knot got a clue

[Tony_N]

Have used the knot above.... it looks great but with the orange line as the braid - it is in a perfect position to simply cut the leader - which has happened to me on a variety of occasions - which is why I wont use it anymore. ...snip

Yeh - that worries me too - the pics make it clear that it should at the very least be at risk. However, I believe that if it is tied right, the 10+ (I do 15) twists in the braid around the mono and the locking action of the 6 or more twists of the mono over the braid as the knot is tightened really lock the braid and prevent it from pulling and cutting the mono where it goes through the loop. Its a knot that I wouldn't be confident with if I tied it in the dark.

However, Wilson is the knot guru. He's the one who has done the exhaustive breaking tests on all the knots - He reckons this is the knot for joining braid to mono, and until it breaks under what seems to be less than reasonable pressure, thats good enough for me. So I'm sticking with it

Tony

[Brent_P]

Those photos of the Braid Leader Knot are great, Tony - a lot better than drawings. Like you, I could see no logical reason to doubt Geoff Wilson's tests of these knots, but I did my own tests on the Braid Leader Knot to make sure I was tying it correctly. Apparently I was, after a few tries - it consistently tested at over 90%, just like it did in Geoff's tests, like I've said previously on this thread.
When a braid leader knot snaps, the braid does usually cut through the mono leader, but the join still breaks at over 90% of the breaking strain of the braid, whereas in other braid to mono connections, and other braid knots too, the braid cuts into itself as well.
As a braid uni knot tightens on a mono leader it cuts around the entire circumference of the mono (rather than just one half of the circumference of the mono as in the Braid Leader Knot) while the braid cuts into itself at the same time.
That's how I see it anyway. But I'm not the knot guru. Geoff Wilson is. In Geoff's book he states that, according to his tests using different braids, the double uni knot has a strength of 50% "on a good day".
You do have to be careful tying a Braid Leader Knot though. Wearing gloves, I always tighten it to the point where the furthest wrap of the mono starts to deform, before I cut the mono tag, and I never cut it too close - usually no less than a millimetre from the wraps, depending on the thickness of the mono. The mono tag can slip through the braid loop if the knot is not tightened enough before you cut the tag, especially if you cut the tag too short.
If anyone wants to buy a copy, I saw Geoff Wilson's (fully revised) Guide to Rigging Braid, Dacron & Gelspun Lines in Kmart the other day for $10.

[Tony_N]

That's great info on the knot Brent