What knot to connect to spool

[Duyz72]

Would love to see what knots everyone uses to connect up to their spools, do you change for overhead, baitcaster, spinning or alvey? OR different again for line size? Do you place as much importance on the spool end as the terminal tackle end?

I have had thoughts of using Uni knot combined with a cats paw?
Do you guys really think it is a trade off between a nice solid knot and how much it effects the lay of the line on top? Or do you not really care what knot it is since if you get spooled you give in and wave bye bye?
I would assume you fight to the last as I do and if you get down to that last knot between you and fish (which has happened to me a few times, and yes I got it all back most times), you would want to know your last ditch effort to hold on is at least going to give it a good show.

[Cheech]

Uni.

[revs57]

Hi Duyz,

Having just spooled one of my tld25's with 50lb braid I was wondering similarly...I remember thinking that if a fish has got me spooled on 50lb down to the last knot...he's probably earned the right...although the fight would have probably ended at the backing knot (I'm using 30lb mono) and if a huge running fish smoked me 300 yds once it hit the lighter mono...good bye 70 bucks and good fish. The guys suggested a uni knot to join the braid to the backing...I'd forgotten about that one, but its a knot I use for connecting to the spool, overhead, threadline, whatever...

Cheers

Rhys

[craftycarp]

I used to care about the spool knot but I dont anymore. like you said the line has gone by by! I got spooled by a shark once with 80pound braid connected to the spool with an insane knot that my dad showed me.. dont know the name but it does like 9 loops of the spool with knots on every loop. Keeps the line laid real well and an extremely good connection to the spool. Well to cut a long story short I got spooled by a shark in like 3 minutes flat.. my father had sense of mind to lift the anchor and go after it as the shark had started to drag me and the boat with it. We cut the line but not after quite a bit of damage was done to my favourite mitchel bait runner and the reel seats on my rod oh and to my arms. Now I do a pretty flimsy knot down there. On a side note I wonder what the true breaking strain of 80 pound braid is. The stuff I was using tuffline xp! with a 130 pound mono leader tied with bimini and albright! The whole time I was hoping it would bite through the leader.. it didn't

[jeffo]

it doesnt matter.... if it gets that far no knot is going to stop that fish!!

[gunna]

Most of the books recomend the Arbor
http://home.cfl.rr.com/floridafishing/knot5.htm

But I agree with the others. Uni knot - and if you ever reach it it won't matter anyway.

[McCod]

Use the Arbor knot or Uni .... but with a double for braid .... and some super glue will stop the slipping on the spool.

[Duyz72]

It does get the heart racing when you see the last of your line approaching. All I can think about is getting another metre back on to the spool. Lose 5 gain 3, lose 8 gain 4, losing more and more but with the fact that a bit of line is actually being brought back in there is still some hope that I won't be spooled out. All the while losing more than I gain.

On quite a few occasions when down to the last metre or so of line there is a welcomed turn around. Finally, more line is gained than lost. Quite a long fight those ones.

Of course the times you are just watching the spool scream without a chance of gaining any line I can understand the reluctance to even try. A quick cut of the line is the merciful thing to do.

[Jeremy87]

Go around the spool twice, the second wrap crossing over the first and then finish with a uni knot and pull tight. this will stop the line slipping on pretty much any spool when trying to get those first few yards on.