Best Knot For Casting through guides

[Rivverrat]

Guys I did forget to mention that I'm using 80 hollow & 60 copolymer lines.

One thought, can you loose the "mono" and tie directly to your Spectra?

Lee, with the amount of rocks, logs & assorted other hard abrasive stuff in the river, that would be a hard thingto do. What I've found is some braid is very resistant to cuts & abrasion. Maybe more than mono or polymer lines when its going straight across. Its when braid goes across sideways on a rock, log or what ever is when it comes undone pretty quick.

Most of the time I'm fishing reels loaded with a topshot a little longer than my best cast with bait. The type of set up that I'm talking about here would be for throwing across the current. It's really suprising how much less weight it takes with braid to park a bait in the current. I want to have have one reel set up for fishing crossways in the current.

Longer rods are also a big benefit. They keep a lot of line up out of the current. However the longest rods I use most of the time are 8'. Any thing longer is to big a hemerrhoid to pack aroud as much as I fish...Jeff

[SoCalAngler]

PR Knot for sure

RP knot is the same as the Tom Collins knot.

Hollow to mono/fluoro go knotless like Keta said with a L2L or a in line connection.

This is why I like longer toppers, longer than my casts or short toppers where the mono/fluoro to braid connection is outside of the rods guides before I cast. Short are like 6-7 foot, and long can be anywhere of about 50 to 100 yards depending on how I use the reel and rod.

[mo65]

It's really surprising how much less weight it takes with braid to park a bait in the current.

      That's a fact Jeff...since the braid sinks it sure does anchor easier. My brother has been experimenting with braid for catfishing...and he's been using the good ol' uni to uni knot. We've used it for years in bass fishing without any trouble and it seems to be working fine for catfishing too. One thing I've noticed...is with time super glue always works off the knot leaving the end exposed to unravel. I've found a much more reliable way to keep the braid end sealed...burn it. Berkley makes a braid burner, but most times I just use a cigarette, just be careful not to hit the knot. 

      https://www.walmart.com/ip/Berkley-Hot-Line-Cutter/33607316?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227022628751&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40971756752&wl4=pla-78914848712&wl5=9015859&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=33607316&wl13=&veh=sem

One thought, can you loose the "mono" and tie directly to your Spectra?

   As Jeff said the abrasion of rocks is a problem...but also...that mono has enough stretch to cushion a big cat's head shakes. I've noticed braid's lack of stretch helps them throw the hook. 

[Rivverrat]

SoCal, all my river irgs are set up the way you describe. However this is a bit different than how I fish most times. As I'm sure you know a short mono/coploymer leader has for less resistance to current than the two prior mentioned lines. Ive decided on 2 options.

Mo, I really like the uni knot. It's a very versatile knot that every fisherman should know. I dont really like it so much for short leaders with the uni passing through the guides. Though many people do. That line burner is new one for me. Never seen it before....Jeff

[Keta]

100% of my reels are filled with Spectra, including my kokanee reels. I feel it is a good choice for all of my uses, includind steelhead around rock and large woody debris.  For steelhead I use a 3'-4' topshot. I also sell JB Spectra but at a price that is only a few $ above my cost so there is no financial gain for me in pimping it.  Let me clear up a few misconceptions in this thread.  Spectra is not cheep but it lasts for years.

Spectra floats.

Uncoated spectra is best for some applications, coated for some.  Coated tends to resist abrasion far better than uncoated.

The low stretch can  cause problems but if you drop down in rod power and let the rod work for you pull outs are drasticly reduced.  Low stretch and senitivty the reason I use Spectra.

The thin  diameter of Sectra has less resistance to current so you can keep on the bottom with less weight, fishing with 64oz sinkers sucks, 48oz does too.  We fish 600' and deeper and if we used mono feeling a bite is tough, hook set is not good either.

[jurelometer]

It's really surprising how much less weight it takes with braid to park a bait in the current.

