Knot Strength, part 2

   Since getting the Accurate, I've been practicing the 15 turn Bimini twist with improved (7 turns up, 7 back down) Albright   for braid-to-mono and everything I've read seems to point to that combo as the gold standard for braid/mono.

I'm a little dense, so how do you combine the bimini twist and an albright to join mono to braid?

i think your answer might be here.

http://www.pcwi.com.au/fishing/4knots.htm

Demonick: 



http://www.marlinnut.com/knots/albright.shtml

Demonick: 



http://www.marlinnut.com/knots/albright.shtml

You ever hang out at Marlin Nut?  I used to years ago, BKF, Before Kayak Fishing.  It's actually a nice forum to learn everything you ever wanted to learn about billfishing.

-Allen

Alan---here's a good animated worm knot:

http://www.knotworkfishing.com/video/worm.htm

    It's sort of a reverse albright----the braid is wrapped around the mono, where with the Albright, the mono is wrapped up and back along the braid.   I have read on the Bloody Decks site, both are used in "long-range" tuna fishing, with Bimini-albright probably more prevalent.   I'll tie up a few head-to-head with 30# mono on 65# Spectra and see which is  easier to tie, smaller thru the guides, and which breaks first!   Prolly have to resort to taking the stuff down to the weight room at the athletic club so I can use 75# weights to stress  the lines!

ok, devils advocate here. and not taking away from what you've so graciously supplied us with , Ter, but fishing around Puget Sound, and Neah Bay, for instance, would these be applicable??

trust me i understand using them for bill fish and large tuna, but salmon, lingcod and steelhead? would they be over kill?

i'm asking everone here, not just KT.

Alan---here's a good animated worm knot:

http://www.knotworkfishing.com/video/worm.htm

    It's sort of a reverse albright----the braid is wrapped around the mono, where with the Albright, the mono is wrapped up and back along the braid.   I have read on the Bloody Decks site, both are used in "long-range" tuna fishing, with Bimini-albright probably more prevalent.   I'll tie up a few head-to-head with 30# mono on 65# Spectra and see which is  easier to tie, smaller thru the guides, and which breaks first!   Prolly have to resort to taking the stuff down to the weight room at the athletic club so I can use 75# weights to stress  the lines!

Oh I know the worm knot.  I don't use it though.  It's too hard to cinch down and I think in the process the braid will burn the mono.

If you think about it, all these knots are basically the same thing, especially with lighter lines where they'll cinch down the same.  I don't think there is much difference in the end knot between the Albright and the Improved Albright.  The Improved Albright just has more turns and is easier to cinch as you're not pulling the the inner line through and around.  The main difference between the Albright and the Worm is that the Albright has 2 pieces of mono going through the braid loop (once with the main line and once with the tag end) whereas the Worm only has the tag eng.  I actually like this aspect of the Worm, but you can do it with the Albright by not threading the main line through the loop.  I like it because main line is not pinched by the braid.  But I dislike it because there is only one tag end as a bumper for the braid.

Richard has a good question.  For fishing the West Coast I usually just tie uni-to-uni, even for Albacore.  However, when I prepare for trips like to Mexico, I'll take the time to tie a Bimini/Albright.   You never know when mama will show up and test your gear right down to your weak knots.

-Allen

The knots in question----Bimini and Albright----are basically for large game like Albies, yellowfin, etc  on long-range trips.  For the Sound, the Spangler is perfect for tying 10-30# mono to hooks  and lures.  I tie my  mooching and hoochie 2-hook leaders with the leader knot  you all know, or should know:

http://www.ifish.net/board/showthread.php?t=112897

 I use Mustad 5/0 92553 Stainless hooks for hoochie leaders, and Gamakatsu or Owner or Matzuo sickle hooks, 3/0 to 5/0, depending on the size of the herring I jig. 


