Braid to Braided leader knot

EugeneC

Sealiner
Good looking PR there Trevour. I've never attempted to tie one, so can't comment on PR knots. I've toyed with the idea of getting a bobbin a couple of times, but the FG has served me well and I'd rather use the bucks to add to my lure collection.
 

trevour

Senior Member
Howzit Eugene. If you understand the way a pr works. the bobbin is simply an object with weight that gets swung around the leader and mainline, releasing line under tension to wrap around the lines. If you attach the line to a sinker and swing that around the lines you get exactly result. And attaching the line to a sinker is quicker than a bobbin, and you can easily select your sinker size according to how much tension you want in the wraps, and according to the diameter (breaking strain) Its already in your tackle box and always with you on the rocks.I always use a sinker. Braid to braid requires minimum 60 wraps, I do 50, Pass the sinker line between braid and leader and then another 50. The pic was done with 60 straight wraps. The braid type, and whether it is treated makes a difference (some don't grip as well as others. The fg is at best less consistent than a pr, sounds like your method would be more consistent. Since getting used to the Pr, I don't do fg's at all. It's also versatile - you can make a loop by doing a pr around the mainline with the tag. Prevents line twist issues.
 

EugeneC

Sealiner
Never would have thought of using a sinker, that's genius mate. Thanks for sharing, very cool. I enjoy tying knots and studying the mechanics, so I'll give it a bash and let's see how it goes.
 

trevour

Senior Member
A word of caution - attach the sinker with a trustworthy knot. I use 5 turn uni or palomar. Granny knots etc might slip, and the sinker is swing infront of your face. Also keep the lines, especially the braid properly out of the way of the sinker, or you will be undoing a mess if the sinker hooks it. Pull hard on both lines in the process, and keep your hands close to the forming knot.
 

EugeneC

Sealiner
Nice one, I'm definitely going to give this a go! How much line do you usually start with? I.e. If you're making a 50 wrap knot, how much line does that use up?
 

trevour

Senior Member
Thicker line uses longer lengths, as does wraps around a thicker leader. 500mm is more than enough for 100 wraps of 30lbs braid around .8 mono. If your line to sinker is toi long your body gets in the way of swinging the sinker. Do braid to mono until you got it mastered, braid to braid is a bit more difficult. I also start my pr by doing 5 wraps around only the mono, then bring the main braid over those wraps and then do the wraps over both lines. I just find its gets the knot started better. This does not effect the finished product, as the braid will have transferred most of the force to the mono.
 

EugeneC

Sealiner
I agree Grootvis, that is a great knot when tied properly. Trevour's got me thinking about my knots again though, which I suppose is not a bad thing. I'd settled on the FG a while back, but there's always room for improvement in my fishing.
 

grootvis

Sealiner
I know.......i agree.

I always find myself in predicaments....

So many knots....which one to use.

So many rods.....which one to use.

So many fish....which one to go target....

Like you....i always experiment....always....until i find whats working for me.....

My lure fishing is just Fg for leader and chain knot for lures. Its the easest and quickest for me to tie...works for me......only problem is.....sometimes you hit the reef....and it takes ages to break free......:)

Wont be long before a new knot hits the market!
 

riekert

Senior Member
Braid to fluorocarbon leader via FG knot is very easy to tie. However, tying a reliable FG knot between mainline braid and braid leader is much more difficult in my experience. Because of the fact that the braid leader is limp, in contrast to the rigidity of fluorocarbon or monofilament.

But with perseverance I have learned how to tie it perfectly, mostly first time right nowadays. It either is correct (and at full strength) or it will break in your hands when you pull the wraps tight as hard as possible. I use this connection on my PE1.5 (25 lb) casting braid with a 35 - 40 lb braid leader for targeting natal snoek from the shore.

