Some truths I learned about knots over time.

[handi2]

Most of my tackle is crimped for trolling. Now when a welded ring breaks on a big Tuna right before the gaff that wil get you going..!!

[Tightlines667]

Most of my tackle is crimped for trolling. Now when a welded ring breaks on a big Tuna right before the gaff that wil get you going..!!

I switched over to crimping all my 80lb+ mono as well.  I haven't had a line failure at the crimp, or a swivel or ring failure in quite awhile, but if I do, I may rethink. 

[ijlal]

I have a love/hate relationship with the FG knot.  Never lost a fish but have had several start to unravel.  Right now I'm tying FG with a glob.  The tag end is trimmed a little long; maybe 3/16 inch.  I hold the knot with only the tag end sticking out between thumb and forefinger and melt the end into a glob with a lighter.  If I don't burn my fingers then the line could not have become hot enough to do damage.  Then I throw half hitches all the way up to and over the glob.  So far, so good, but only time will tell.
-steve

This is the "safe" way to tie them - as I'm sure you've worked out, if the wraps slip off the end of the mono the whole knot will fall apart.

Currently I tie mine with 25-30 wraps, pulling tight after every 5 or 6. The first half hitch after the wraps needs to be pulled down hard against the wraps; I tie 4 alternating half-hitches around both the mono and braid, then 4 around just the braid, with a 2-turn rizzuto to finish it. Pull the knot HARD before clipping the tag ends; the braid/mono should change colour at the base of the knot as it "bites".

Using this method I've broken off 100lb leader without the knot failing, so I have a lot of confidence in it.

EDIT: When tieing the half-hitches it is vital that the main line remain straight with the half hitches winding around it; if the half-hitches cause the main to kink I believe it hugely weakens the knot.

Today, I put new line on my Okuma TG30II. 600 yds of 65 lb JB Solid and 170 yds of 50 lb Berkley Prospec Chrome top shot. I connected them with a 20-turn FG. After finishing the knot I asked a friend to hold the mono while I wrapped the braid over the rubber grips of a pliers, many turn, both forward and reverse to eliminate slippage. We then pulled as hard as we could without damaging the line to check if it would hold. It did. Making a glob is definitely a good idea. I'll incorporate it in my next knot.

Cheers,
Ijlal

[happyhooker]

I sense a difference between our saltwater "big fish" anglers & freshwater fishers, although we all can lose fish with poor knots.  I have little concept of crimps & chain knots are unknown to me, an inland angler.

Snelling hooks; lots of diff. ways to do it.  Festus, I've tried several, including using a Uniknot (since I use the Uni for other purposes), but most seem difficult & the best for me is the so-called "traditional" way with the loop going over the line & hook, then pull tight to cinch the loop closed.

Frank

[oc1]

I can't snell.  Please explain the traditional way hooker.  Is there a picture somewhere?
-steve

[philaroman]

I can't snell.  Please explain the traditional way hooker.  Is there a picture somewhere?
-steve

https://www.google.com/search?q=snell+knot&rlz=1C1CHBF_en&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjmy63LvcrWAhVIYiYKHRxhAMkQsAQIJQ&biw=1280&bih=905

I started out w/ eyeless (spade-eye) hooks, back in the USSR -- hook eyes were a capitalist extravagance, LOL...  if you couldn't snell, you couldn't fish 

[philaroman]

P.S. there's also the "knotless knot" which is a snell that doesn't show up, when you do a search for snell knots:

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_en&biw=1280&bih=905&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=knotless+knot&oq=knotless+knot&gs_l=psy-ab.12..0l2j0i67k1j0.1012732.1016063.0.1022627.9.9.0.0.0.0.317.1555.0j7j1j1.9.0.dummy_maps_web_fallback...0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.9.1528...0i13k1j0i7i30k1.0.aOibduLVH7Y

[Tiddlerbasher]

The knotless knot is universally used by carp and catfish anglers in the UK and Europe. The "bait" is attached to the "hair" that is left after the snelling. It gets a better hook up than putting the bait directly on the hook.

http://www.anglingtimes.co.uk/advice/tips/articles/six-steps-to-the-perfect-hair-rig

There is some evidence that suggests the knotless knot doesn't work so well with mono. When hooked a fish puts a lot of strain, at various angles, on the line as it leaves the eye. The abrasion so caused weakens the mono. It doesn't seem to harm braid - I guess it's because it's much more flexible I suppose if you are prepared to change your hook length frequently then mono would still work.

The 'hair rig' was developed in the late 1970's by a couple of UK carp fishermen. They tested the rigs in fish tanks to observe the results. Its called a hair rig because it was originally a hair.

[Ron Jones]

There is a thread on here discussing the proper orientation of line going through the eye of a snelled hook. If the line goes through the eye from the wrong side it will abrade mono and be a bad day.

Philaroman, thank you very much for your story. My grandfather made us fish with the eyes cut off of hooks to demonstrate that our snells didn't need the eye. It caught fish, but I always thought it was a stunt. It is nice to know the old man was teaching us a valid fishing method.

