Reel Repair by Alan Tani

I know I have seen this topic before on how to join mono to braid or Dacron, maybe someone remembers the link to save some time?

Not on here, but this is pretty neat as the instructions are animated:

https://www.animatedknots.com

Also:

https://www.netknots.com/fishing_knots

 

Hopefully someone smarter can chime in with something better but if I'm joining 2 dissimilar lines I just about always go with a double uni.

I use the RP knot haven't had a failure yet and it's very easy to tie. Another very popular know is the FG, I haven't figured that one out yet

Quote from: JasonGotaProblem on July 10, 2024, 04:59:28 PMHopefully someone smarter can chime in with something better but if I'm joining 2 dissimilar lines I just about always go with a double uni.

Quick, easy and it works.

Double Uni, but double(fold-over)the braid before making it the 2nd part of the uni. It can make the whole knot somewhat uniform. In Nelz's 2nd reference it's called the
"Double-double uni".

I've had very good service from the alberto knot. They're second nature to me now and I can tie them anywhere. I tried the FG knot, which is supposed to be a little stronger and thinner, but don't have the patience to get it right.

You're going to get a lot of (good) answers.  Here is one from somebody you may recognize; and I believe quality single malt is critcal to knot integrity.
https://youtu.be/dkZr7hIQbfM?si=M3GHW7t3kk9WK5D-

When "on the water" an RP is usual go to.  Uni/Uni also good, and I have even had success with FG (when tying on land taking my time).  Regardless, they will probably ALL do the job, probably the most important part is practice and repetition to where you get repeated, consistent results IMO. - john

Any knot where the mono is bent back on itself is old-hat unless you're fishing extremely light lines. The newer "finger trap" style knots like the FG, PR and their relatives are stronger and far more streamlined due to not having the doubled mono.

If you're going to go through the hoops of learning a new knot (practice, repetition etc) you may as well make it a good one........

I'm a big fan of Alan's Modified Tony Pena.  It took me a while to learn it because I'm bad at learning new knots.  Bill

Quote from: boon on July 12, 2024, 12:35:45 AMAny knot where the mono is bent back on itself is old-hat unless you're fishing extremely light lines. The newer "finger trap" style knots like the FG, PR and their relatives are stronger and far more streamlined due to not having the doubled mono.

If you're going to go through the hoops of learning a new knot (practice, repetition etc) you may as well make it a good one........

There's a lot of value and logic in what you are saying. Under ideal and non rushed conditions I've tied some excellent FG knots (the PR knot is just an FG knot with a lot more wraps and a melted leader end).

But I've also tied some bad ones that shocked me how easily they failed.

So if I'm tying on leaders ahead of time at home, I go with an FG pretty often, especially a long leader whose knot needs to pass thru small guides. But if a leader breaks while fishing and I need to tie on a new one, it's almost always the Alberto (a finger trap style knot with the leader doubled over) that I go for. I can tie it standing on rocks in 30mph winds while getting splashed by waves. I absolutely cannot say that about the FG and def not the PR.

If an Alberto went wrong I can tell by looking before I even finish cinching it down and can probably fix it or know I need to try again. I don't need to lose a fish to know I failed.

I use the double uni if I'm tying to a backing line or if I'm being a cheapskate and joining 2 lengths of braid that on their own aren't long enough, or something else deep in the spool, like it sounds like James is asking about.

All personal opinions here. I am no authority on anything.

Jason is on the money.


Also it is sometimes useful to have a knot with an consistent but less than 100% breaking strength, so you can manage the point of failure in the system.  I would break it down like this for our most popular knots:

1.  Alan's version of the modified Tony Peña knot.

This is a knot for setting up a bigger non-casting reel intended to push drag limits.  Bulky, but Alan is confident in being able to tie this knot with consistent results, and there has been plenty of pulling on big fish with high drag to back this up.  Not a great knot for casting, due to its bulk.  Not too hard to tie.  Alan has posted a video on tying this knot.


2. FG, PR, etc. family of "knots".  Not really a knot in the classic sense, more of a crisscross wrap digging into a straight section  of mono, almost like simulating a splice into hollow braid, but requiring much more tension to keep from slipping.  These knots can be very strong, and the low profile is great for passing through guides for casting.  Most folk find these  knots a bit difficult to tie well and/or quickly, at least at first.  If you are new to using them, you need to keep an eye on the end unraveling from guide wear during casting.  When a coil manages to slip off the end of the mono, these knots can go from near 100% to near zero in a heartbeat.  Many folk use tools to facilitate tying these knots.  Prepare to spend some time to master these.  Probably more frequently used as a leader knot than a backing to mono knot.

3. The Alberto/RP/John Collins (all the same knot)  Although this requires a doubled mono, the mono tag can be trimmed flush, making this a slim knot, good for casting, but not as slim or strong as the FG style.  Easy to learn and fast to tie.  I get about 70% of the braid breaking strength from this knot, making it perfect for me for casting lures with braid and a mono leader around 6 feet or so.  I know that any breakoff is not going to leave a bunch of braid in the water.  I am uncomfortable casting this through a levelwind with a ceramic insert, so if you want a couple wraps of leader around the spool on some levelwinds, something to consider.  I also use this for a braid to mono backing knot, but I am not chasing cow tuna.


4.  Double Uni.  Not that slim, not that strong, but a Uni is a knot that many folk already use, so one less knot to remember.  It does a good enough  job that plenty of folk use it without complaint.  Not a great knot to cast through the guides.  If memory serves me correctly, it doesn't work as well with very large diameter mono and very small diameter braid.

-J

Lately I've been fishing mostly the Channel Islands using either a short 20lb floro leader or about 30yds of 20lb mono joined with a RP knot. For what it's worth the RP held up fine, the leader broke at the hook using a San Diego jam knot. Snags are plentiful there and I'm good at finding them. Not scientific at all but just my experience

The "not a knot" has not not been mentioned here.  I have the tools to build L2L topshots and use them from 30# and up.  For "light gear", 30# and under, I use several knots. 

I have landed a few 200# plus tuna (like over 8 with the largest a BFT at  338#) using the L2L with zero attachment failures.

To the OP - is that heavy dacron on top of mono in the pic you attached?  What's it intended for?