Loop-to-Loop Connection
Handshake of two finished loops. Strength is the weaker loop; girth-hitch assembly is a fail.
Beginner · Fly line / Monofilament / Fluorocarbon / Braid
Connection card
Loop-to-Loop Connection
For loop → loop, fly line → leader.
Two finished loops interlocked as a handshake — a connection, not a knot tied in one line.
This card does not say how strong the knot is. A retention figure comes from a bench, in one material, at one diameter, tied by somebody who ties it all day — and the line in your hand is none of those. What it does tell you is whether the thing you have just tied is the thing the record describes.
What this plate is telling you
Handshake of two finished loops. Strength is the weaker loop; girth-hitch assembly is a fail.
Save this as a picture and it works with a dead signal and a nearly dead battery, which is when a joint is most often tied badly. The rest of this page — the steps, the seating sequence, the failure modes and the bench — is for the evening before.
Why this knot
What it earns its place with, what it costs, and what to reach for instead.
- Damaged factory loops
- When lowest profile matters (Nail / Needle)
- Girth-hitched assembly
- Leader loop pushed through the main-line loop instead of the other way round
- Leader passed through its own loop instead of through the main-line loop
- Joining to a loop with cracked coating or a frayed core
- Perfection LoopBeginner
A small fixed loop in the end of a leader, tippet or fly line that lies in line with the standing line
- Surgeon’s LoopBeginner
A fixed loop tied quickly in the end of a line, for a loop-to-loop connection or to let a lure or fly move freely on the loop
- Nail KnotIntermediate
Joining a leader to the end of a fly line with a smooth, compact coil of wraps that passes through the rod guides
Before you start
- ·Both loops are made first. NetKnots calls this a way of joining two loops rather than a knot, and it is only as strong as the weaker loop.
- ·Run each loop between finger and thumb and check where it is formed for cracked coating or fraying before you connect.
- ·The whole leader is fed through the main-line loop tippet first, so the leader needs a free end.
- ·Finished correctly, the loops lie as two U-shapes like a square knot. One loop cinched around a straight one is a girth hitch.
Step 1 of 4 · move 1 of 1. Run each loop between finger and thumb and look closely where it is formed
Space plays or pauses. Keys 1, 2, 3 and 4 set the speed. Arrow keys change the move.
swipe to step
01.1
Run each loop between finger and thumb and look closely where it is formed
- Hold:
- One hand holds the fly line just behind its loop
- Move:
- The other hand runs finger and thumb slowly round each loop in turn
You should now see: Both loops feel smooth all the way round, and the point where each loop is formed is tight and undamaged.
Run each loop slowly between finger and thumb, and look closely at the point where the loop is formed on each line.
Both loops feel smooth along their length, and the point where each loop is formed is tight and undamaged.
Joining to a loop with cracked coating or a frayed core. The damage shows as a rough spot, a kink, or a pale patch where the loop bends.
Fix: Cut off the damaged loop and make a new one before connecting. If the leader loop is the damaged one, tie a fresh loop in the leader.
Why: The finished connection is only as strong as the weaker of the two loops, and the connection loads each loop right where it bends.
- Factory loop already damaged — Crushed coating is a cut-off, not a retie of the handshake. Replace the loop; do not ‘fix’ a girth by pulling harder.
arrow keys work
Tying procedure — Loop-to-Loop Connection
Step 01 / 4
Run each loop slowly between finger and thumb, and look closely at the point where the loop is formed on each line.
You should now see: Both loops feel smooth along their length, and the point where each loop is formed is tight and undamaged.
If it goes wrong: Joining to a loop with cracked coating or a frayed core. The damage shows as a rough spot, a kink, or a pale patch where the loop bends.
Fix: Cut off the damaged loop and make a new one before connecting. If the leader loop is the damaged one, tie a fresh loop in the leader.
Why: The finished connection is only as strong as the weaker of the two loops, and the connection loads each loop right where it bends.
Step 1 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Run each loop between finger and thumb and look closely where it is formed
Hold: One hand holds the fly line just behind its loop
Move: The other hand runs finger and thumb slowly round each loop in turn
You should now see: Both loops feel smooth all the way round, and the point where each loop is formed is tight and undamaged.
Step 02 / 4
Push the loop on the main line or fly line through the loop on the leader.
