The Jay M Loop

Hey Jay, I need a few hints for how you make your loops. My experience: After pushing the needle up the braid and out the side I hooked the end of the braid and pulled it back through its self to form a loop. I then pulled the loop down to the size I wanted and trimmed both legs to be same length. So far so good. I then started the fly line into the inner braid and "inch worm" it up through the doubled braid. I found it very difficult to advance the line into the doubled braid. I could only manage a inch or so. I think it would be important to have the line stuffed all the way up to the loop, if not all the way into it. So how is this best done? I am thinking both legs of the braid, inner and outer, should be of equal length and nail knotted at the base of the braids. Where am I going wrong? Harley

Hey Harley,

OK, I'll try to explain the LOOP. Or how I make one. Hopefully you'll be able to translate my writing into something you can understand. This is why I don't write a book

I take a 10" piece of 50# braid and then using a piece of 30lb mono, I make a loop out of the mono. Take the looped mono and shove it or in better terminology, push it up through the middle of the braided material about 3" to 4". Then I pop the mono through the side and pull the loop about an inch.
Now take the other end of the braided material and run it through the loop of the mono. Slowwwwwwly pull the mono back through the middle of the braided material. When the other end of the braid reaches the end, keep pulling the material until it comes out the other end... CAUTION don't pull to hard or too fast or you'll end up pulling your looped braided material all the way. This is sort of like reaching into your pant leg and pulling it through. Just a reversal process

You want to make sure that you have a medium size loop at the one end so you can pull your fly line through. But not to big or you'll end up with a 2" loop - not good. Once you have the braided section pulled through, start feeding your fly line up the center of the braided material. It will end up crawling like a catapillar. Push and slide. When you get to the doubled section of the braided material, I keep going. You'll have to feed the fly line into the double section by sliding back some of the material on the top layer. This is why you leave a big loop at the other end. You'll see the loop get smaller and smaller as you slide the fly line through the double section on braid

After I've fed about a 1/2" or so of fly line into the double section, pull on the loop and the fly line should get pulled toward the top of the loop. I pull just a smidge of fly line past the loop. This will stiffen the loop so it won't claspe when casting.

I put a nail knot at each end of the braid and coat it with Knot Sense

Today I tried shooting a video by myself. I'll have to wait for my friend to get over the flu

Jay

Thanks Jay, Earlier today I tested two of your loops for tensile strength. I tied these before I got your instructions. I put your loops on the ends of a 30 inch piece of fly line. I don't know what the break strength is for the 12 weight line (Orvis Silver Label floater) . I looped one end of the test line to a 1/4 inch nylon rope suspended from a garage truss. The other end of the test line was looped to the bale of a 5 gallon pail. With the bucket hanging from the test line I added weight until the line failed. The fly line parted about an inch above the loop at the bail, It broke very cleanly. I then weighed the bucket at 40#.
I used only a single nail knot to secure the braid to the line, It was placed at the end of the braid. I did not whip it or use any glue. Thanks for the help I will work on getting it down. Harley

HC,

If I'm not mistaken, I believe most fly lines break around 33#. I can't say for sure but in Baja last year, I went through 5 fly lines. They either broke in the mid-section or at the factory loop. How do I know it was the loop, because I still had my bimini loop in tack. I also had 3 fly lines separate at the coating.

I have never tested line breakage. Although I do test knots every now and then using my boga

Jay