Originally Posted by yobuck
I have a question for you guys regarding your overall opinion of mono vs braid from an overall satisfaction standpoint.
First off im old and somewhat set on the things that have worked for me. I never realized i had any line problem using
mono untill people kept telling me i did. Over the last few years i switched some of my conventional reels and some spinners
over to braid. On light spinners i always just go line to leader
with no double with a uni uni. On heavier line spinners and
my conventional bottom/trolling outfits which are never spooled
over 30# i use a 6 wrap spider hitch double and a yukitan or
similar to attach my leader. Ive never had a failure with this
with the type fish i target.
My problem now with braid is knots. Seems the way ive been doing things wont work with this stuff. The ammount of wraps
around the thumb on the spider hitch is impossible for me.
Ive tied the Red Phillips knot with no effort and of coarse i can tie uni's. But that leaves out the double line. Im guessing
nobody's using a double with braid? If not id like to be clued
in on the best way to tie one without using a bimini or some
other more difficult knot.
Im tempted to just trash the braid and go back to my comfort level, mono.


I'm a huge fan of braid, the sensitivity and reduced drag when fishing deep is a huge benefit, not to mention being able to get a solid hook set no matter how deep you're fishing. Between salt and fresh water for various class of fish I've got well over a dozen rods for the family and having to re spool them every season or every other season due to mono memory is expensive and time consuming. Braid doesn't form any memory and so long as you don't get uv degredation or abrasion, it'll last a long time.

I've settled on the surgeon knot for tying on single mono or fluro leaders.

[Linked Image]

It may not be the absolute strongest knot, or the smallest knot, but I can tie it quickly and easily and my break tests have shown that I get consistent breaks of 80-000% line strength. Other knots I tested could go anywhere from 50-100% based on if I tied it just right, or maybe fudged the knot. I want a knot I can just easily tie at the comfort of a work bench as the deck of a heaving boat at the end of a long day.