Another leader knot question 2025
Todd2 reply :
So, I mostly use straight braid or mono, but did fish about 5 hours on one yesterday (Albright knot). My question is how long will you keep a leader without retying? I probably retied the hook knot 5 times or so in that period. Caught a bunch of fish, but no size. At the end of the day, the leader knot still seems strong. Do you take it out multiple days or tie new each day?
Smalls reply :
As long as the knot looks fine, I run it til the leader is too short. Tournament days are the only exception.
WRB reply :
I never leave anything tied on 24 hours, cut everything off when the boat is put away. Good fresh knot is stronger then a good old knot.
Lots of anglers leave their braid to leader knot tied on until it breaks or they need a longer leader. These are the same anglers that whine about the big one they broke off at the boat!
Tom
waymont reply :
I tie a new leader knot every time I fish, sometimes during the day too if I'm catching good size fish. I also tie fresh knots leader and to the bait every trip too.
MickD reply :
The answers above are certainly valid, but you asked what I do. I tie an FG to attach leader grade FC to my braid, the leader being significantly weaker than the braid. This way I am assured if I get snagged the terminal knot will break first, it being about an 80% knot.
I don't rety the line to leader knot until it looks suspect or the leader gets too short.
I see no reason to be retying about 6 or 7 setups every time I go fishing. I've had no problems with this strategy, don't remember the last time I had a line to leader knot failure. I also don't remember the last time I had the terminal knot fail with a fish.
Darren. reply :
On 11/7/2019 at 5:07 AM, Todd2 said:So, I mostly use straight braid or mono, but did fish about 5 hours on one yesterday (Albright knot). My question is how long will you keep a leader without retying? I probably retied the hook knot 5 times or so in that period. Caught a bunch of fish, but no size. At the end of the day, the leader knot still seems strong. Do you take it out multiple days or tie new each day?
Stick with it until it is either nicked, or too short for your liking.
Of course that's my opinion. I usually stay with my leaders until
they're too short for my liking....
FryDog62 reply :
On 11/7/2019 at 5:50 AM, Smalls said:As long as the knot looks fine, I run it til the leader is too short. Tournament days are the only exception.
X2
Hook2Jaw reply :
I get my gear ready the night before or get to my launch early enough to finish rigging. I always slap a new length of fluorocarbon onto the braid before I hit the water on every stick. It's especially important to me to take care of the fish I'm targeting.
I don't have too many breaks in leader or braid, but when I have it has been due to not retying a new leader after a particularly tough fight and my leader has become damaged. I definitely don't tie a new FG after every fish, but I do check the leader and the knot itself after landing one. If my knot or leader line has become damaged, I either stow that rod if one of my other sticks can pull double duty or switch presentations altogether, or, take the time to tie on a new length of leader.
You owe it to the fish and yourself to land them, unhook them, and release them healthy and as happy as an animal can be after having sharp metal jammed into their mouth.
Glenn reply :
I don't use leaders - ever. Too much fuss, knot breaks, etc. And when I need all the benefits of braid, I won't compromise it by adding a totally different type of line to it, and vice versa. Haven't yet found a reason to use leader, and I don't feel I'm missing out on anything.
That's just me. Do as you wish.
Todd2 reply :
On 11/7/2019 at 9:37 PM, Glenn said:I don't use leaders - ever. Too much fuss, knot breaks, etc. And when I need all the benefits of braid, I won't compromise it by adding a totally different type of line to it, and vice versa. Haven't yet found a reason to use leader
Yeah, I normally fall into that camp as well. On Tuesday, I fished a smaller lake that is very clear, much more than my normal lake so I thought I'd give it a try. I did do pretty good number wise, but in no way am I saying it was because of the leader.
Jermination reply :
On 11/7/2019 at 5:07 AM, Todd2 said:So, I mostly use straight braid or mono, but did fish about 5 hours on one yesterday (Albright knot). My question is how long will you keep a leader without retying? I probably retied the hook knot 5 times or so in that period. Caught a bunch of fish, but no size. At the end of the day, the leader knot still seems strong. Do you take it out multiple days or tie new each day?
as long as it's still good. I tie the double uni knot for all of my leaders and it does fine. I do add a small drop of loctite 406 over the knot once tied. Regular super glue just kinda sits on the outside of the knot but for some reason the 406 seems to penetrate the knot keeping it from slipping & strengthening it(not really a big deal with the newer braids but some of the older braids used to have issues with knots slipping)
MickD reply :
On 11/7/2019 at 9:37 PM, Glenn said:Haven't yet found a reason to use leader,
I would rather have the leader get shorter and shorter with numerous lure changes than have the braid get shorter and shorter. I'm not saying it's a compelling reason that should change your mind, just saying that it is one of the reasons I use a leader. I also like that 4-6 feet of "shock absorber."
WRB reply :
The difference between plastic and metal is modulus strength, metals don't cold flow under pressure and all plastics do. Braid is a composite of carbon fibers and plastic resin to increase both tensile and modulus strength. Braid line cold flows a minute amount under pressure, no issues with knot strength from cold flow.
