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There are
several options to tying the leader directly to the front of the fly
line. Slip-on leaders, including "braided leader butts", and the
“L2L” system have been popular alternate methods for affixing the
leader to the fly line. There are several types of manufactured leader butt accessories available on the market. Some are 6-8" long . . . others are as long as 5' in length. Made primarily of braided material, they slide over the tip of the fly line and are secured with a sleeve or adhesive. The benefits of this system are that they are easy to attach, and more importantly, provide a smooth, knotless connection between fly line and leader. Loop-to-Loop connections Most of these products have a permanent loop in the end. This allows you to affix a leader to this butt section using an interlocking loop ("handshake loop") connection. Several fly line manufacturers now sell some fly lines with permanent loops in the tip of the fly line itself. Scientific Anglers offers a 2 part system that snaps together. This system also serves as a modest strike indicator. Many flyfishers find these alternative connections to be faster and more flexible than tying a "Nail", "Nail-less" or "Needle" Knot to affix a leader to the fly line. And, some prefer the longer braided segments in their leaders, claiming better performance characteristics. If this system is selected, the use of the "Perfection Loop Knot" to form a loop in the butt end of your leaders and/or tippets becomes most useful. Being "old school", we continue to prefer the old standby, and use a Nail Knot to affix the leader butt to the front of the fly line. |
