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first time with braid


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last night equipped with my rod and reel bought from ranger; some leader and a few lures i trekked down to westlakes and had a few dozen cast when my leader snapped off at the join (bye bye only jig head i'd brought), not wanting to try to tie another albright knot as i had decided that's where the break was and i wasn't going to chance it again i tried the double uni with the light fading fast (quite difficult) and chuck on a hard body that i had gotten a few hours prior... This was good got another 30 casts or so... Snap again same spot.. Giving up as there was no light left to work in i wound up my braid and then splash rattle my lure that was sitting out about 5 meters from the shore floating got hit.. Oh well.Still going to keep at it however i'm not very trusting of these 2 knots and my ability to tie them..Deciding on the 5 turn surgeon next time.

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Sit at home and practice all three knots a heap of times. You will find that your ability to tie a solid knot will improve dramatically very quickly. The Albright is my personal favorite as it is exceedingly simple to tie.Also, these knots have different uses depending on circumstances. For example, the Albright knot is good for joining lines which are very different in diameter whereas the Uni knot is better for lines that are similar in diameter. Lastly, it's important not to overload your leader. No matter how strong your knot, if you're casting lures which are too heavy for the leader/braid, the knot will break.

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I can see one knot may let go if not tied correctly, but not both.If you get the chance, come back to my place at a time convenient.I'd like to see you tie both knots. I'd also like to then test those knots.That line appeared ok (I recon it's only 3lb though which is pretty light stuff for a beginner), but it's been sitting on the reel for some time now, so I'd also like to test the braid out. If it's past it's use-by date, I recon I should be able to find something else laying around here to replace it for you......or alternatively, upgrade it to 6lb if you're just starting out, which you should find easier to manage......I'm not in the habit of ripping people off then leaving them in the lurch, we'll get you sorted! ;)

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I think it's 9lb leader

Use the albrights as first option, put a few extra twists in the line for the double uni.....look at a "minimum" of 6 twists in the leader and 8 twists in the braid.Tie a leader on, tie the end of the leader to a small bucket, put one and a half litres (measured) of water in the bucket (that's 3lb) and slowly lift the bucket while holding only the braid (dont lift with the rod or you risk snapping it).All should be well, if it lets go, let us know if the leader snapped, if the braid snapped, or if the knot simply slipped through.
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I think it's 9lb leader
Use the albrights as first option' date=' put a few extra twists in the line for the double uni.....look at a minimum of 6 twists in the leader and 8 twists in the brain.Tie a leader on' date=' tie the end of the leader to a small bucket, put one and a half litres (measured) of water in the bucket (that's 3lb) and slowly lift the bucket while holding only the braid.All should be well, if it lets go, let us know if the leader snapped, if the braid snapped, or if the knot simply slipped through.[/quote'']That's good advice ranger, I use 8lb spectra with 12 fluoro; 7 turns on the braid, 4 on the leader and it works real nice. pulling the main lines nice and tight then trimming the braid close to the knot seems to hold pretty well IME.But yeah, always more turns for the braid, it distributes the cutting action of the braid over a bigger area, so gives better strength against shock especially!
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does anyone here use a bit of superglue on there braid to leader knots? i haven't tried it but have heard that it helps strengthen the knot? i was a little worried it might melt the leader or something, im not sure how superglue works, whether its like conduit glue and would melt the leader or not? anyone have experience with this? (sorry to hijack the thread but i think it is semi relevant? :dry: )

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The albright is a great knot but it needs to be tied correctly, otherwise it will fail easily, not trying to say you don't know what you're doing but we've all been guilty of doing things hastily when trying to get a line in the water. Best thing is to practice it at home until you can get the wraps looking nice and even, and snug everything up SLOWLY.I never liked the double uni, used for awhile and always had breakoffs after 20-30 casts, it gets really beat up going through the rod guides, of course I could have been vigilant and retied periodically, but I'd rather use a knot that doesn't require so much maintenance.I've been using the slim beauty for a few years now and it's a winner, light braid to light leader and for shock leader to main line on my surf gear. You can find a diagram of how to tie it online, although the way I do mine is a bit different to what I've seen recently. I learned my way off a tarpon site from Florida a few years back, can't find the site anymore, but I think it is an easier way to tie the knot and it has not let me down yet.

