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philzero44
05-06-2009, 02:27 PM
Well,what knot to use to connect fireline and mono,Plus I've been told to put mono on the reel before the fireline goes on.Thanks Phil.

nezevic99
05-06-2009, 02:51 PM
Double uni knot. 10 turns in the braid and 5 turns in the mono. wet the line when tightening. test the knot by wrapping a towel/shirt around your hands (stops the braid cuts) and then the lines around the towel. good strong knot but can be a little bulky in really small guides. i've never bothered with mono backing. Just buy a bigger spool of braid. ~300yds of 14lb goes on 4000 size reel. Again a good 10 turn uni knot in the braid then the loop is doubled over and slipped up real tight on the spool. Wind the line on nice and tight. I've never had any problems and we use it all the time. just my 2 cents.

BarraBandit
05-06-2009, 03:05 PM
First what lb line is it?

I agree, Double Uni... its what I use on almost all my line connections. If you go to "hints and tips" I think you might find how to tie it.


Good luck!

Tim_N
05-06-2009, 06:03 PM
Phil,
Check this out
http://www.pcwi.com.au/fishing/index.htm
A lot of very useful info on all types of lines, leaders and knots.
Tim

Brent_P
07-06-2009, 11:29 AM
Phil,

When Fireline first became available in Australia, I spooled up a spinning reel with it, very tightly, but didn't use any mono backing, and on the first big fish I hooked, I couldn't gain any line, because the line was slipping on the spool. If you google the subject, you'll find it's apparently a very common problem.

I back my reels with only 6-10 feet of mono. I've also read that you can wrap some tape around the spool instead, and that will stop the braid slipping.

Be aware that, when new, Fireline has an actual breaking strain more than twice it's stated breaking strain, so a knot that seems to be very strong might really have a breaking strain of less than 50%. The only way to be sure how strong the knot you use really is, is to test it yourself with scales (since you are the person who will be tying it). I have tested braid/mono knots by tying a plait in the end of the braid and looping it over something solid, and tying the mono to the hook on a digital scale, and then pulling on the scale handle till something breaks. If you're going to try this, it's probably a good idea to wear eye protection or sunglasses.

I usually use a plait/braid leader knot connection to join braid and mono (from Geoff Wilson's Guide to Rigging Braid, Dacron & Gelspun Lines), or a plait/"modified" improved albright knot connection. This last knot, which I saw a while back in "Modern Fishing" magazine, is a bit difficult to describe and I've never seen it anywhere else, but it starts out like an improved albright and ends up much stronger, and doesn't slip like improved albrights do with some braids. When I tested it, it was actually stronger than a braid leader knot. For jigging, I use a plait and a pre-made, dacron-loop, wind-on leader.

There are quite a few new knots around these days (mid-knot, GT knot, etc), mainly used for jigging and casting heavy-duty poppers, which are very slim and do not require the tying of a double, but these look a bit tricky and time-consuming to tie. They are reportedly very strong.

Brent.

the gecko
08-06-2009, 06:29 AM
Yes, the 6-8ft of backing is a good tip.

I made the mistake of buying a roll of braid, the usual 'top shot' size of 120m, and then worked out how much backing Id need. Put on 10m of 10kg mono as backing to fill up the spool. When i landed a big fish, I got spooled, and then spooled again 10 mins later. (prob spanish macs). I was shattered. If Id bought the big 300m roll of braid, and used only 6-8ft of mono backing, then I might have got 200m or more of braid on a 3000 Sustain reel, and that extra 80m-100m MIGHT have made a difference. I'll never know.

Andrew

Apollo
08-06-2009, 07:04 AM
I use to back with some mono, but now only wrap several layers of plumbers thread tape onto the spool first to provide some grip for the braid and then spool the braid on tight straight up. Great for the extra line you can get on the reel for when you are a bit undergunned. Use Fireline on my small gear and have had no problems.

I use a double albright for the connection.

philzero44
08-06-2009, 05:03 PM
Thanks boys,There a lot of info there,Brentp your ideas I'll try them and see how I go.Thanks Phil.

tunaticer
08-06-2009, 05:09 PM
I put one wrap of masking tape in the bottom of the spool than fill it up with braid.
Double uni knots are probably the most failsafe and easy knot to tie. Albrights work well too even though you generally tie twice to get a knot you are happy with. Awful hard to stuff up a double uni.

Seriously though, who fishes witha drag set at more than 2/3rds the breaking strain of thier line?? I am yet to find a need to over tighten my drags for any fish.
Fishing smart will usually win more fights than fishing lockup and it is a lot better for the fish than ripping jaws or gills.

reidy
09-06-2009, 04:21 PM
Same here the good old double uni.Must be tied spot on though or the braid may cut through your mono leader under pressure.
Cheers
Reidy

Brent_P
09-06-2009, 10:27 PM
The stronger your knot, the lighter the line you can safely use, and lighter line has, of course, many advantages. Who wants to spool up with 20lb, and use it knowing that they're really only using 12lb, because of their knots?

I've seen a lot of people snap 50lb braid on a fish, when using less than 15lb of drag, because of a weak knot. Another factor is "startup inertia", the "drag spike" you get when a fish hits hard or takes a sudden violent lunge - this can double your set drag. Drags are also usually set with a slow pull. The faster the line is pulled from your reel, the higher the "drag setting".

Usually it's best to play a fish, but in some situations you need to stop the fish reaching structure (such as when you're jigging for kingfish and amberjacks) and this will test your line and your knots to their limits. One spot, 50 fathoms NE of the Southport Seaway, where I've fished many times, holds big kingfish in Spring, and if you're not using at least 9kg of drag you'll lose nearly every kingfish you hook to the bottom. Anyone who thinks you can just "skull-drag" a 15 or 20kg kingfish using 60lb or 80lb line (or 500lb line for that matter), has never actually hooked one that large. You might not be losing more than a metre or two of line each time the fish lunges, using the necessary heavy drag setting, but a lot of the time you're not gaining any line either - you're just hanging on, hoping nothing is going to snap.

Different knots suit different situations, but in most situations your choice of knot will probably depend on how much time you want to spend on your knots, compared to how much you want to use lighter line.

Personally, I don't like the thought of a big kingfish, which has broken me off, swimming around and trying to eat with 400g of lead hooked in it's mouth.

Brent.