How do y'all attach tippet too your floating and intermediate polyleaders? Perfection loop, tippet ring, micro swivel? Just trying to see if there is a prevailing consensus.
Polyleader question
- Thread starter ColinShots
- Start date
Outside of 2h I don’t use polyleaders, and even then not usually, but here’s how I typically connect leader to tippet—even for 2h
Big stuff (10+ lb): Loop-loop with Rapala knots
Small stuff (1x-3x): Loop-loop with perfection loop
Tiny stuff (4x-7x): Tippet ring
Edit: added clarity.
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Yeah, this is for some two handed stuff.
G_Smolt
Legend
I'm a fan of AirFlo salmon polyleaders in general, and use them for both single and two handed work. Big fan of the 5' intermediate, I've been using those on my singlehad guiding setups for about fifteen years. Non-slip mono loop in the working end (perfection loop is a fool's knot) handshake loop with tippet material. For 2-hand guiding, I use the 10' intermediate most often, the 10' floating less so...same knot, because yes, perfection loops suck. For personal 2hand rigs, I use the 14' int and floating quite a bit, esepcially for spring trout and fall steelhead (lotta similarities). Once again, tippet is loop-to-looped with non-slip loop knots because in now more than 2 decades of high-volume guiding and several thousand client days on the water, the only thing I'm pretty certain about in flyfishing is "perfection loops suck".
On my two handed beach rod, I make a surgeon loop with 8# maxima, about 5 ft. long. Join it to the intermediate poly leader. Done.
I cut the exposed mono part of the polyleader, then use an albright knot to attach around 12ish inches of 20lb ultragreen or pline cxx (both are much stronger than 20lb), and put a double surgeon's loop in the end. Then loop to loop the tippet.
Is the non-slip mono loop a lot stronger than a surgeons? It's not that much harder to tie, so maybe I should switch.
Is the non-slip mono loop a lot stronger than a surgeons? It's not that much harder to tie, so maybe I should switch.
Divad
Whitefish
Triple surgeon tied correctly is equivalent to the non slip, fairly certain stronger. It can be hard to keep wraps from crossing when pulling it tight.
One thing I like about the triple surgeon is the bulk is in the length of the knot not the girth. Easy to pass through guides.
I do the same with an Albright with a transitional piece of mono, say 10-20 lb, then I use a double uni to tie on my tippet. I'm not a fan of looping on tippet.
skyrise
Steelhead
Mike Frodin video on YouTube he calls basically an Albright knot. For attaching a leader to a fly line with no loop at the end. If you try it make sure to double over a bit long. This will give you room to cut the tag where you like and or cover over with UV cure so the leader doesn’t get hung up while casting.
In over 50 years of non-guide, personal use, I've not found perfection loops to suck at all. Then again, I have never used them for terminal end, or tippet, segments of my leader. For leader butt section material they are a good application in my experience.
Polyleaders are pretty good, but for sink tip applications I find that the coating cracks within a short while, but I just keep using them cracked until I can't stand the looks of them any longer before replacing. If there is a significant diameter difference between the polyleader core and my tippet material, I add an intermediate section. I join leader sections and tippets with blood knots. Blood knots aren't the strongest, but with few exceptions, they are strong enough.
G_Smolt
Legend
@Salmo_g - they're semi-durable in anything over #25, I'll give you that.
And I'm in agreement about polys as sink tips - they're not density-compensated, so they don't sink at a uniform rate. I only use them for float/intermediate work, and on my guiding setups. They're way more durable than tapered mono leaders, and you can un-knot them easily when guests put "wind knots" in 'em.
And I'm in agreement about polys as sink tips - they're not density-compensated, so they don't sink at a uniform rate. I only use them for float/intermediate work, and on my guiding setups. They're way more durable than tapered mono leaders, and you can un-knot them easily when guests put "wind knots" in 'em.
