Is it OK to put a perfection loop on the end of your leader and then attach your tippet to it, or do you just create a nice hinge point? I am talking about a 9' leader followed by about 3-4' of tippet.

You can ... but why?

Tippet is cheap enough, just attach it to your leader with a 3 turn water-knot.

If you want to maintain the integrity of your tapered leader and not cut into it when replacing the tippet material a tippet ring is a far neater alternative.

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I much prefer a micro ring at the end of the leader. Easy to tie the tippet to this and keeps your leader at 9 foot for a 'helluva' while

Thanks for that next newbie question, what would be the best knot to use to tie the leader to the ring and the tippet to it afterwards?

I use a uni knot for just about everything, except droppers where I use a water knot. Just vary the amount of turns to suit the material, more for copoly (4-5), less for fluoro (3).