Rigging Your Fly Reel the Right Way: A Step-by-Step Guide to Loop-to-Loop Connections

For any angler stepping into the world of fly fishing, the gap between owning gear and actually fishing with it can feel surprisingly wide. Spools of backing, coils of fly line, and tapered leaders all need to come together in a specific, reliable sequence before a single cast can be made. Get it wrong, and you risk losing the fish of a lifetime — or worse, losing your entire fly line to the current. Get it right, and you have a system that is both elegant and bombproof.

At TCO Fly Shop in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, fly fishing expert Dusty Wissmith breaks down the process of rigging a fly reel with the kind of calm, methodical clarity that only comes from years on the water. His focus is on the loop-to-loop connection — a simple yet critical technique that joins the key components of your fly fishing setup with speed, strength, and easy replaceability.

Understanding the System: Why Connections Matter

Before diving into the mechanics, it helps to understand why proper connections are so important in fly fishing. Unlike conventional fishing, where a single line typically runs from reel to lure, a fly fishing setup is a layered system. Backing fills the reel and provides a reserve of line should a fish make a long run. The fly line itself is a thick, weighted line that provides the mass necessary for casting. Finally, the leader — a tapered length of monofilament or fluorocarbon — transitions the fly line to the nearly invisible tippet and fly.

Each of these components must be joined to the next, and the quality of those connections directly affects the performance of the entire system. A poorly tied knot or a misaligned loop can compromise casting, reduce strength at critical moments, and make changing leaders a frustrating, time-consuming ordeal. The loop-to-loop system Wissmith demonstrates solves all of these problems at once.

Building the Foundation: The Figure Eight Loop in Your Backing

The first step in rigging your reel is creating a secure loop in the end of your backing. This loop will ultimately connect to the welded loop already present on most modern fly lines. Wissmith's preferred method is the figure eight loop — a variation on the simple overhand loop that offers additional strength and a cleaner finished profile.

The process begins simply enough. Fold the end of your backing over to form a small, doubled section of line. With your other hand, give that doubled section a deliberate twist, which creates a secondary loop. Then, take the first loop you formed and bring it up through the new loop before pulling everything tight. The result is a compact, strong loop that seats firmly against itself under pressure.

"I basically tie a figure eight loop — fold your backing over to form a small loop, give the line a twist to form another loop, then take that first loop and bring it up through the loop you've just formed and tighten it."
— Dusty Wissmith, TCO Fly Shop

For added durability, Wissmith recommends finishing the knot with a half hitch or, as he prefers in demonstration, a quick application of UV-curing glue. The UV glue method has become increasingly popular among fly anglers because it bonds instantly under a UV light source and creates a smooth, hard finish that resists wear and prevents the knot from loosening over time. Either finishing method adds an extra layer of security to what is already a reliable knot.

The First Loop-to-Loop Connection: Backing to Fly Line

With the figure eight loop tied in the backing, it is time to make the first of two loop-to-loop connections — this one joining the backing to the fly line. Modern fly lines almost universally come with a factory-welded loop at each end, making this connection quick and intuitive once you understand the geometry involved.

The key is in the sequencing. Pass the backing loop through the welded loop of the fly line first, then feed the entire spool of fly line back through the backing loop. Pull everything snug and observe the finished connection carefully. When done correctly, the junction of the two loops should resemble a firm handshake or a square knot — two loops lying flat and parallel against each other, interlocked neatly.

"The finished loop is going to look like a handshake or a square knot. If it looks like a girth hitch, then you're just going to have to reposition the loop."
— Dusty Wissmith, TCO Fly Shop

The distinction between a correct loop-to-loop and a girth hitch is not merely aesthetic — it is structural. A girth hitch configuration, where one loop chokes around the other rather than interlocking through it, significantly reduces the breaking strength of the connection and can cause the loops themselves to degrade more quickly under stress. If your connection looks like a noose rather than a handshake, take the thirty seconds required to undo it and redo it properly. It is time well spent.

Loading the Line: Getting Backing onto the Reel

Once the backing is connected to the fly line, the backing must be wound onto the reel before the fly line can follow. At TCO Fly Shop, Wissmith uses a dedicated line-winding machine to streamline this process — a useful piece of equipment for fly shops and serious anglers who rig multiple reels throughout a season.