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I've never thought of using super glue to strengthen up the knot.....Not a bad ideaI use Albright knots for my braid to leader joins' date=' and haven't had any issues (I use 4lb braid, 4lb fluoro leader), as long as I do things nice and smooth and lubricated during the tying process[/quote']Super glue is for "slackers".......like me ;) .............glad your old man taught you better than that!.........he is a good fisho you know B)He's taught me plenty B)
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I use the simple FG knot for leaders and after using plenty its definately the best once mastered

i finish it with 3 half hitches instead of 1 like in the vid and leave a small tag in the braidI also use 8lb braid (super pe) anything below that especially for a beginner will only end in frustration and lost fish and use 6lb leaders. cheers brenton
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I use 8-10lb sufix performance braid with 8-10lb yo-zuri hybrid as leader, and on my heavier outfit for snapper 20lb braid with 30-40lb jinkai leader..all using double uni knots with 8-10 twists and never had one come apart, just make sure the braid is moist but the main thing, keep practicing knots! it'll soon become second nature ;) you'll spit some obscenities you never thought possible and waste alot of line in the process though :laugh:

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what rod and reel are you using, and what are you targeting mate? Maybe try 8-10lb braid and work your way down once you get confident. someone please correct me if im wrong but im preety sure the ratings on most rods and reels are for mono, so you can usually double that for braid..I cant see how a double uni knot can "snap" unless your using old line, imo.

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i think i'm going to buy some thicker braid 6lb as i don't want to overload the rod.

Save the braid which is currently on the reel, as you may well decide to go back to 3lb when you're more experienced.When the reel spool is empty, wrap some elictrcal insulation tape around it. This will give the new braid something to bite down into, as braid will slip on the spool if you dont have a backing.Dont buy cheap ebay braid.As much as many have moved on these days to true braids, good braid is bloody expensive, yet the old Fireline (gelspun) is a good cost effective "braid" to begin with.If you decide to go with fireline, you'll find after using it awhile it will lose some of it's colour, and it will also fluff up a little. Don't be concerned about that, it wont lose any of it's strength.When spooling your new braid, DON'T put a screwdriver through the hole on the spool to use as an axle! That's for overhead reels. Instead, put the spool on the ground or into a bucket of water, label side facing up.....this prevents line twist as it goes onto your reel!When winding the line onto your reel, hold it between your fingers or between a wet cloth, and ensure it's TIGHT! Last thing you want is loose line on your reel, or you'll have endless problems with knots.I me3ntioned to you the other night, each time you use the outfit, every 10-15, while retrieving your soft plastic, hold the line between your fingers under tension to retighten the line onto the spool....again, if you dont, you will have problems with the line coming loose and creating knots.Light braid lure fishing is a new ball game, far different to monofilament and bait drowning.
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I agree with Brenton, FG is easily the strongest in my experience. Little difficult to tie on light lines but with some practise you'll be fine.In the mean time, the improved albright is very very simple to tie and shouldn't break whilst casting. On light 4lb leader I will run 10 wraps of braid over leader (in direction of leader) then 8 wraps back over the top of the first 10 wraps (in the direction of braid). Do this as neatly as you can, then wet and gently pull up tight ensuring there are no loops by pulling up on braid tag end and braid main line. I've never had this knot fail but still prefer the FG for it's better strength and casting. If I snap off on a snag whilst fishing, I won't re-tie an FG because it takes to long and is difficult when windy. I tie FG's at home and Improved Albrights when fishing.

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just got back from another session; braid snapped at the knot when i tried to set the hook. No big deal' date=' re tied with a 5 turn surgeon and it managed to cop a fair bit of abuse and still hold, got snagged a few times under the jervois and still smiling =D[/quote']How tight do you have your drag set? I'm just guessing but that may be your problem because you say the braid snapped when you tried to set the hook. It really shouldn't do that unless the drag is too high or you're using the heavy duty, American pro bass hook set with lightweight gear.I think you mentioned you were running 9lb leader and 3lb braid and if your drag is too tight then that braid will pop right at the knot every time. Now braid usually runs heavier than what is stated, but with the light stuff I've found it's fairly close, so that 3lb stuff may actually break around 5 or even 6lb if you're lucky, but that's still less than your leader.
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I tie albrights and always use a tiny dab (with a tooth pick) of super glue on the tag ends of both leader and braid.Used to have dramas with my line breaking at the leader knot....seemed to catch in the last rod eyelet hence recon this is where it used to break off.Super glue will ensure the knot stays in place and can also smooth off the leader tag (if this points forward, like the albright) so things pass better through the eyelets.I'm happy now as i generally only break off where i tie to the lure snap.

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