"Angling" glues

[mo]

Hi guys,

Was just wondering what type of glue you use for making up your own braided loops, joining your braided loops to your fly line etc?

Are these specific "Angling" glues any different from your normal everyday superglue, and if so what is the best stuff to use, and whats to be avoided?

Any help will be appreciated

Neil

[silverinvicta]

Hi Neil .. most use superglue... the angling superglue IS waterproof, not all ordinary SG's are......But if you buy a good brand name i dont think you will have any probs, its usually on the container if waterproof.. personaly i dont superglue any braided loops to line ... I whip at the rod end and the line tip end and varnish the whippings with a head varnish, give em a few coats.. i also however seldom use braided loops.. only on my lighter rod used for grayling etc.
The braid grips the line anyway with the contraction of the stuff.

Si

[waddington]

I have always found 'Zap a Gap' glue to be good stuff although I have to confess I have not really tried many other brands. Unfortunately quite expensive for what it is though in my opinion.

Phil

[bluecharm]

Hi Mo,

'Angling glues' aside, I reckon you've just asked a basic/critical question on behalf of the rest of us 'new-comers'.

Since starting out I've tried a number of different ways, over the years, of attaching the various terminal segments together (as I suspect has everyone else).

When I was a lot younger I used to tie a 'granny knot' in the end of my (very cheap) fly-line and then attach my monofilament leader with a tucked blood knot onto the flyline. The granny knot stopped any chance of detachment ! Within an hour or so of fishing, my floating line invariably became a sink-tip and eventually I'd hit the right level and start catching ! I'd love someone else to admit that they might have done this in their youth ? !!!

I don't make my own braided loops, but I buy them in packets, usually accompanied by the 'heat-shrink' tubes. As a result, I have never resorted to using glue and, until your post, never actually knew there was a bespoke water-proof 'Angling' glue.

As SI has said, once the braid is pulled tight, it grips the end of the fly line because the threads contract around the core. The harder you pull, the better it grips ........... ;D When the heat-shrink tubing has been activated with the tip of an iron, the link between fly line and braid is solid, and I've never had to resort to glue. But I suppose it could give you additional peace of mind.

I always thought that one of the advantages of the braided loop systems was that one could change the braided loop / flyline connection easily at waterside to alter depth of fishing, depending on the sink rate of the braid one was using. So I'm not sure why a glue would be desirable ?

Could just have exposed my ignorance there ......

would be interested to hear what the four/five star lads recommend ?

BC

[silverinvicta]

Bluecharm, That is my preferred way of attaching my leader to fly line..IT is the only way in over 50 yrs fly fishing that has never let me down.. as i said in an earlier post I do now use braided loops but only on a grayling set up. I can also tell you that Tuniwes also still uses this way and i know several other forum members still use it . i dont use a granny though, i use a figure of eight ......same result ... ;D

Si

PS The problem i have found just using shrink or a tight tube over the end of your loop, is when using a long leader and having to bring the loop inside the rod rings when landing fish... the end of the loop braid/ tube hits against the eye, after a while this can loosen and the whole loop slip off, the whippings stop this.

[crockski]

I must pronounce my ignorance and say that i didn't really know what braided loops were until recently. I just use a small loop of 20lb mono, needle knot it to my fly line and apply a couple of coats of normal superglue. The glue not only strengthens the knots, but also smooths out any protrusions to help passage through the rings.

I also use a little dot of superglue on my other knots, i find that it adds quite a bit of strength to my blood knots etc, and since using it, i find that i usually come back from a nights fishing with a full fly box...... . One particular night, my fly was caught in over hanging trees about a dozen times and it pulled loose each time with fly intact......

[waddington]

I'm Definitely not one of the '4 or 5 star lads' ;D , but this is the way I do braided loops if I decide to use them on a line. If you use braided loops at the end of your flyline you are far better off making your own than relying on the shop bought ones. Shop bought braided loops, with the little plastic sleeve, are a disaster just waiting to happen! If the instructions are followed carefully in the link below the resulting loops are massively stronger than any pressure you can possibly apply with a single handed 7 or 8 wt rod. This method will not let you down, its just a question of if you like this form of connection.

www.danblanton.com/gettinglooped.html

Phil

[Hoppy]

Apr 12, 2008 22:09:54 GMT -1 crockski said:

but also smooths out any protrusions to help passage through the ring.

