Bad Finger Posted August 6, 2007 Report Share Posted August 6, 2007 Hey! Im new to Surf Talk, but I have been inspired by reading the wealth of information and tips on these pages, to ask the forum your opinions on a couple of things. I have enjoyed surf fishing for many years, and have even been very sussesful on occasion. I am spending a week in Hatteras this November, so I want to be able to improve my distance casting. I have purchaced two new rods built for this kind of punishment, and an instructional Distance Casting Video from Breakaway. (great video!) I tried out my hand at power casting over the weekend at Assateague Island, and absoloutly had improvement on my distance, however; I was continuously breaking my shock leader about 1/8" from my Albright Knot. I admit to using flourocarbon instead of Mono, and am hoping that this is my problem. I was casting 30#braid, tied with an Albright, to 50# Flouro with a 6oz. sinker. So I ask you... Does the combo sound correct, and do you have any other knot suggestions? Thanks, and look Forward to your replies! P.S. What are Mags, and how do they improve my reel performance (Snuck that one in!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjoe Posted August 7, 2007 Report Share Posted August 7, 2007 Use a double uni- knot. Most uni's for casting are tied with 3-4 wraps on the line side and 2-3 on the leader side. With braid double the wraps ie 6-8 on the braid side of the knot and 2-6 on the leader. Unfortuneately, it is a lot of trial and error with line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hairyjig Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 Agree with big joe, I use 50 lb mono with a double uni and I haven't had a problem. I doesn't pass through the guides as smoothly as the albright for me but its alot stronger. Fish Hard or GO HOME... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S. Raddish Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 I use an allbright knot for smoothness, and then i add a drop of ZAP for strength.... tested it many times, it never fails... i also use a double allbright + zap when jigging, 50-70 lbs amberjacks came out without a hitch.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halcyon Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 Not all Mono is the same. Some are soft, some are stiff, some resist abrasion well. Some sink better. Some don't loose their strenght as quickly after being stretched many times. To my way of thinking the best type to use for a shock leader is one that has nice stretch to act as a shock absorber for the modern braid that doesn't stretch at all and one that has good abrasion resistance. Flurocarbon sinks quicker than the rest has very good knot strenght, is fairly stiff and somewhat brittle. To my way of thinking a perlon type of mono is the best for a shock leader. It is very tough, has excellent knot strength, is a little thicker for a given weight test than others but is very abrasion resistant and doesn't fatigue as quickly as other monofiliment lines. Low visibility and high visibilty perlon is available. Take you pick. I'm using a 9 turn albright knot on my shock leaders and not having any failures. Off to work, Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMacLeod Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 I use a uni to uni knot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie wonder Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 Use a double uni- knot. Most uni's for casting are tied with 3-4 wraps on the line side and 2-3 on the leader side. With braid double the wraps ie 6-8 on the braid side of the knot and 2-6 on the leader. Unfortuneately, it is a lot of trial and error with line. I too agree with bigjoe... in fact, on the braid side I use 8 turns minimum. Never had a break-off or knot slip. Enjoy your trip "You Can't Buy Distance, No Matter How Much $ You Spend..You Have To Earn It" Surf Fish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crashq Posted August 8, 2007 Report Share Posted August 8, 2007 Has anyone here fished and compared a double uni-knot versus an Alberto Knot (modified Albright) for strength? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HellRaY Posted August 10, 2007 Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricL Posted August 10, 2007 Report Share Posted August 10, 2007 use a reverse albright knot you can find pics of it on the power pro website but wait on the site. theyll tell you use the main line to twirl around the shock. do the opposite. curl the shock around the main like 10 times. the knot is a masterprice. i call it the, reverse reverse albright. ill explain why. when you do the regular reverse. the shock would make coils and wrap around the main line. thus ends up with a huge knot. when ya flip it around. the main wraps the shock. results wise.. the RR albright looks like a regular albright. but no. it is difference, i find the RR knots fast, and needs less effort to set the knot compared to a albright. give it a shot if you dont believe me. i use 2/3 rule for trading. join date, posts, or vouch. whoever has less goes first. (*member formerly known as 'ooeric') Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfguy Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 I second the the uni to uni knot. Fresh knots each time out. Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gman1253 Posted September 20, 2007 Report Share Posted September 20, 2007 It's probably me, but I had a tough time with uni to unis. I switched to a J knot (SW mag) & have had no issues all year. Pretty easy to tie too. Good luck- Manny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tippet Posted September 24, 2007 Report Share Posted September 24, 2007 HellRhaY is right. Forget all that other crap, the blob knot rocks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gundalba Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 .....I was continuously breaking my shock leader about 1/8" from my Albright Knot. I admit to using flourocarbon instead of Mono, .......do you have any other knot suggestions? .....What are Mags, and how do they improve my reel performance (Snuck that one in!) For your Mag question, try do a search on Mag (esp. at Dist. casting forum). There are more then plenty that will answer your... For your knots, I have experienced almost identical problem before and here is a few that helped me; 1. As long as leader line is a decent line (meaning most lines are ok - only couple brands, I had bad experiences with so far - PM me if you want those names) and you are not pushing it's limit, most should be ok. I am currently using flouro leader - triple fish - with no problem. 2. When you tighten the knot, make sure you lube the line, saliva works fine here. This is to have better looking knot too but most importantly not to weaken the line (usu. pinched portion of line near or inside of the knot) during the tightening process. 3. Yet another suggestion: My favorite knot for Mono to Braid (usu. for a shock leader) - I like Aussie Plait for braid side loop... P.S. I don't use blob knot any more as I experienced few times where the blob gets broken off very easily. May be heat does that to certain type of mono line... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tippet Posted September 26, 2007 Report Share Posted September 26, 2007 P.S. I don't use blob knot any more as I experienced few times where the blob gets broken off very easily. May be heat does that to certain type of mono line... I know exactly what you mean, and I'm certain it happens only if you try to leave too big a blob. Get it that big and it's ready to break off. If you just make a little blob that's visibly bigger than than the line dia., it won't break off. If this seems like too big a risk, well, I compare the risk of a blob breaking off because you tried to make it too big, to the risk of breaking any other knot because you cinched it tight without spitting on it, thereby weakening the line. If you're really worried about it, just use an overhand knot instead of a blob, like in the diagram HellRhaY posted above. Pull it tight and clip it off, it's safe as houses mate. I use a nailknot instead of the uni for the braid, do enough of them and it's pretty quick, especially using a tool. Use 9 wraps or so. But if you have trouble with the nailknot, just use a uni and it'll be fine. This is so much easier than all these complicated knots; if you cast a lot you'll be changing shock leaders all the time, and while knots like the Polynesian Purple Twist-Knot and the Matanuska Made-in-Hades Hex-Knot are rewarding to tie, and definitely worthwhile, they're a PIA to make and no better for this application, IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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