Re: Best presentation?

[Santiago]

I've recently bought a new wf floating fly line (modern 7#) and it has in inbuilt loop for attaching a leader too. Which gives better presentation, the inbuilt loops or braided loops?

Would you advise cutting off the inbuilt loop and attaching a braided loop?

[Wally Roy]

I always use the inbuilt loops now and I find they present well. Aback of dexterity and old eyes made me change from braided loops.

[Liphook]

For loating trout lines I still prefer the old fashioned nail knot to tapered mono butt for all my dry and just subsurface fishing. If using polytips or furled leaders I cut off factory loops and form my own using the flyline core with a wrap of thread and flexible cement like Stormsure.

[Hovis]

Braided loops for me and a tapered leader to aid turn over. In practice a good casting most likely makes it a moot point. Especially casting long lines in open water.

[Martin James]

From a personal opinion, I use nail knot for attaching tapered leader to fly line, using around 20 inches at the butt end of leader to fly line is around 25 lb bs then its nail knotted to a tapered, where ever possible I use a 12 foot minimum length leader, I have found from experience of fly fishing for over 60 plus years that a long leader will give better results, especially on smooth clear still water fisheries, also gin clear rivers. As in all angling matters, we anglers will have our own ideas, nothing wrong in this if it works for you.

[Santiago]

Cheers.

[Nigel Rainton]

Loops and nail knots are the devils work. Superglue the butt of a tapered leader into the core of a fly line, takes 5 minutes, it won't break, come undone or jam in the tip eye.

IMG_4912small.jpg

[Santiago]

Looks great. I'll give it a try!

[Nigel Rainton]

Remove the plastic coating for about 1/2" with nail polish remover, dab the excess off with a tissue. Fiddle the butt of the leader inside the exposed braid and put a drop of glue on the braid. Capillary action will draw the glue into the braid, even under the plastic coating. It's easier than you think and once you've mastered it you'll never use a loop again :-)

PS it won't work if the fly line has a solid core.

[Watermole+]

I am going to respectfully disagree with Martin -and probably a few others- as regards a long 'leader', or 'cast' as it used to be known, but as said; it is whatever works for you!
The first thing that you have to take account of is, where are you going to fish? If we are talking about still water, or wide rivers, where longish casts with a lot of line out are made, then by all means use whatever length leader you can handle; but do bear in mind that the leader and attached fly are pure drag and only pulled along for the ride. It is the line that does the work and the longer the leader, the less efficient will be the casting and the control after the fly lands on the water greatly reduced. If you don't believe me, try it for yourself. Yes, there are shining ones who claim to be able to drop a fly on the end of a 20 foot leader with pin-point accuracy and delicately strike within nanoseconds of it being taken-but I have never met them and if they exist, then they are not likely to be reading this.

I used to fish small rivers where I suppose, a cast of say 15'-20' would be the norm,-often much shorter. The fly was mostly fishing for literally, mere seconds and the emphasis was always on accuracy of casting and immediate control of the line. The leader (or 'cast', as it used to be known) was greatly instrumental in this and it was important that both length and rate of taper were right-for upstream fishing that is, casting with dry fly of nymph. With wet fly, casting downstream, it is of lesser importance. The general rule of thumb was always that the leader length should be about the same, or slightly less than the rod length. and tapering from a little less than the end of line diameter to 5x or 4x, -whatever was chosen for that particular fly. All too often, the length and taper of leader are quite disregarded, yet they, together with the size & weight of fly, are the biggest limiters of good casting. Try casting with various length leaders and see the difference!

Many say today that, a long leader is less likely to scare the fish by being less visible..? I can see the human logic in this, but disagree with it. Fish can easily detect and see the finest leaders, no problem at all. They know it is there alright; the shadow cast by 1 lb b.s. line still looks like rope to them, but they see all manner of surface detritus all day long anyway so there is no reason to suppose that it looks suspicious. The trick is to present your fly so that it causes no drag, surface disturbance and subsequent alarm. There is nothing that causes a refusal more than that.
Another point is that, if the water is tumbling and broken, then delicate presentation is of secondary value anyway.

However, if you are thinking of chalk stream water or still water, where absolute gentle presentation is considered a must, then all things have to be taken into account.
The original question was about line attachment loops. Unfortunately, modern plastic fly lines have a built-in disadvantage inasmuch as they are very thick and bulky, even at the ends in comparison to good quality silk ones. A loop-to-loop line to leader attachment is both quick and convenient, but the air drag during casting and water disturbance hardly compensates. As others have said, the nail knot is far better.
I would recommend that you buy a suitable, modern knotless tapered leader; nail-knot it on to your fly line and just renew the tippet end as it gets shorter.

Delicate presentation of casting is only partly influenced by line/leader loops. The biggest factor is very rarely the rod and seldom the line. It is ourselves. There are no shortcuts; it is something that has to be practiced until it becomes automatic.

Hoping this may be of some help.

wm+