extension" to tie your leader on to. This way, you never have to cut off any of your actual fly-line when you change leaders.
What happens is every time that you tie on a new leader, you "waste" a few inches on your expensive fly-line. It doesn't seem like a big deal until you consider that you are cutting off the "weighted" portion (weight forward lines) of your line every time you change your leader and tie a new nail-knot. It only takes a few nail-knots to "ruin" a $50-$100 weight forward (WF) line.
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