Excerpt from a new article courtesy of Cascades Flyfishing Expeditions:
Terminal tackle is a term more frequently used in the conventional fishing world; however, in my mind, it applies to any component in your fly fishing rigging that could fail, i.e. – the knots, the leader material and the fly.
Rigging Overview
- When rigging a fly fishing reel, the first step is to tie backing onto the fly reel spool, and wind on backing. Typically an arbor knot is used at this step. If a fish takes you all the way to the end of your backing, and to this step in your rigging, you’re in trouble.
- The backing is then attached to the rear section of the fly line. Two knots work in this application; the Albright knot or the nail knot.
- At the distal end of the fly line, attach a butt section. A butt section is a 6-10” section of 20-30 lb monofilament with a Perfection loop at the end. Use an Albright or nail knot to attach the monofilament butt section to the fly line. A Perfection loop is tied on the end of the butt section to allow rapid changing of leaders through the use of an inter-locking loop.