Much of my fishing doesn't involve leaders, but I do prefer snelled hooks, if for no other reason than I think it is an elegant solution. Nothing pisses of a deck and on a party boat more than someone fishing with two leaders as opposed to dropper loops when the leaders get tangled with a less experienced fisherman. I really like private boat fishing.
Ron

Ron

[jurelometer]

I use a bunch of different knots both old and new. The lube and drawing them up slowly as others have mentioned is very important.

I'm also using a drop of good quality super glue to finish it up. The combination of a good knot and a little dab of glue has worked very well for me over the years.

.................Lou

Can't argue with success, but I am curious what type of knots Lou  is gluing.   I have seen it help  and hurt depending on the knot and glue used.

  Super glues (cynoacrylate) vary in flexibility, water resistance,  bonding to nylon (usually not too well) etc.   They will not bond at all to polyethylene (spectra/dynema are polyethelene fibers).   Generally,  CA glues can help lock a knot into place by filling in the gaps, as opposed to actually bonding the material.  This can be helpful for some type of knots if flexibility is not an issue and the knot does not spread the load over a series of wraps.  Short lifespan of the bond is not an issue if the knot is not used for a long time ( e.g. a terminal knot that will be used for a couple hours).

   Stiff  CA glue can create a hinge point on some knots,  and can screw up  a serving knot used to hold hollow braid over mono.  The serving knot is an anchor that starts the "finger trap" causing the hollow braid diameter to contract and grip the underlying mono.  But stiff CA glue can turn the serving into a rigid tube that is worse than no knot at all.   Often the serving will initially hold very well, but  the bond will weaken over  time and fail when the mono contracts  as it stretches under load.

There is not much data on the consumer versions of CA glues, but the professional glues have full spec sheets that describe which materials will bond at what strengh, and percentage of strength remains for accumulated  time immersed in water.

The folks that really get into this stuff want a CA glue that is very thin, flexible, and water resistant.  Loctite 406 is a favorite, but it is expensive, and needs to be refrigerated if you want it to last.   I haven't tried it.  https://tds.us.henkel.com/NA/UT/HNAUTTDS.nsf/web/36736C9DBAAAB551882571870000D765/$File/406-2012NEW-EN.pdf

There are other adhesives than can be used to prevent servings from fraying, braid tags from unwinding, and smoothing out other  knots for passing through the guides.  Up until now,  I have used Pliobond to coat servings on braided loops over fly lines.  Ugly dark brown, but  coatings of this stuff used to last forever.   It was reformulated (at least the consumer version) to be less toxic.  The new stuff hasn't worked for me as well. 

I just order some Loon UV Knot Sense.   It is clear, cures quickly (sunlight, or a uv lamp at night),  and is  marketed for coating knots.  I couldn't find any description of the chemistry- maybe urethane based? 

Hope it works.   

-J

[happyhooker]

For the traditional snell knot (& others), check out www.netknots.com.  Tying this way is a lot like whipping the end of a rope (Boy Scouts?)  With this method, it is easier for me to keep the wraps in order & not overlapping.

[happyhooker]

Super Glue & its relatives have their advantages and disadvantages.  The thin, watery kind will penetrate between threads and loops of fishing line.  In my mind, the idea of using it is not to stick knots together. It isn't really used as an adhesive, but more as a coating to help keep a knot from unraveling.  If you use it on a snell on a hook, there is nothing that will be flexing or hinging.  It is useful on knots joining the parts of lines used to make fly fishing leaders.  Also used if you want to coat the knot used to join "good" line on the outside of a spool to backing line underneath (gotta make sure the glue dries fully before winding on).

[Ron Jones]

Learned to Snell like that 30 years ago and see no reason to do anything different now.
Ron

[jurelometer]

Super Glue & its relatives have their advantages and disadvantages.  The thin, watery kind will penetrate between threads and loops of fishing line.  In my mind, the idea of using it is not to stick knots together. It isn't really used as an adhesive, but more as a coating to help keep a knot from unraveling.  If you use it on a snell on a hook, there is nothing that will be flexing or hinging.  It is useful on knots joining the parts of lines used to make fly fishing leaders.  Also used if you want to coat the knot used to join "good" line on the outside of a spool to backing line underneath (gotta make sure the glue dries fully before winding on).

Agree with some exceptions.  The glue does not coat the knot as much as fill in the voids, which depending on the knot can provide some benefit or make things worse.  Maybe we are both trying to say the same thing here?

Re fly leader knots:  I wouldn't use CA on a Bimini, Albright, nonslip loop, slim beauty.  Not sure about perfection loops, uni  and double/ triple surgeons.

Also if you are talking about splicing braided line,  the ca glue does a really good job of wicking in between the individual fibers in and adjacent to the knot.  I have seen hinging and breakage in this situation where the braid leaves the knot ( Uhhh,  a friend of mine.  Not me     ).

If you do use CA glue,  I would suggest testing before use and after sustained use, and see if you change your mind. 

[Benni3]

Braid to mono,,,double uni-knot with expoxy