Learned the hard way
 

We all know about the importance of fresh line.

Probably the biggest large mouth Ive ever had on. Well I got it in as far as within netting distance and POP, right at the knot.

AFTER I lost the fish I checked the line it was rotten. I hadn't used that particular rod that much and had ignored it. I had it Texas rigged and just put on a rubber worm.

Won't ever make that mistake again. What really makes me truly pissed at myself is leaving a fish in the water lip hooked.

Seems like Ive use the clinch knot for so long. Its funny after I broke off the fish everything I tied the rest of the day was the Palomar knot. Its easy to tie, faster than the clinch and retains the original line strength as well as the Orvis. Im knot sure why I had stopped using it.

The line was rotten. I tugged it for about 20' and it broke each tug with NO effort.

I need to check all my drags to.

which knot
 

I started using the uni knot this year after watching its performance on knot wars. Pretty easy to tie.

Also be careful if you ever fish mono lines around bug spray. Deet will break down line. I have hear some sunscreens will too but I definitely know bug spray will. We had a chemist friend at Ft Campbell test it.

Every time I go out, I remove about 10 feet of long and retie. Even while fishing, if I've been catching a lot of fish, I'll retie. Knots and line do weaken with use and after catching many fish. Also, check your guides, replace any that have nicks or any wear grooves.

I didn't know about the bug spray, that's good to know for sure. I keep a can on board and use it when they get bad but not very often. I'll make it point to keep it off my line.

I'm going to try something a little different. I'm loading all my rods with braid and will bend on a 6' fluorocarbon leader on 3 and mono on 3 and change leader each trip and cut back the braid as I see signs of wear.

The Orvis knot is a good one for optimizing line strength and its easy to tie it just takes longer for me than the Palomar

The ONLY disadvantage of the palomar is that it uses a relatively large amount of line, in the sense that you cut more off at the tag end after the knot is tied.

This is not an issue when using conventional gear, unless you're using a bite leader in saltwater. However, it is an issue when fly fishing, because you burn through a lot of tippet using a palomar. For that reason, I use a clinch for fly fishing - it's a bit weaker than a palomar but it conserves line better. For streamers when after big fish I'll use a trilene knot (a little harder to tie, but it's stronger while preserving tippet), or I'll use a duncan loop if motion of the fly is important.

bd

The Fish N Fool knot is a superior knot to the Palomar and many other for that matter. I fished the Palomar for years before switching to the Fish N Fool. In many tests it has shown the breaking strength to be 100 percent of the line rating. That is unheard of in a knot. But I am speaking from my own experience after switching to it. It probably takes more line to tie than the Palomar but it is a great knot. As for tying leader I found out by watching a video at the Trout Magnet website what is the simplest and best knot for a leader. It is just the triple overhand knot. So simple and the first few times I used it I just knew it would not hold up. Well it has held up and never failed me. For years if I was splicing line together I would use the Uni knot. The test for the triple overhand knot came on a day below Pickwick Dam. I was catching a lot of Stripers in the 10 pound range using 20 test braid that I had spliced about 75 yards onto the line that was already on the spool. A Striper that weighed 21 pounds hit and I saw and felt that connecting knot going through the rod guides and that was going to be it. Well it held. To me it is just so simple a knot to tie and takes only a few seconds...and it does hold up. But I am open to trying things. If anyone has a simpler knot than the triple overhand let me know and I will try it. But I don't see how it could get any simpler than that knot.

Regards

Here's a helpful site to learn a few handy knots.

http://www.animatedknots.com/indexfi...matedknots.com


I know you all are going to be jealous of my mad crazy drawing skills. :D

This is my favorite small knot attached.

Go through the hook eye
Pass behind main line then through the created loop
Go around and pass back through loop behind main line.

Wet, pull down

Can't remember name someone gave it to me years ago. Haven't had a break on it and its perfect for midges and small stuff.

TC you made my eyes bleed:D Then I tried it and thats a cool knot. I'll have to try it in the creek. There are some nice Smallies in the East Fork and its a great creek wading with the fly rod. TC what do you call that one?

I have have the animated knots book marked I found it a couple of seasons ago. great site.
BD i agree the clinch knot is a line saver over the Palomar knot.

Triple Overhand...like a single overhand with the tag end thru 3 times? Never used it and not sure why. I guess I like the nail knot because its such a friggin pain to tie.

Im looking for the Fish N Fool knot now.and found it. If I had to tie it more than once a day I'd add another 2' to my leader. Man thats a line eater but I guess its got an upside thats hard to argue with and its sure simple to tie. Ill try it

Go to the Trout Magnet web site and watch their video..it is much easier than me trying to describe it...and it is so simple but it is one tough knot. Basically take the two lines and make a loop and put the tag ends back through 3 times and moisten and pull.

best knot
 

I use the improved clinch-never have a problem with it and I cut the tag end off very close to the knot. Since I troll with a spinner, I don't want that little tag to cause line twist-can't take that chance. I would love to use the palomar, but can never get the doubled line to go through the hook eye. Just clumsy, plus I can't see as well as I used to :)

Sorry man, I did that on the fly last night. It was developed by a couple guys and a fly fishing convention I believe or if I remember correctly. They did not give it a name other than "The Knot."

It works wonders for small midges because its so compact yet strong. I also use it on anything small not just fly stuff. I even used it with my 14lb bass gear a few times. No breaks yet for me.

I re-done to picture to not be so confusing.

The most important thing about knots regardless of type is wetting it before pulling it down. With mono as it rubs on the pull down the molecules will heat up and actually weakend the line before it hits the water if you don't wet it. This extremely crucial on small line more so than heavier and especially on tippets.

The most important thing about knots regardless of type is wetting it before pulling it down. With mono as it rubs on the pull down the molecules will heat up and actually weakend the line before it hits the water if you don't wet it. This extremely crucial on small line more so than heavier and especially on tippets.[/quote]


X2......using a small line like 2# test P Line CX Premium one has to be careful with the knot and a lot of times I will spray my knot before tightening with the Kevin VanDam line conditioner instead of wetting.