   If you use braided line with a mono "topshot", Bimini and Albright are "need-to-know" knots.   Why use braided line?   Becuz you can pack a lot more line on the reel than equal test mono.   50# braid is about the diameter of  10# mono.  And the mono topshot, while optional, gives some stretch and cushion when you need it.   I am using 65# braid with 30# topshot for fishing the coast and Vancouver Island where you stand a chance of hooking a 40#tyee.  For the Sound, where the average king is 12-20 pounds, a Shimano Tekota 600 (or equivalent) with 20# mono is perfect for trolling or mooching.  Unfortunately, my Tekota 600 burned up in my shed fire, have not replaced it yet.  As for line, I like Trilene Big Game--a nice stretchy soft line, Maxima Ultragreen good for the greenish water of areas 9-13, and for the Strait, I like P-line CXX in that light goldy green. YMMV!!!

Thank You gentlemen. always great watching masters at work, getting educated at their knee, so to speak.

I loved the eye crosser, even recommended it to someone in a washington lakes post becuase he kept losing gear to bad knots [ didnt know how to tie braid to mono]

spangler just happens to be my brother in laws last name....we ...dont see eye to eye.... wonder if this knot will be so hard headed , too

And the third reason for that mono topshot-----less spooky to wary kings, especially if you take care to match the line color to water conditions.  I used to use a clear mono, but read about light piping and switched to a tinted line---Maxima Utragreen..  Here's some food for thought:




Why do manufacturers offer such a variety of line colors? "Colored line provides an advantage in two situations," explains Richard Hart, general manager of Maxima. "Sometimes visual tracking of lines is important. For example, high-visibility lines in trolling spreads provide a reference for anglers. Second, color can help line blend into an environment. Light passing through clear line can make it shine — called light piping — and appear fairly bright underwater in some instances. Color tones down this effect to deliver a stealthy subsurface presentation."

Here's expert advice on when to use monofilament of different hues.

 

Blue
"Berkley Trilene Big Game Steel Blue is a favorite for slow-trolling live baits for marlin in Cabo and Kona, and in the Northeast Canyons fishing for line-shy tuna," says Hoose.

Capt. Mike Weinhofer (www.fishnkw.com) of Key West, Florida, relies on Sufix Elite Clear Blue mono to match offshore water color when pursuing keen-eyed pelagics. Capt. Brandon McGavran (www.brandonsguideservice.com) of Kalama, Washington, uses the same line for salmon and steelhead. "The blue is easy to see out of the water but not in it," he says.

Examples: Berkley Trilene Big Game Steel Blue; Momoi Hi-Catch Diamond Brilliant Blue; Momoi Hi-Catch Diamond Leader Light Blue; Sufix Elite Clear Blue; Yo-Zuri Hybrid Blue.

 

Camo
"During tests we found UV light traveled 30 inches in clear mono, 10 in clear fluorocarbon and only three in Quattro mono," says Michael Shields, vice president of sales and marketing for Hi-Seas. "Our unique camo pattern — alternating one- to two-foot lengths of black, blue, green and red — stops light from traveling through the line, therefore making it less visible. The camo coloring also breaks up the line, so it's difficult to detect against nearly any background."

Examples: Hi-Seas Black Widow; Hi-Seas Quattro Plus; Hi-Seas Quattro Fluorocarbon; Triple Fish Camo Original; Sufix Elite Camo; Sufix Siege Camo.

 

Green
"Berkley Trilene Big Game Green makes a good choice for coastal yellowtail fishing in both iron and live-bait applications. The color blends in with inshore conditions found off Southern California. We also see salmon anglers using it in the Pacific Northwest for mooching," Hoose says.

"Maxima Ultragreen's subtle tint excels in all conditions, from brackish bay water, through inshore green water, to offshore blue water," Hart says.

Examples: Ande Tournament Green; Ande Premium Dark Green; Berkley Trilene Maxx Lo-Vis Green; Berkley Trilene Big Game Green; Hi-Seas Grand Slam Green; Maxima Ultragreen; Silver Thread AN40 Green; Stren High Impact Lo-Vis Green; Sufix Elite Lo-Vis Green; Sufix Siege    Smoke Green; Sufix Titanium Plus Dark Green; Triple Fish X-Rated Moss Green; Yo-Zuri Hybrid Camo Green.

Hi-Vis
Brightly colored mono gets the nod for offshore trolling, kite fishing and other scenarios where anglers need an instant read on line position. Weinhofer likes Sufix hi-vis line. "It helps in crisis situations. When two sailfish get tangled, you need to know which way to go, and do it fast," he says.

