AWAY / Loop connections / LOOP SPEED in WIND

(Caught a nice permit two days ago and a tarpon yesterday morning so I need to celebrate.)

For those of you who may have burning questions, or need help, I'll occasionally be at my other email address:

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Mac Brown answers my question on the braided line material for making loops. He adds a tip on drag free drifts :

Hi Gordy,

It is the Gudebrod hollow-core braided nylon mono-filament line you mention. The special needles are hard to come by now for forming the loops-- does any one have a source for them? In a pinch, a small wire from a stringed instrument or a toothpick broken at the tip (like a barb on a hook) work well.

Made me think of something else since you brought up the Spectra. Berkley Fireline and many other Kevlar lines on the market have some very interesting characteristics for guiding applications in fresh water. Small size, high breaking strength, great abrasion resistance, low specific densities, etc... makes this stuff an excellent choice for budding anglers. The selection of knots used with Kevlar is different than mono. Many of the mono knots do not work well with Kevlar--experiment before fishing.

The Kevlar makes much better drag free floats. As a test, compare it to mono by casting straight across current (straighten leader out-which is typically not very desirable). Mono drags instantly. The Fireline goes 10-12 feet across the same currents drag-free (4-5 fps flow). This can be a good crutch for newbies that are perfecting control as far as hooking more fish.

Cheers, Mac

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Mac .... I couldn't find those old special needles, either. I have been using Lefty's trick of making a "needle" from #2 or #3 stainless steel leader wire. This has worked rather well. (Incidentally, one can use this or the loop for pulling dental floss beneath a bridge as a bobbin threader for fly tying as well. It's plastic and won't rust.)

The wire works especially well if you wish to snake it way up the hollow core ... say 6" or more. I couldn't do that with the commercially made needle anyway.

You may wonder why I use stainless wire and brass tube bobbins.... My home is right on the open water. So much salt in the humid air, that anything metal that isn't stainless steel, brass or titanium corrodes. Even in the air conditioning in my den, the fly vises rust and so do the bodkins and bobbin threaders on my fly tying table. All nails used in my home have to be stainless steel, too . My boat dock is put together with stainless steel bolts and SS screws .... even the shingles on my roof are made of stainless steel and applied with stainless boat screws instead of roofing nails !

"You gotta love the salt !"

Gordy

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Interesting connection from Liam Duffy :

Hi Gordy,
There is another connection for line/leader that can be used on LIGHT (I.E. 3-5wt) I have used this method and it has never failed me yet. Using a tapered leader, proceed as for a normal needle knot making sure that the needle travels through the CORE of the line for a minimum of one quarter of an inch. Insert the TIPPET end of the leader through the upper (I.E. where the needle came out of the line) hole and pull through untill there is a little more than 1/4 of an inch still protruding (or as far as you can depending on the leader butt thickness) Put a tiny drop of C A glue on the protruding peice of leader and pull through for a 1/4 of an inch. Trim the protruding piece of the leader butt and allow to dry for a minute or two. If done correctly a very strong, neat connection.

Liam Duffy,

P.S. Anyone brave enough to test it on heavier tackle? (I'm not)

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Liam .... I'd be game to give it a try on a few sharks ..... however, for big game most of us use 50 lb. test nylon mono. for the butt sections of our leaders. Depending upon the brand, its diameter is about the same as that of the end of the fly line.... no way to pass it through.

Gordy

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LOOP SPEED

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From Al Crise:

Howdy Gordy
I have to Agree With Capt, Joel . The class this weekend was held in 40+ breeze, This caused many of the backcast to fail. Big loops the wind could push around.

What I saw was just making a cast behind them. I asked then to Present the Cast with authority, not just throwing the line back. Put some gusto in it. Send the LOOP BACK, What a change.

ol Al
--
Allen Crise
FFF Master Casting Instructor
Hawk Ridge Flycasting School
Glen Rose TX

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Al ... Yes. As Ron Hyde used to say, "put some authority into that cast !"

Loop speed is needed ..... however, when back casting into a spanking wind, one also needs a tight back cast loop. Helps, too, to keep that back cast shorter and to change trajectory by directing it back and lower, whilst the forward cast is delivered higher maintaining 180 degrees between the two. (No "Seesaw" here, because you can't take the time for the back cast to begin to fall. If you do, the wind will blow it right back at you.)

Gordy

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