Most all my set ups are spooled with Braid line & I have always spliced a Floro or Mono leader line in to tie bass hooks, jig heads, ect… I started this when i went to the Keys for the 1st time because of water clarity.
Questiion-1:
In our murky water I am not really sure a leader is needed other than as maybe a shock leader.
What are your opinions on using one in our coastal waters?
I started out doing a double Uni knot but once I found the FG knot I started using it.
FG knot is very small & goes thru the rod eyes easily but is time consuming to tie and since I use small diameter braid I have found it does not hold up casting all day long & will come un raveled over time. It is also harder for me to tie with smaller diameter braids.
So now I switched back to double uni since it is faster than FG. With the FG I would use a 5ft leader so I could wind up in the rod eyes & have plenty of leader to cut & re-tie hooks. Since the knot hasn’t held up over many cast I just switched back to a 18" leader with Double Uni & stopped reeling it up into the rod eyes.
Regardless both are time consuming, harder to do when sitting on a moving boat with the wind blowing, always something or someone getting in the way, & all you can think of is getting your hook back in the water as soon as possible.
I found the BT knot which is simple & fast to tie. I have tied it but have not used it yet. It is thicker than the FG so I would also use it with a short leader & not reel up in the rod eyes.
Question-2:
Do any of you use the BT knot & if so how has it held up?
Question-3:
To those who use a leader on braid what knot do you like?
my favorite braid to mono or fluro is the sebile knot. it’s not a knot that is easily tied in a rocking boat with wind, but tie your rigs up ahead with the sebile and you’ll see.
the bt knot is a good braid to clear line knot for sure, especially trying to tie in other than ideal conditions, but you’ll find it will be the weakest point in your terminal tackle.
Thanks a lot.
I looked up the Sebile & it is very similar to the FG. It is also thin & assume great for casting thru rod eyes.
I also tie up ahead of time like you but the pain is when you have break offs & need to re-tie on the boat.
I tie for a family of 4 & with 2 kids break offs are a regular thing. So the faster & easier the knot, the more fishing I get to do.
If the BT is a weak knot then I may just stay with the double uni unless I can find a strong knot that is easy & fast to tie on the go.
I may also try no leader, just braid to jig head & see how it goes.
I use a Surgeons Knot for braid to mono. It’s fast and simple to tie. Also use it for mono to mono when I want a leader that is heavier than my main line.
Hadn’t thought of that one, I have used it many times to tie other stuff like rope but never thought of it for splicing fishing lines.
It seems strong, very easy to tie & as long as I use a short leader that I don’t reel up thru the eyes it should work good.
Thanks for the help.
Takes 3 wraps through the loop with mono to mono. Takes 5 or 6 wraps with braid to mono. I have no issues with the knots traveling through the rod guides.
Seems like vast majority of inshore guys here fish braid to fluoro leader. Maybe not always necessary but don’t see how it can hurt. Definitely helps when fishing plugs with keeping the braid off the treble hooks on retrieve. Also feel like it’s easier to land a fish if not using a net/lip gripper and want to grab the line to swing in.
I use a surgeon’s knot as well for braid to flouro, generally 5 loops. Fyi, haven’t found it makes a difference as to whether you pass the entire length of the leader through for each loop vs just looping tag ends.
If you want to talk fishin
Well I guess that'll be okay
I like to fish with braid because of the “feel” but I do use a floro leader I use the albright knot with a pin drop of super glue. works for me!
Please read: do not respond to the political forums trouble makers that spew filth and sewage with their name calling and constant insults. It feeds their sickness and harms this site as EF and others have noted Please maintain the shun
Good point, Popping corks are very expensive & that would save them.
I went out yesterday & fished the same rigs but one with & one without a leader. Biggest thing I noticed was it was easier to get the leader rig unhung from oysters than the one without.
I only caught one fish so I can’t really say about hook up.
Wind just seemed to work against me all day.
How small of diameter line are you using? I have never had the FG knot to fail. The smallest line I use is 10lb/2lb…it very important to keep all four leads tight through the weaving. Also no less that 1/2 long,…hope this helps!
Mark Ingle
1660 SeaArk w/ 50HP Tohatsu
....Engineered to fish!!!