Examples: Ande Premium Green Envy; Ande Premium Hi-Vis; Ande Tournament High Visibility Fluorescent Yellow; Berkley Trilene Big Game Solar Collector; Cajun Optix; Cortland Endurance Hi-Vis Orange; Cortland Endurance Hi-Vis Yellow; Hi-Seas Grand Slam Fluorescent Yellow; Maxima Fibre Glow; Maxima HV; Momoi Hi-Catch Diamond Hi-Vis Yellow; Stren High Impact Hi-Vis Green; Stren Stamina Hi-Vis Gold; Sufix Elite Hi-Vis Yellow; Sufix Key Lime IGFA; Sufix Pro Mix Lemon Green; Sufix Siege Neon Tangerine; Sufix Superior Hi-Vis Yellow; Sufix Titanium Plus Chartreuse; Sufix Titanium Plus Gold; Triple Fish Game Fish Green; Triple Fish Ultra-Viz; Yo-Zuri Hybrid Hi-Vis Yellow.

 

Pink
Dave Bertolozzi, national sales manager for Yo-Zuri America, says their underwater tests with pink and clear fluorocarbon revealed that pink lacked the light-piping effect. "And the pink line didn't show fluoro's characteristic milky color after becoming chafed,"  he says. "It excels for snapper and grouper fishing, but I also hear tuna fishermen say they get more bites with pink leader. I use it for seatrout and snook with good results as well."

Examples: Ande Premium Pink; Hi-Seas Grand Slam Pink; Stren Tinted Fluorocarbon Leader Coral Mist;  Triple Fish Pink Perlon; Yo-Zuri HD Fluorocarbon Disappearing Pink;   Yo-Zuri Hybrid Pink.

 

Red
Since red is the first color filtered out of the spectrum as an object descends the water column, red line fades to gray (it doesn't turn invisible) as it sinks. "We suspect this lack of color helps the line blend into the natural environment, thus making it harder to see," says James Therrell, engineer and brand manager for Cajun Line. "Consider red snapper. They're a tasty treat to a variety of predators. Imagine how hard it would be to survive if they actually glowed bright red underwater! Based on field testing combined with proven physics, we know red line brings an advantage to most situations."

Therrell does not recommend red line for shallow water because the color remains visible at depths of less than three feet. "I think red is the obvious choice for bottomfishing," he says.

Examples: Berkley Trilene XT Tough Red; Cajun Advantage; Cajun Red Cast; Cajun Red Lightnin'; Stren Blood Red; Triple Fish Red Line.

 

Silver
"Silver Thread's silver mono becomes all but invisible beneath the surface in high sun and clear water, making it an ideal line for offshore and other clear-water applications," says Kim Norton, brand manager for Bomber Saltwater Grade.

Examples: Maxima Crystal Ivory; Maxima IGFA Tournament Silver; Silver Thread AN40 Silver; Sufix Pro Mix Platinum; Sufix Siege Silver.

 

Smoke
Depending on the hue, dark mono makes a good choice for clear as well as off-color water. "R&D testing and angler feedback tell us Stren Tinted Fluorocarbon Leader in Gunsmoke performs best in shallow to mid-depth clear-water situations. Many of our top captains feel it's perfect for the clear blue waters from Key West through Miami. Stren's tannic-tinted fluorocarbon proves best suited for stained-water conditions such as Florida's Indian River Lagoon," says Scott Dubiel, Florida marketing manager for Pure Fishing.

Hart says Maxima Chameleon's  rich brown color provides effective camouflage against dark structure like jetties, reefs, kelp beds and offshore oil platforms.

"Smoke Purple Yo-Zuri Hybrid finds favor among kingfish anglers working green water because it's easy to see above water and has low visibility underwater," Bertolozzi says.

Examples: Ande Premium Back Country Slate Blue; Ande Premium Gun Metal; Hi-Seas Grand Slam Smoke Blue; Maxima Chameleon; Stren High Impact Smoke Blue; Stren Tinted Fluorocarbon Leader Gunsmoke; Stren Tinted Fluorocarbon Leader Tannic; Sufix Superior Smoke Blue; Yo-Zuri Hybrid Smoke Purple.