It is critical to start the knot correctly with just the right amount of tension on the first 4 wraps of the casting braid. If you over do the tension the knot starts off incorrectly with the braid leader wrapping more around the casting braid than vice versa causing those typical helixes in the knot when you pull it tight. Too little tension on the first four wraps is also not good, because it appears to cause the subsequent wraps to be also a bit to loose. When you tighten the knot with your hands it then tends to snap.

The first four wraps of the casting braid must just sit snugly on the braid leader by applying a little tension and pinching each wrap between the fingers before forming the next wrap and sliding them one by one in position against each other with your fingers. Once I am satisfied that the first 4 wraps are snug and properly placed on top of the braid leader the remaining 20 - 26 wraps can be made quickly and with normal tension as per the usual braid to fluorocarbon FG knot method. I also use UV knot sense to coat the knot in the end.

If the knot does not break in your hands or when you pull line of your reel at the normal tight casting drag setting you know you have tied it correctly.
 

grootvis

Sealiner
Nice.

I think it's all dependant. Personally. With no ill intentions. I wouldn't bother with fg to fg if it were me targeting natal snoek. If. You were targeting larger game. Yes. Uni to uni. Quick and plenty strong for those species.

Must be tricky with that thinner line.....tying fg to fg.:)
 

Vandit

New member
grootvis wrote:
Nice.

I think it's all dependant. Personally. With no ill intentions. I wouldn't bother with fg to fg if it were me targeting natal snoek. If. You were targeting larger game. Yes. Uni to uni. Quick and plenty strong for those species.

Must be tricky with that thinner line.....tying fg to fg.:)

I assume you actually meant braid to braid. Anyway, as you started off, with no ill intent, your comment may be a bit naive. Braid leaders are specially suited for targeting this species. The lighter lines required for the distance targeting these fish consistently, often < 20 lb, won't be able to hurl a 1.5oz spoon without break-offs, especially with a uni-uni. A 90%+ PR or FG allow people like Riekert to fish with 25lb line, where one would need 35lb+ with the best tied uni-uni to just compete. This increases the odds of landing harder fighting gamefish like kingfish on the same tackle punting out 1.5oz spoons to 120+ meters for snoek. I'd like to see someone get close to that with 40lb throwing 1.5oz.
 

riekert

Senior Member
grootvis wrote:
Nice.

I think it's all dependant. Personally. With no ill intentions. I wouldn't bother with fg to fg if it were me targeting natal snoek. If. You were targeting larger game. Yes. Uni to uni. Quick and plenty strong for those species.

Must be tricky with that thinner line.....tying fg to fg.:)

With a bit of practice it is actually easy to tie, I do it in minutes on the beach or rocks. In fact, in my bag I always carry 5 m sections of braid leader with the fluorocarbon leader at the front already attached together with my Swanell kwik clip (lure clip) attached. Then its a simple matter of only connecting the made up braid leader to the casting braid with the FG knot and you are ready to cast in minutes. Its a super slim knot that do not penalize casting distance as the knot goes through the guides. I use braid leaders not for snoek per se but more to protect those first few meters of my thin casting braid from wear during the long sessions of casting spoons at maximum power for distance. And I also cast 2 oz spoons and plugs with confidence that I will not get snapoffs on my thin casting braid. And you never know when a blacktip kingie will hit your spoon next whilst spinning for snoek. Anyway, the purpose of my post was just to make the point that FG knots are entirely possible with braid to braid connections, that it is a super strong connection and to provide some tips how I learned how to tie it properly.
 

grootvis

Sealiner
Apologies for typos.....:cool:

It makes sense. Distance...etc....

It's good to have braid leaders. ..I have 130lbs braid leader on my shore spinning rods with mono mainline.

I have to agree though where this knot is best and it definitely seems to be for your applications. I would go squint eyed though trying to tie them.....:)
 

EugeneC

Sealiner
Hi DD :welcomesea:,

The reason is simple: the double clinch knot is not nearly as strong as the FG or PR knots, so it's not a viable option when targeting larger fish.
 
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