;D

[Paul Dunstan]

So - is a King Prawn Vindaloo classed as an angling glue? ;D

[shocker]

Apr 13, 2008 8:10:05 GMT -1 Paul Dunstan said:

So - is a King Prawn Vindaloo classed as an angling glue? ;D

wouldnt that be classed as an artificial bait flavour enhancer/attractant?It couldnt be any worse than that "ultrabite" 5h1te that was around a few years back
;D ;D ;D

[silverinvicta]

Apr 13, 2008 8:10:05 GMT -1 Paul Dunstan said:

So - is a King Prawn Vindaloo classed as an angling glue? ;D

I would have thought A king prawn Vindaloo would be better classed as

a RELEASE AGENT.... ;D ;D ;D ;D

[shocker]

My experience of angling specific glue is limited to "fly fishin' glue"....I sprung a fiver for it expecting something different,but what I got was the same old super glue,of a medium to thick viscosity.It dries the same horrible stiff brittle way that ordinary superglue does and seemed no better or worse for the extra money.If that is a fair example of the other angling glues then I would say you are better off just buying the cheapest stuff with a viscosity that will do the job you want.Several brands now label the viscosity,screwfix have several as do the big DIY stores.

As to braided loops,the glue was used in the days before shrink tube was adopted to hold the silicone/plastic tubing in place that covers the frayed end of the braid and prevent it slipping off.I think its redundant now if you use shrink tube.

I use that "knot in the end of flyline and grinner tied leader" system on any lines that I dont think will have a poly-or-braided leader attached at some time.

If I'm going to put any glue on a line now I prefer it to be flex-able and so have used flexament or stormsure or even head varnish with no problems.I have found that the superglue bond breaks up with repeated flexing.

serious-for-once shocks

[bluecharm]

Apr 12, 2008 22:34:56 GMT -1 waddington said:

Shop bought braided loops, with the little plastic sleeve, are a disaster just waiting to happen!

Phil

Waddington, Is it the quality of the braided loops or the shrink-tubing that you don't trust ?

Thanks for the link. It's good.

Think I'd like to make a few of my own from now on but one more question ............ Where do you buy your braid from ?

BC.

[waddington]

Hi Bluecharm,

A lot of shop bought braided loops are only 'single catch, and not double catch as described in the Dan Blanton link. I have frequently managed to make the shop bought loops slip undone when applying only moderate pressure on a test pull. It is essential imo that loops are made using the double catch, as there is no way they will then slip open under pressure. I prefer to use a nail knot as personally I feel it is more secure. It slips through the rod guides ok with a little bit of flexible super glue to smooth it out, and once the knot bites in there is no way it is slipping. With this system you are not relying on the super glue to hold things together. In fact a lot of glue is counterproductive. The glues function is to give a bit of added insurance but in practice really just helps to smooth things out.

As far as buying the braid goes I find the Gudebrod very good but I also had a spool of Sportfish own brand for making snakes a few years ago that was fine. I'm sure you can probably get the gudebrod braid from e bay or from www.lakelandflytying.com/132/Gudebrod.aspx . You can either buy the braid from Lakeland as a 'splicing kit', or by the spool. The gudebrod braid is pretty thin and I would go for at least the 35lb strain for an 8wt line.
There are plenty of other excellent ways to rig lines up and everyone has their favourites. If you want to use braided loops then this is the way to go. Believe me those shop bought loops (especially the cheap ones) really are a disaster waiting to happen!, which I think is the reason why many anglers have grown to dislike this method of connection for their lines.
Hope this helps.

All the Best
Phil

[shocker]

Wow!Thats a good price for gudebrod!top stuff,too :)wont go far wrong with that and the double catch method from the link.

However,if one is a cheapskate,Ive always found the masterline grey stuff good,nice for snakes too.If you want to get fancy on the cheap try champion swearer and all round misery Steve Parton,his sparton stuff is what a hell of a lot of uk companies buy from him and badge as their own,he does some coloured stuff etc in made loops or short lengths
www.spartonfly.co.uk/Other_Stuff/Connectors/connectors.html
and whole reels of braid too,(but the gudebrod works out cheaper)
www.spartonfly.co.uk/Fly_Lines/fly_lines.html
if you want to make some snakes and shooting head running lines.
Having said all that,the gudebrod is very good stuff and thats not a bad price for it.
Have fun! ;)but remember,use flexible glue!
sticky shocksie

[bluecharm]

Thanks for all the advice on this. Very useful indeed. You've got me worried about my shop-bought loops now ....... especially when I hook up with that monster some time this summer (I'm talking sea trout here !!).

Those two links are straight into my 'Favourites'. Never knew about Lakelandflytying - they've got some really good quality stuff at excellent prices.

I appreciate all your help. BC.