Compact leader to braid knot

[Garry2Rs]

Recently there has been some discussion about knots for attaching leaders to braid. Most of us seem to be using the Uni to Uni knot. The upside of the Uni is it's easy, the downsides are it's not the strongest and it is quite bulky.

 

Here is a link to a video demonstrating how to tie a very good knot that is quite compact and can be used to attach mono-filament or fluorocarbon to braid.

 

Albright Special

 

When using heavy Fluoro or Mono as a pike or musky leader, it can be difficult to tie a knot in the heavy leader material. On the Seaguar web site I found something that helped me. Seaguar suggested that you lubricate the leader with ChapStick! ChapStick is made from a very fine wax which will help knots in heavier leader material draw down tight much better than saliva.

 

Also on that site was a suggestion that the old Homer Rhodes knot works very well to attach snaps or lures to heavy leader material.

 

Homer Rhodes

 

Now, it is well known that this is not a 100% line strength knot, but if, for bite-off resistance, you are using a 50 pound leader on 30 pound braid you don't need more than 30 pounds of breaking strength in the knot.

 

By-the-way, a simple tool for tightening knots in braid can be made by using a pipe cutter to create a tapered groove in a 3 or 4 inch piece of dowel. When you wrap the line around the dowel and it will lock in the groove allowing you to pull the knot very tight.

Garry2R's

[SudburyAngler]

thanks for the tips

[rbaquial]

Sweet!! Thanks... Been looking for such a knot!

[EC1]

That albright special is really something special! I used to tie a similar knot with 8 wraps going down and then 8 back up, which still isn't as compact as this knot.

That knot is so small it goes through any rod almost without me noticing.

[Garry2Rs]

That albright special is really something special! I used to tie a similar knot with 8 wraps going down and then 8 back up, which still isn't as compact as this knot.

That knot is so small it goes through any rod almost without me noticing.

 

 

Here's a new link to Knot Wars where the 8X8 Albright just won the leader to leader wars...

Albright 8X8 Knot

 

The Albright Special featured in my original post might not be quite as strong as the knot shown here. However, it's very small, can be wound through the guides onto the reel and it can be cast.

Garry2R's

[Bernie66]

There is an article at fieldandstream.com about the strongest fishing knots. There is an interesting knot call the Yucatan knot for joining lines of different size. Looks easy to tie. Never tried it but I'll give it a go next fishing trip.

[Garry2Rs]

There is an article at fieldandstream.com about the strongest fishing knots. There is an interesting knot call the Yucatan knot for joining lines of different size. Looks easy to tie. Never tried it but I'll give it a go next fishing trip.

 

 

There are several versions of the Yucatan knot.

 

The strongest is a salt water knot based on tying a 30-40 turn Bimini Twist to form a double line in the braid, then adding a 15 turn Yucatan. This is a big strong, complicated knot!

 

The version shown in Field and Stream is a much simplified version that eliminates the Bimini Twist. The braid is simply doubled without being tied.

 

It tested well when joining Mono to Fluoro...But remember that these plastic lines will bite into each other making a strong union. When joining Fluoro or Mono to Braid, the problem is the braid is slick and the second line can't get a grip on it.

 

For joining mono or fluoro to braid I still like the Uni-Uni or for a smaller knot, the Albright Special.

 

On the other hand the F&S version is easy to tie and if it works for you, great.

G2R's

[Bernie66]

There are several versions of the Yucatan knot.

 

The strongest is a salt water knot based on tying a 30-40 turn Bimini Twist to form a double line in the braid, then adding a 15 turn Yucatan. This is a big strong, complicated knot!

 

The version shown in Field and Stream is a much simplified version that eliminates the Bimini Twist. The braid is simply doubled without being tied.

 

It tested well when joining Mono to Fluoro...But remember that these plastic lines will bite into each other making a strong union. When joining Fluoro or Mono to Braid, the problem is the braid is slick and the second line can't get a grip on it.

 

For joining mono or fluoro to braid I still like the Uni-Uni or for a smaller knot, the Albright Special.

 

On the other hand the F&S version is easy to tie and if it works for you, great.

G2R's

[Bernie66]

Right now I use the albright and I put a dab of superglue onto the knot after I cut the tag ends. The glue doesn't add much bulk to the knot and it gives me the confidence that there will be absolutely no slippage.