You should now see: The end of the main-line loop sticks out through the leader loop and stays open on the far side.
If it goes wrong: Doing it the other way round and pushing the leader loop through the main-line loop. Finished that way, the leader loop ends up choking the main-line loop in a girth hitch.
Fix: Pull the leader loop back out and push the main-line loop through the leader loop instead.
Why: The main-line loop goes through first because the leader is the only part with a free end, and that end has to pass through the main-line loop next.
Step 2 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Push the main-line loop through the leader loop
Hold: Left hand holds the leader loop open and flat
Move: Right hand pushes the end of the fly-line loop up through the leader loop
You should now see: The end of the fly-line loop sticks out through the leader loop and stays open on the far side.
Step 03 / 4
Feed the far end of the leader, tippet first, through the main-line loop and draw the whole leader through.
You should now see: The two loops hang linked but still loose, each loop passing around both strands of the other.
If it goes wrong: Passing the leader through its own loop instead of the main-line loop. That ties the leader loop around the main line in a girth hitch, which looks tidy until it is pulled tight.
Fix: Pull the leader back out and feed it through the main-line loop, the one sticking through the leader loop.
Why: With each loop around both strands of the other, the two share the pull evenly. A leader passed through its own loop wraps one loop around a single bend of the other.
Step 3 of 4 · move 1 of 2
Feed the far end of the leader, tippet first, through the main-line loop
Hold: Left hand keeps the fly-line loop standing open through the leader loop
Move: Right hand brings the tippet round and feeds it through the fly-line loop
Step 3 of 4 · move 2 of 2
Draw the whole leader through the main-line loop
Hold: Left hand holds the fly line behind its loop
Move: Right hand draws the whole leader through until its own loop follows
You should now see: The two loops hang linked but still loose, each loop passing around both strands of the other.
Step 04 / 4
Pull the main line and the leader slowly away from each other until the two loops slide together.
You should now see: Two interlocked U-shapes of similar size lying flat against each other, looking like a square knot.
If it goes wrong: One loop cinching tight around the other while the other stays straight and open. That is a girth hitch, and it can cut into the loop it grips.
Fix: Push the loops apart, pull the leader back out, and repeat from step 2 with the main-line loop through the leader loop.
Why: A girth hitch puts the whole pull on one bend of the gripped loop. Undo it and connect again rather than fishing it.
Step 4 of 4 · move 1 of 1
Pull the main line and the leader slowly apart until the two loops slide together
Hold: Left hand holds the fly line
Move: Right hand pulls the leader slowly away until the loops meet
You should now see: Two interlocked U-shapes of similar size lie flat against each other, like a square knot; neither loop chokes the other.
What this is based onReference review, not yet tied
- Record
- Reviewed 2026-08-14. 3 sources are cited for this record.
- Drawing
- Checked against published references and found to be this knot. Not yet tied from the drawing. Recorded 2026-09-21.
- Known limits
- None that stop a reader following it were confirmed in the plate audit of 2026-09-24; smaller findings were not all re-checked.
- Strength
- Not established. No credible, comparable strength data exists for this knot, so no figure is shown.
Watch the tie
Quick Fly Fishing Tip: Loop to Loop Leader Fly Line ConnectionMurray's Fly Shop · Opens on YouTubeExternal video from a creator we follow — not produced by us. Nothing on this page loads from YouTube until you follow the link.
Seating sequence — where failures are born
The step list compresses the finish. Run these phases in order, one at a time.
01 Inspect
Check both loops for coating damage and a sound knot or splice.
None.
02 Assemble
Main-line loop through the leader loop, then the whole leader through the main-line loop.
None until the handshake is formed.
03 Dress
Pull into matching U-shapes.
Light, even, both loops opening together.
04 Check
Confirm neither loop has cinched. If one collapsed, undo.
A firm pull, not a snatch.
05 Commit
Only load it after the structure reads correct. Wrong means remake.
Working load, not a snatch.
Finished structure — what correct looks like
Drawn from a rope model of this knot: which strand passes over which comes from where the rope actually lies.
- Structure
- Completed join or loop structure
- Standing line
- On-axis load path
- Tag end
- Tags short and correct path
- Wraps
- Even, no crossings
- Seating
- Fully seated
Verify before you load it
Every line is pass or fail. One fail means retie — do not load a knot you argued with.
