What Knot To Use?

[Walleye Guy]

I have a few partial spools of braided line and am wondering how I can join them together and spool it onto a reel so it doesn't go to waste.

What knot should I use?  And, is the recommended knot different if I was using monofilament?

Second question: assuming others have done this before, is it better to use this line (with a couple knots in the middle) on a bait caster or a spinning reel?

[Keta]

Uni to uni is what I use.  I have not had problems using knots in braid to braid connections.

[Cor]

Uni to uni is what I use.  I have not had problems using knots in braid to braid connections.

Agree.
I would also use Albright, even on braid to braid.   Often a good idea on braid to braid to make a few extra turns as braid can be very slippery.

You could also sew braid to braid, you need good eyes, a thin needle and lots of patience to accomplish that but works well on most braids, especially if casting.

[jzman]

 I use hollow core (about 8-20ft) and insert the solid braids about 4-5 ft into each end.  I then go out of the hollow and go back in 6 inches to 1ft. Then I use two to three nail knots (20 or 30 lb solid spectra for the nails) on each end. 

The smallest hollow spectra I have is 50lb so I never do this for any solid under that.  I sometimes will double up the solid spectra when inserting.

I do this all the time on my rockfish reels and I rarely notice the bump from the nail knots going through guides.  You really only need a dull large sewing needle for this.

[Keta]

I use hollow core

I use a lot of hollow JB Line 1, down to 40#, but I do not think we are dealing with hollow here.

[philaroman]

DO NOT join remnants without an intended purpose/plan -- just to empty some spools & save space
pieced together braid can be a benefit, rather than downgrade, if you piece it together correctly
'til needed, keep those spools separate & well-labeled w/ what's left AND degree of certainty 

aside from knots already mentioned, blood knot can be good for mono/mono, but HORRIBLE for braid

[JasonGotaProblem]

Double uni knot is a great way for connecting braid. I've done it several times and tested it hard on big fish that ran me out. A knot will usually be the weak point on a line unless abrasion creates a weaker point but the better distributed a load can be the better.

[Walleye Guy]

Thank-you to everyone for the responses so far. 

Sorry, I should have been more specific about the line.  I am using 50lb and 30 lb Spiderwire braid.  Would the uni knot be a good candidate?

However, now that I think about it, I also have some 8 and 10 lb mono (Trilene) partial spools that I would like to combine and use rather than throw away.  Sounds like philaroman would use the blood knot on mono. 

[Swami805]

Check out Toit fishing, he has a bunch of videos about knots and testing them. Worth a look

[mike1010]

Be a little skeptical about old knots in braid.

There used to be an interesting paulusjustfishing.com web site.  It is long gone.  Paulus was a mechanical test engineer of some kind, and posted test-driven information about line failure patterns, etc.  One of his most interesting claims was that braid knots deteriorate over time, because individual PE fibers do not last forever when bent sharply, like in a knot.

I shrugged that claim away, but months later had a good knot that was far down in a reel fail for no good reason when it saw the light of day for the first time in about a year.  My takeaway is to retie braid knots every if they are not exercised every few months.  YMMV.

[boon]

How do I put this...

If your knot is so close to the top that it's going on and off the reel all the time, you need new braid.
If the knot is deep enough into the reel that it's only coming off the spool on the fish of a lifetime, do you really want to be trusting that fish to a knot? Probably not, time for new braid.

[Walleye Guy]

Boon, I agree 100% about not losing the fish of a lifetime.  I was going to combine a few spools to put on a reel that I use locally for pike fishing.

[philaroman]

hey, Walleye Guy use that pieced together main for Walleye 
you know, techniques w/ minimal casting distance concerns & mono leaders 6-12#
that's when it actually makes sense to NOT spool up a continuous mile of skinny 20# braid
better to build up the arbor w/ 50# braid backing & go up to 30# main
for BOTH longevity & cheaper main line replacement, when needed
(if extra-snaggy, may want to reverse: 30# main w/ 50# braid top-shot)

[Keta]

Dacron makes good low cost backing.

[Walleye Guy]

Looks like double-uni or albright for braid-to-braid.  For my own learning, what about mono to braid as in the case of using a monofilament backer on a baitcaster?  Is there a different knot for that situation?