Ok, so I'm familiar with this practice for making loops in fly line Dacron backing, but I didn't know there could be a long rod application. So this would be used for shock leader, mainline, or both? Wouldn't I lose all the abrasion benefit of mono shock leader?
I agree, but Steve hates hearing that big mono knot running through all of the guides. His knot is seamless, but there is little in the way to abrasion resistance. He's caught many on it and lost a few. My biggest thing is the leader has "Slipped" a foot or two a few times and that scares the crap out of me. I'll just stay with my big knot mono shock leader. I thought about it for a while and decided to stick with what works for me. (Not to say that I don't have to learn this because I can see some practical uses for it in some situations)
Dave, it is used as a connection from mainline to shock leader. You still have the benefit of the mono's abrasion resistance. I have lost a couple fish to abrasion, one was in the mainline and the others in the mono shock leader. I probably should have changed it out, but was lazy. The connection is mostly doubled line, either hollow braid with mono inserted, or doubled hollow braid. Even the loops themselves are two parallel lengths of braid.
Slippage mostly occurred in the mainline side of things. I have since gone to a solid braid mainline, involving a somewhat different splice, and slippage is minimal. The addition of a flexible CA glue to my nail knot serves has also helped.
An additional benefit, besides the smooth passage through the guides, is much less weed hanging up on the shock leader knot. A downside is in the case of a mainline break it is tedious to replace on the sand, and I just revert to a knotted connection..
Like everything else, there are ups and downs, but I haven't changed back yet.