- 01Completed join or loop structure
- 02Fully seated
- 03Tags short and correct path
- 04Even, no crossings
- 05None
- 06loop-to-loop
Field notes — dark, cold, gloves
- ·Handshake, not a hitch. Matching U-shapes are the only finished look.
- ·A damaged factory loop is replaced, not 'made good' by the handshake.
- ·Oversized leader loops click in the guides. Size the loops to the system.
Loop-to-Loop Connection — finished-state checks, on the shared reference layout
When this family fails, it fails as these. The recovered end still outranks the name.
Loop-to-Loop Connection — what fails and what to do
A loop that either stands as a dropper or handshake onto another loop.
- !Dropper loop collapsed into an overhand
- !Handshake twisted so one loop saws the other
- !Loop sized after it was already loaded
- !The loops finish as a girth hitch, putting the pull on one bend so it can cut the gripped loop
- !Either loop has cracked coating or a frayed core where it bends
- !The knot or join that forms either loop is loose or damaged
Assembled as a girth hitch
One loop cinches and cuts the other
Matching U-shapes only — a girth is a failed handshake · step 02
Oversized leader loop, or only the tippet through
Unfinished handshake; coating crushes
Both loops must pass fully and sit as a handshake · step 03
Factory loop already damaged
Crushed coating is a cut-off, not a retie of the handshake
Replace the loop; do not ‘fix’ a girth by pulling harder · step 01
One loop cinches and cuts the other
Check
- ?Matching U-shapes
- ?Neither loop collapsed
Then
- →Undo and reassemble as a handshake
- →Replace a damaged factory loop
Connection formed as a girth hitch instead of square interlock.
Check
- ?Look for: Connection formed as a girth hitch instead of square interlock.
Then
- →Retie as a true loop-to-loop interlock.
Loops enter twisted relative to each other.
Check
- ?Look for: Loops enter twisted relative to each other.
Then
- →Open, re-seat squarely, or reconnect.
One loop is far smaller and cuts the other.
Check
- ?Look for: One loop is far smaller and cuts the other.
Then
- →Match practical loop sizes.
Loop legs abrade at the contact point.
Check
- ?Look for: Loop legs abrade at the contact point.
Then
- →Inspect mid-session; retie nicked loops.
Finished check failed — one loop collapses into an accidental girth-hitch orientation
Check
- ?two finished loops interlock squarely
- ?load is shared across the intended loop legs
- ?connection can be separated without visible twist damage
Then
- →Retie. localized wear, distortion, or premature loop failure.
Assembled as a girth hitch
Check
- ?One loop cinches and cuts the other
- ?Inspect step 02
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Oversized leader loop, or only the tippet through
Check
- ?Unfinished handshake; coating crushes
- ?Inspect step 03
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Factory loop already damaged
Check
- ?Crushed coating is a cut-off, not a retie of the handshake
- ?Inspect step 01
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Same failure class, different geometry. Open the plates — Diagnose still starts from the symptom.
Get it right with everything in your favour0/5 clean
Nothing logged on this knot yet, so it starts on the bottom rung.
Good light, dry hands, a table. Until the sequence is automatic here there is nothing for the harder rungs to test — you would only be learning that difficult conditions are difficult, which you already knew.
How · Tie it, check it against the list, log it. Five clean and the ladder opens.
Nothing marked. Log it clean, or mark what happened first.
Strength, and where the number comes from
Not established
Not a retention figure at all — the join is only as strong as whichever loop is weaker, so a percentage would have to belong to that loop knot instead.
Percentages come from published tests on their own line, their own knot-tyer and their own pull rate. Yours is a different system. Treat a figure as a reason to test, not as a result you already have.
- NetKnots — Loop-to-Loop
- Hook the Horizon — Loop-to-Loop Connection
Recovered from the same record’s historical Hook the Horizon resource URL.
- NetKnots fishing knot references
Recovered from this record’s historical modelSourceId registry.
Record reviewed 2026-08-14
Vetted references
- Loop-to-Loop Connection
Hook the Horizon
- Quick Fly Fishing Tip: Loop to Loop Leader Fly Line Connection
Murray's Fly Shop
Check the finished knot against what correct looks like before you load it.