      That's a fact Jeff...since the braid sinks it sure does anchor easier. My brother has been experimenting with braid for catfishing...and he's been using the good ol' uni to uni knot. We've used it for years in bass fishing without any trouble and it seems to be working fine for catfishing too. One thing I've noticed...is with time super glue always works off the knot leaving the end exposed to unravel. I've found a much more reliable way to keep the braid end sealed...burn it. Berkley makes a braid burner, but most times I just use a cigarette, just be careful not to hit the knot. 

      https://www.walmart.com/ip/Berkley-Hot-Line-Cutter/33607316?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=22222222227022628751&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40971756752&wl4=pla-78914848712&wl5=9015859&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=33607316&wl13=&veh=sem

One thought, can you loose the "mono" and tie directly to your Spectra?

   As Jeff said the abrasion of rocks is a problem...but also...that mono has enough stretch to cushion a big cat's head shakes. I've noticed braid's lack of stretch helps them throw the hook. 

Hey Mo,

You hit the nail on the head in regards to using superglue (CA cement) on spectra/gel spun knots.   The actual material  that the line is made from  is polyethylene.  There are only a few two-part high tech adhesives that will stick to polyethylene, and probably nothing if the line has a coating.  On top of that, the standard hardware store superglue is pretty stiff, and  not super water resistant.  My theory is that the glue helps by clogging up the gaps between  the fibers and the wraps.   There are probably better glues out there.   Something that penetrates well, is very elastic , waterproof.  I use Pliobond for serving  fly lines to braided mono,  but it is nasty stuff, and dark brown in color.  Loon makes a UV cure (sunlight works) urethane for sealing and smoothing knots. Product name is Knot Sense.    I have meant to try it but haven't yet.

-J

[philaroman]

actually, I may be the guy that gave Loon the idea for Knot Sense: many, many years ago, I exchanged e-mails w/ one of their Reps about using their UV wader repair to reinforce Spectra knots (whether it was thin/penetrating enough).  Loon (or, at least, that particular Rep.) knew nothing about such a possible application; really liked the idea; said he'd pass it on to R&D; and sent me head cement (polyurethane?) & UV wader repair, as freebies to play with

[boon]

Whats the heaviest line & drag some of you are using with the FG Knot ?

105lb braid to 150lb leader, 45lb of drag.
When on land I tie a PR knot, if I break off on the boat and have to re-tie at sea it gets an FG.

[mo65]

 We fish 600' and deeper and if we used mono feeling a bite is tough, hook set is not good either.

   Wow...600 feet of water! Yes, mono must be virtually worthless in that application. It would be like trying to set the hook using a slinky for your line! 

[boon]

 We fish 600' and deeper and if we used mono feeling a bite is tough, hook set is not good either.

   Wow...600 feet of water! Yes, mono must be virtually worthless in that application. It would be like trying to set the hook using a slinky for your line! 

You get the odd person that still tries to fish mono at these and greater depths... with over 100ft of stretch in their line and the heavy lead required to get down there it's not uncommon for them to not even know if they've got a fish on until they decide to wind up and check their bait.

Even with braid I don't bother setting the hook in depths like that; just use big circle hooks and a big sinker, let the fish set the hook itself pulling on the sinker when it swims off with the bait.
Heck I use circle hooks in 60ft of water let alone 600 

[Keta]

I to prefer circles over j hooks.

[Rivverrat]

I love circle hooks. I release all of my big catfish. Circles can I think be an issue at times with large flathead. I think if this is so it may have something to do with the shape of a flatheads mouth....Jeff

[mo65]

   Yep...we're big on circles here too. And again Jeff is right, for some reason or another, circle hooks seem to miss a lot of Flathead catfish. Flats are the only fish I don't prefer circles on, but we're working on it, looking for a way to make it work. 

[Keta]

   Yep...we're big on circles here too. And again Jeff is right, for some reason or another, circle hooks seem to miss a lot of Flathead catfish. Flats are the only fish I don't prefer circles on, but we're working on it, looking for a way to make it work. 

Have you tried larger hooks?

[mo65]

Have you tried larger hooks?

   I think the largest we've used is 8/0. Good idea Lee...maybe next time out we'll go larger. 

P.S. Jeff...sorry bro...didn't mean to turn your knot discussion into a hook discussion...it just sorta blossomed.