For many years my standard method of attaching my leader to my fly line was by using a 10 inch length of 12 lb mono needle knotted to the end of the fly line. A loop was tied at the end, and the leader was attached using a loop to loop connection.

I used this method successfully for virtually all my stillwater fishing with never a problem.

Then along came the connection which I thought was an excellent idea for attaching shooting heads and lines in general to hollow braided backing.

But for connecting leaders to the front of fly lines, I am coming to the conclusion that the braided loop is not a good idea at all.

First of all the connection is clumsy and I am sure spooks fish. Secondly, I have had the loops pull free, even when securing them with glue. You should have heard my language when I lost a cracking overwintered rainbow last spring.

Lastly, these loops do not sit nicely on the surface of the water when fishing the dry fly.

So I have gone back to using a 10" butt section, this time using 12lb fluorocarbon needle knotted to the front of the fly line, the leader being loop to loop connected in the normal way.

And somehow I get the feeling that I am catching more fish. I don't think I'll be buying braided loops again.

I went through exactly the same process in the '70s and changed back to monofilament, needle knotted to the line. Only difference from your set up is I use 22lbs mono for this sacrificial butt.

richard

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Who resides on the right bank of the Derbyshire Wye and is lulled to sleep each night by the mutterings of a weir, dreaming that "When the rivers and their inhabitants come first, we ALL win..."

I might as well put my head above the parapet.I am a fan of braided loops,I whip mine on,They give me no problems and do exactly what they were intended to do.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

I don't use braid loops anymore either, prefering to needle knot a tapered leader to my floating lines for better presentation.
I do however use them on my sinking lines where I use one strength of nylon right through the leader and presentation is not as important.

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Tight Lines.
Brian.

I've toed and froed but now use Roman Moser loops and find them excellent.

Never had a failure, even with some quite reasonable sized agressive fish and they do run through the rod rings quite easily.

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Roy

I do the same as Capeldrae. With floating lines I nail knot on to the fly line a 9 foot or 12 foot knotless taper and tie a tippet on that. With sink tips or sinkers I make a crude taper leader from successive 3 to 4 foot lengths of 12, 8 and 6lb mono and the 12lb is again nail knotted to the end of the fly line.

I have never understood braided loops, I feel the "need" for them was devised at exactly the same time as the product.

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"In wine there is wisdom. In beer there is strength. In water there is bacteria." - German proverb
JH based near Southampton

Tried them; hated them. Clumsy great things that slap down on the water, destroy the smooth transfer of energy from tapered flyline to leader (if you use braided loops you may as well use a level fly line - or a piece of string - and 8lb mono straight through to the hook). Like so many 'good ideas', they proved popular with beginners, people who were too lazy to learn how to tie a needle knot and those who couldn't care less whether they achieved good presentation or not.

Gone back to where I started now - 18" of needle knotted 15-25lb mono (depending on line weight) with a small loop in the end to which the leader proper is attached.

If it ain't broke...

Looks like me an' you's amachers, Jim, among all these hexperts

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Roy

well that's that then.You must be right and I must be wrong.

Jim

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The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

guilty now i use line with manufactured loops, which are good to start off, but the leader ends up cutting into the loop? the one big gripe i had with braided loops is they always ended up being curly.

i think you guys are right, a needle knot seems to be the way to go, but i think id prefer a heavier line than 12lb- theres no point using anything finer in diameter than the butt of a tapered leader as you would lose energy from your cast to turnover your flies, right?

could you needle knot a tapered leader?