1. Troutnut Forum
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2. Fly Fishing
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3. Steelhead Report/Leader formula

Well, I decided to stick with my 5 1/2' hi-vis furled leader. I attached 3x to it with a perfection loop and it worked just fine. I just began to experiment with a furled leader this year and I think I caught as many trout while nymphing as I ever have, and at least as many as my buddies on many trips. I will experiment more with the furled leaders and nymphs.

There weren't many fish in the streams yet, but I managed to land 4, break one off, and had 3 or 4 others hooked, but didn't land. I may have had a break-off because of a bad knot, I suppose. There weren't many fish caught. I was lucky enough to find a long, deep run with fish. We still need some big storms to get more fish moving. Walnut Creek was very, very low.

I do not have any formulas for nymph fishing/strike indicator fishing, but I would NOT use a perfection loop to join the smallest end, my tippet. Loop knots are the weakest knots going. Not much strength in a perfection loop. At the butt no problem because it is big diameter. I've gone to the small tippet rings that the one of two sizes I have seen is 30 lb test..the other one is 15 lb. test. You can then tie a tippet to it with a clinch knot, and easily change tippets. You could easily put a small split shot above the ring as well.

Gee, I guess I'll have to rework my tarpon leaders. Six feet of fifty pound Maxima with a four turn nail knot to the line, then a perfection loop to the double surgeon looped class tippet, slim beauty knotted to the shock tippet and finally tied to the fly with a no slip loop knot. I've only landed a couple dozen hundred pounders with those three loop knots.
Keep using the loops, Goose. It's not the knot that fails. It is the knot tyer who fails. And I have failed miserably on many occasions

Hey Tony -

What? No Bimini's? :) That was a cool knot to learn to tie. Reminded me of that old trick with the string and a button my grandpa used to show me when I was knee high.

Kurt

Ok Biminis are strong, but the basic loop knots I was shown not that long ago, are weak knots, the weakest, they were described by my flyshop gurus. I think the weakness occurs not only at the knot, but loops joining loops. The loop moves even if you pull it down right, and mono compresses mono reducing the diameter. Say, did you make that furled leader by tying a Bimini? :) Now that's a thought. Maybe I can do that without any tools, just a pair of knees.