making your own welded loop on fly line

[dollar]

i agree, i always use a tiny nail knot but of late i have been practicing the french leader set up, this has totally eliminated the use of the fly line on the reel. but i do see there being times on the river when the fly line is needed, easily load the fly line on the reel using the fly line loop to connect to the mono loop.
this soldering iron, would it be used with or without the heat shrink? the heat shrink gives a uniform weld through out its length

[Jason vL]

I would go with the heat shrink just for the extra protection. im going to try this method and as far as changing lines go this will definitely speed up that process. maybe experiment and try with and without the heat shrink and see what works best. ive used the solder iron many times on bits of plastic that cracked and needed welding, as long as the plastic doesn't smoke when the heat is applied the bond should be very strong.

[Korrie]

A welded loop adds a lot of weight to the end of a fly line.

a better options
a. is to insert a thick mono line into the fly line and then do a perfection loop on end of mono
b. have enough mono to do a couple of bloodknots for a couple of leader changes.
c. do a splice of the mono onto the fly line. Add a couple of barbs to fly line and to the mono for extra grip and wrap with thread

[dollar]

agreed Korrie
i'm a big fan of option "d" (three or four turn nail knot) because of constructing my own tapered leader.
i have used "a", "b" and "c" before but just stuck with the nail knot, maybe it was Joe Humphrey's influence or the longevity of the nail knot that played a major roll, just not sure.
i did this exercise only because i had a problem recently, a tussel with a freshwater crab that tore the fly line with some damage (frayed) to the core braid, somewhere just behind the belly of the weight forward line. it had to be repaired instead of throwing the line away. i cut the chewed section, splice it by overlapping both lines and voila, presto, back in action thanks to welding with the help of heat shrink. to add, my quest in french/spanish leader, i removed the fly line completely to ensure my divorce from any assistance of fly line (and a bit of, the long mono leader cutting into the coils of fly line on the spool, looked absolutely terrible). but i have come across a few hours of unproductive flying time from windy conditions, so may need to add the fly line back onto the spool from time to time, instead of using mono for connecting both ends (as i prefer), i went with a welded loop, maybe expanding my data base in the diy flying department.
thinking further,
most novices opt for the looped flyline, maybe guided by a friend or shop owner. some just prefer a loop, and in due time need of repair from use.
not all loops need to be coated with plastic, this simple fix by melting the loop and pinch remove the coating exposing the braid for loop to loop connection, smaller, streamer looking knot is another option.

[Korrie]

It is not a nail knot.
You overlap the thick mono onto the fly line and the wrap the 2 lines together with fly tying thread. add super glue and then some UV wader repair to smooth out

[dollar]

i know Korrie, and sorry for been silly by going with option "d", your list only has a,b & c. admitely the whipped finish is a great knot, stream line, easy to do, colour added if need be.