For the majority of anglers setting up at home, however, the same result is entirely achievable with basic improvisation. A pencil threaded through the spool makes an effective axle, and the spool can be rested between your knees to provide tension while you reel. Alternatively, a willing fishing partner can hold the spool with light, consistent resistance while you wind. The goal in either case is even, moderately tensioned wraps that fill the reel in neat, consistent layers without creating the loose, tangled loops that cause knots and tangles during a fish fight.

After the backing and fly line are loaded onto the reel, the spool is removed from the machine or makeshift rig and seated back into the reel frame. At this point, the physical bulk of the rigging work is done — but one crucial connection still remains.

The Second Loop-to-Loop Connection: Fly Line to Leader

The second loop-to-loop connection joins the leader to the fly line, and it is performed in exactly the same manner as the first. Most commercially packaged leaders — from manufacturers like Rio, Scientific Anglers, and Orvis — come with a pre-formed loop at the butt end, designed specifically for this connection. Paired with the welded loop at the tip of the fly line, the setup practically invites the loop-to-loop method.

To make the connection, pass the loop at the butt of the leader through the welded loop at the tip of the fly line. Then run the entirety of the leader — from its tapered body down to the tippet end — back through that welded fly line loop. Pull it all through deliberately and tighten everything down. As with the backing-to-fly-line connection, the result should look like a square knot: symmetrical, flat, and locked securely together.

"I'm going to take the loop of the leader, put it over the loop of the fly line, then run the rest of the leader back through that welded loop in the end of the fly line. Once I pull that all through and tighten it up, it again is going to look like a square knot."
— Dusty Wissmith, TCO Fly Shop

The beauty of this connection, beyond its strength and simplicity, is how easily it can be undone and remade. Changing leaders on stream — whether because of a switch in target species, a change in water clarity, or a catastrophic tangle — takes only seconds with loop-to-loop connections. There is no knot to cut, no re-rigging from scratch. Simply open the connection, swap leaders, and reset. For anglers who fish varied conditions throughout a day, this flexibility is genuinely invaluable.

The Completed Rig: What You Now Have

When Wissmith's process is followed from start to finish, the result is a fully rigged fly reel with a complete, reliable system of connections running from the arbor of the reel to the tip of the leader. Backing anchors the system and provides insurance against long runs from large fish. The fly line provides casting weight and a highly visible reference point on the water. The leader tapers down to near-invisibility, presenting the fly as naturally as possible to wary fish.

Each connection in that chain has been made intentionally, verified visually, and finished with care. Nothing is left to chance. For beginning fly anglers, building this kind of methodical approach to rigging from the very start creates habits that will serve well for decades on the water. For experienced anglers, a quick refresher on the fundamentals — particularly the square-knot visual check on every loop-to-loop connection — is never wasted.

Tips for Success: Making Every Connection Count

A few additional points of guidance will help ensure your loop-to-loop connections perform at their best season after season. First, inspect both loops before making any connection. Factory-welded loops on fly lines can develop cracks or soft spots over time, particularly with heavy use or prolonged exposure to UV light. A compromised welded loop can fail at the worst possible moment. Replace any fly line that shows signs of damage near the loop.

Second, avoid stretching or distorting your loops during the connection process. Forcing a loop that is slightly too small or rushing the tightening process can weaken the material at the connection point. Take your time, work with gentle, steady tension, and let the geometry of the connection do the work it was designed to do.

Third, keep your loops clean. Grit and debris that accumulate at connection points can abrade the line material over time and introduce weak spots. A quick rinse of your reel and line after fishing in sandy or silty conditions goes a long way toward extending the life of your gear.

Finally, practice the figure eight loop on dry land before your first fishing trip. Tie it a dozen times with a length of spare backing until the motion becomes natural and the finished loop comes out clean and consistent. The few minutes invested in practice will pay immediate dividends when you are streamside and need to re-rig quickly.

On the Water: Confidence Through Preparation

There is a particular kind of confidence that comes from knowing your tackle is rigged correctly. It frees your mind from nagging doubt and lets you focus entirely on reading the water, presenting the fly, and responding to the fish. That confidence begins at the reel — with a well-seated spool, neatly loaded backing, and two loop-to-loop connections that look exactly like the handshakes they are designed to resemble.

As Wissmith puts it simply at the close of his demonstration: "I hope this helps you out, and we'll see you on the water." With the backing looped to the fly line and the leader looped to the fly line tip, that is exactly where you are ready to be.