Because
I fly fish around so much structure and have to do everything
I can to keep fish from taking me into the bushes, I have
never been a big fan of nail knots or "Chinese fingercuffs"
on the end of my fly line. Under heavy loads, nail knots
end up stripping off the outer coating of the fly line and
the braided "Chinese fingercuff" loops simply
can't take the strain. The only way to go in the mangroves
is to have a loop in the end of your fly line and the easiest
and quickest way I have found to do this is illustrated
below. Keep in mind that you must hold the entire knot between
your thumb and forefinger while tying. It is tricky the
first time, but gets easier with practice.
Further
food for thought: I frequently hear people brag about how
long they fought a large fish before landing it. The simple
truth is that they probably weren't putting much pressure
on the fish and during the battle the fish was building
up a lot of lactic acid - a possibly fatal outcome for the
fish. I may use light rods, but I use VERY stout leader
systems which allow me to hold the rod at a much shallower
angle, thereby putting much more pressure on the fish and
more pressure means a shorter fight time.
