knots wrong?

[elliven]

G`day all,can anyone tell me why my line always breaks at the double uni knot where i join my lines (leader to braid) when i get snagged.I use a uni knot to join my jig head to the leader but i always loose my leader aand have to retie a new lenght.Am i using the wrong knot?

[rockfisho]

hi mate.

what breaking strength of line and leader are you using?

cheers

Owen

[elliven]

I`m mainly only using real light stuff like 4lb braid to 6lb leader,or 6lb to 10lb but today i was using heavier braid ,i think around 20lb with 25lb leader and it happened again.Iunderstand the light stuff giving away but it always breaks at the join ,not at the hook.

[Horse]

Try an albright. It has worked better in a few tests. It all depends on what you are tying

[Jason John Skerritt]

HI mate try usin a albright knot;Then macthin your braid lb with the right leader lb; For instant for 20lb braid you can normaly tie anything upto 60lb;Anything over 60lb then you gotta start tyin doubles;So if you stik to this concept everthing should stay tied.Oh yea go and buy some 406 loctite put some of this on your knots;This stops the knots slippin.Remeber mate try stayin away from tyin doubles in your braid because most double knots weaken the braids unless you are usin a beammytwist.P.S try not use anything lighter then 10lb braid on baitcasters.

[rockfisho]

If you used a single leader and it was much heavier than the braid, and you tied a good knot to the hook. the first thing to break would be the braid at the joining knot, if it was genuinly weaker than the leader, and the knots were of equal quality.

Or, if the braid is stronger than the leader, you will need to change your ajoining knot. Try an albright as suggested before.

cheers

Owen

[elliven]

Thanks guys , i will give an albright a go next time and see how i go.

[tunaticer]

I have found 6lb fireline to 10 or 12lb nitlon leader holds best with an albright. Do not be scared to give your knots a very good stretch test and be quite brutal about it before you tie on a jig or hook. You want to know if it is a good knot anyway. Sometimes i might retie up to 3 times till i get a knot that i am satisfied with even tho i tie exactly the same way same turns etc everytime.

When i used to fish mono I found the need for tying doubles then a leader onto that but have not found the same need with braids.

Jack.

[Lovey80]

How many time are you looping through the loop on your Uni knots. I have never had a trouble with a double uni but am going to try the albright anyway/

Cheers Chris

[elliven]

Tunaticer, hi, when you are reffering to doubles do you mean a double uni or the likes or something esle?

[elliven]

Lovey80 , i generally loop around 6 times ,is that correct?i dunno?

[elliven]

But don`t get me wrong , i have never had a problem with a double uni on a fish just when snagged when the most pressure is put on (i haven`t hooked anything of size YET)

[tunaticer]

G'day elliven,

By doubles i mean tying a double strand leader (usually via a cats paw) then an albright from the double to the main leader. This was neccessary with mono mainlines yet i havent found the need for it with braid yet. I suspect that someday i might have the need but so far no.

What breed of braid are you using? Some braids are very slippery finish and require extra turns or different knots to other braids. Generally the ones that feel grippy like cotton so to speak respond well to std knots. others that are slippery (fireline) tend to be more difficult to get a perfect knot with. I use fireline on my spinners and tuffline or fins on my overheads.

Skerro suggested using loctite as the backup and it is a good idea if you are still not acheiving the result you want. I generally have a tube of superglue in the tacklebox but to date i think ive used it on a knot twice.

[elliven]

Thanks for the explanation Tunaticer ,i get you now.I have been using fireline alround but have been looking at some daiwa line in orange colour ,i forget what it is called.My leader of late is yamamoto.

[ashh]

I use a 5 turn surgeons knot for line to leader and a uni at the jig / hook end, both simple and very effective

[DR]

try this one, it works fine for me..& simple to tie.
http://www.leadertec.com/tipsandtechniques/fishing_knots/knots_yucatan.html

[last_cast]

Elliven, I personally like the double uni for light line and very rarely have it break at the leader knot (when snagged) using 4lb firleline and 8lb vanish as a leader. I think the only reason it does break at the join knot rather than the terminal knot is due to wear on the knot from a lot (and I mean sveral trips worth) of casts. I use more than 6 turns in the fireline and I will normally do 10-12 in the firleine and 5 for the vanish (6 if I am using 4lb leader). Also I find that the double uni knot is more consistent if the fireline is doubled over before tieing. No bimini or anything, just double over 60cm or so of fireline and tie the knot as per normal. Can be a little fiddly but is consistently strong and longer lasting than when tied with a single strand of fireline. From what I have tested, a single strand is as strong as when using the line doubled over if tied well but is more variable in its strength.

For heavier leader I like to use the slim beauty knot. This is a very strong knot, easy to tie and has a good profile for casting. Any leader heavier han 10lb this is the knot I use as long as the leader is a fair bit thicker than the main line (which has always been the case for me anyway). The albright is also a good strong knot for heavy leader, but I find the slim beauty casts better. Try both out and see which you prefer. I have tested using Loctite on my knots and have not measured any improvement from using it so I don't bother using it (eliminates the chance of ending up with soemthing glued to me!). Hope you find an answer to your problems.

[banshee]

I`m mainly only using real light stuff like 4lb braid to 6lb leader,or 6lb to 10lb but today i was using heavier braid ,i think around 20lb with 25lb leader and it happened again.Iunderstand the light stuff giving away but it always breaks at the join ,not at the hook.

Idon't think you should be to concerned about your knots,the knot in the lightest line is always going to be your weakest point,if you want your leader back switch to a lighter leader.

[spinyeel]

I use a 5 turn surgeons knot for line to leader and a uni at the jig / hook end, both simple and very effective
Great knot.It's even easy to tie in the dark and very strong.Never had one give.

[trueblue]

you will need at least 2 - 4 times the number of wraps in the braid as for the leader with the double uni knot. otherwise the braid will just slip out.

also remember to lubricate the uni knot before pulling it tight, and pull it up slowly

cheers

[death_ship]

keep the uni neat and tidy it should look like its coiled up perfectly around the line without cross overs, i use them for everything and sometimes double them when trolling for larger pelagics, they will not let you down when done correctly. nearly the only knot you need to know. oh yeah and i love the snell as well for 2 hooks when live baiting or float lining

[last_cast]

Idon't think you should be to concerned about your knots,the knot in the lightest line is always going to be your weakest point,if you want your leader back switch to a lighter leader.

4lb firleline breaks at about 10lb. If the fireline is joined to a 6lb leader correctly, the knot at the terminal end of the leader should always break first. Your logic is absolutely correct but it is just that the breaking strain of fireline is much greater than stated on the pack.

[elliven]

Thanks for all the responses guys ,will try all sugestions next time out.