This is interesting, a method to put a welded loop on a fly line. I may have to experiment with this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSDa5-Ay9YM

Anyone tried anything like this?

Expensive internet connection here. Is it the curling iron method? Zach Matthews wrote about that method in a magazine. I talked to him about it and have been trying to make it work on an old fly line. So far I don't know what I'm doing.

No, this one uses a heat gun and some shrink wrap tube to hold everything straight while heating and melting.

I've seen the curling iron method and I'm skeptical of that one. Looks it would be hard to keep the lines together while heating, but easy to burn a finger.

That was my exact problem. I even went to the effort of drilling a groove in the surface of the curling iron to see if that would nest the two pieces and do the job. Zach made it look easy in his article. The method you're talking - means the tubing stays on the loop? I am pretty determined to figure this one out.

I was excited at first, but he is using Air Flow lines, and I got the impression that the coating on it is different from my Rio and Cortland lines. He said it can be done, but that was enough for me to spend my time on something else.

Bill

No, he cuts off the tubing.

Bill, I noticed that comment. I liked this guy's technique and video best, but there are several other video's out there. It sounds like you have to adjust the time used to heat the line to melt it without burning it based on the brand and type of line being worked with. So, a sinking line takes different time than a floating line.

It just looks interesting.

That is a really good video and it looks like he's got it down. I can see how the poly line would work better. The heat shrink tubing is what keeps the sections together and is absolutely necessary for this to work right. I tried this a couple times on PVC lines but I was skeptical that remelting the material might cause it to lose its integrity. I don't think I did it quite right bit I still don't think I trust my own work for 6wt and up. I just use the homemade braid loop on that. It would definitely hold for smaller stuff, but I recall it being harder to work with and get it right. There's not as much material to work with. I think that why most of the loops on the smaller lines seem so bulky.

That said, it looks like that guy has it down and he also overlapped a longer section than I did. I wish I knew what the process for how they do the factory loops. It might be a very similar process.

I got out some old fly line and tried this technique, and I am good at this stuff, and I can report, lots of things can go wrong.

Preast is right, some products lose integrity easily.

Too little heat and the weld is spotty, too much and the plastic is easily burned and rigid (think hinge points)

After a few tests I wanted an additional thin wrap to bulk up the weld area, but couldn't find anything to match my lines, not knowing the exact type plastic didnt help.

The point being, you need a lot of experience (or luck) to get your line done right.

My advice, practice on the tail end of your line, you'll soon see why !

I am an old fart and have learned that you get what you pay for. I would rather spend $75 on a new line built with the latest technology rather than take an old line and do something half-arse and break when you tie in to the fish of a lifetime.

The Whitlock ZapAGap splice is superior to a loop anyway as far as feeding through the guides on 2, 3, and 4 wt rods.

If you can afford $5 for a cup of coffee, you can afford a new line.

To each his own.


Bill

George turned me on to these braided loops. They are strong enough for offshore and have not failed me yet.

http://www.danblanton.com/blog/getting-looped/

I guess I�m likely a charter member of the old fart club, but we�ll just have to agree to disagree on this one - yeah Dave Whitlock showed me the dated ZapAGap splice years ago but then Dan Blanton showed me the braided mono loop technique - check Robin�s post for link.

I don't fish with 2 or 3 wt fly rods or fish for little fish, but sure catch a lot of them�
Yeah, I can well afford $5 for a cup of coffee�..

Yep, to each his own�.
George

I don't drink coffee and ever since I spent $5 on a nail knot tool I rarely use braided loops any more for leader connections. But I am interested in these melted or welded loops for shooting head to running line connections.

I first saw this style of "homemade" welded loop last year when Nick Curcione was at the Dallas boat. Rick Pope and him had made up several of these melted loops the night before. The comment was made that Nick had brought the equipment with him to make them and I thought the process must have required some sort of special equipment, so I didn't ask too many questions (my mistake). But we did spend time abusing those loops and I was surprised by how strong they were, even the ugly ones held together. They worked very well as shooting head connections.

I basically forgot about them until I saw this video and realized how simple the process is. I have some old fly line and I figure the process is worth playing with, assuming I ever remember to buy some shrink tubing and I can find my heat gun.

Braided loops really are the best deal to me, but not for any floating line under a 7wt (maybe a 6) because they are kinda bulky. For lower weights, I used to do the Whitlock deal but some of my line tips were too small (sage quiet taper) and even that piece of mono was bulky. I love that method though, and still use it on some newer light lines which all seem to have fatter tips these days. For the quiet tapers I changed over to a whipped loop. I figure that should hold anything I try to pull in on a 3wt.

I hate these with a passion.

I like the Whitlock method with a needle/nail knot using 20 or 30lb amnesia. I tendto buy lines with an intergrated loop now though.