Monofilament line made from Nylon, polyester, polyuerathane, fluorocarbon resins blended or coextruded all cold flow with time under pressure ie; via a knot. Some knots apply less pressure over a longer area using multiple strands of line that can reduce the pressure somewhat but still cold flows deforming and weakening the line. Friction creates heat that can cause additional line deformation.
I make this long statement to point out every knot weakens in about 24 hours, how much depends of the line deformation from time under pressure, friction and skill.
Tom
TnRiver46 reply :
On 11/7/2019 at 9:37 PM, Glenn said:I don't use leaders - ever. Too much fuss, knot breaks, etc. And when I need all the benefits of braid, I won't compromise it by adding a totally different type of line to it, and vice versa. Haven't yet found a reason to use leader, and I don't feel I'm missing out on anything.
That's just me. Do as you wish.
I agree. Tried it for a while, no help
Variable reply :
I don't retie my connection knot until my leader is too short and that can take weeks or longer. I use an Alberto knot and have never had one break. I've lost lures to snags and the knot that breaks is always the leader to lure knot, never the braid to leader connection knot. If people are breaking their connection knots I would politely suggest either that they aren't tying them correctly or that the knot they're using just isn't strong enough.
B2L benefits over straight braid - Preserves mainline. Mono/flouro is so much easier to tie/cut/retie lure knots with than braid. Line doesn't wrap around treble hooks when lure lands in the water, fouling the cast. If you subscribe to line shyness then mono/fluoro is generally less visible than braid
B2L cons - Knot makes noise running through guides (actually a benefit if night fishing). The knot can cause backlashes if your guides are small.
Todd2 reply :
Interesting to see the wide range, from hours to weeks. I don't tournament fish but still don't want that awful gut wrenching feeling of the snap on a nice fish so I'll probably err on the side of caution if I continue down this road. Thanks for the responses.
MickD reply :
On 11/8/2019 at 4:51 AM, Todd2 said:nteresting to see the wide range, from hours to weeks.
The comments on the physical characteristics of plastic are accurate. But is how much it detrimentally cold flows in a knot significant or not? Based on the number of fishermen who successfully use their knots for weeks indicates that it is not, at least not for the knots they are using.
If you don't want to fish in the rain and the chance of rain is given as 5%, will you cancel? I won't. If I cancel I would seldom go fishing. If I retie a bunch of outfits every time I go fishing I will be spending too much time tying and not enough time fishing. Maybe not a good comparison, but I think it's easy to see the point that it's important to determine what is significant and what is not.
WRB reply :
If you use 15 lb test line and only catch 5 lb bass 80% knot strength is still 12 lbs and shouldn't be an issue, until it is.
Tom
NHBull reply :
For braid to leader set-up, I usually retie once a week and use the PR knot. While I admit is is a week link, I have yet to have a break off.
Swamp Yankee reply :
Alberto knots, properly tied, are nice and slim. I’ve never yet lost a fish to an Alberto knot. I tie new knots at least once a week but usually do so because the leader itself is getting knicked up.
On 11/7/2019 at 10:35 PM, Jermination said:Regular super glue just kinda sits on the outside of the knot but for some reason the 406 seems to penetrate the knot keeping it from slipping & strengthening it(not really a big deal with the newer braids but some of the older braids used to have issues with knots slipping)
I find that if I wet the finished knot well, regular super glue will wick into the knot better.
GreenPig reply :
Night before trip I tie new leaders on . I use the crazy alberto and it takes a little over a minute for each leader.
jmz313 reply :
Man i wish i had the type of luck above with Alberto Knots. they are easier to tie than a Double Uni but thye're the only knot that ever fails me.
Do some brands/models of braid allow slip more than others? is there a secret trick?
Todd2 reply :
On 11/9/2019 at 2:01 AM, jmz313 said:Man i wish i had the type of luck above with Alberto Knots. they are easier to tie than a Double Uni but thye're the only knot that ever fails me.
Do some brands/models of braid allow slip more than others? is there a secret trick?
I'm not really the one to answer this but I played around and came up with a 20 turn Albright that seems to hold strong. This is 20lb Power Pro to 14lb Trilene XT. I'm sure there are better knots...but some of those seemed like a pain to tie.
Swamp Yankee reply :
On 11/9/2019 at 2:01 AM, jmz313 said:Man i wish i had the type of luck above with Alberto Knots. they are easier to tie than a Double Uni but thye're the only knot that ever fails me.
Do some brands/models of braid allow slip more than others? is there a secret trick?
I do 7 wraps up and 7 back, making sure the back wraps lay neatly into the gaps between the up wraps. Leave all your tag ends long enough to cinch the knot up tight by pulling all the tag ends at once. Wet the knot well with saliva before cinching.
After the knot is as tight as it will go, it should be neat as a pin...if it looks lumpy, tie it over.
When I’m tying at a work table, I trim the tag ends very close on a cutting board with a single edge razor blade.
Once it’s trimmed, I put the knot in my mouth for a few seconds to soak it, then I just touch the knot to the droplet of crazy glue....it should wick right in. Let it set and it’s good to go.
I don’t always use crazy glue... but it’s a little added insurance.
jmz313 reply :
Thanks to both of you. I'l have to give it another go next time. maybe i'll try a dab of glue as well.
Its really challenging to get the back wraps to fall in nicely (which might be my biggest issue). that's sitting at my kitchen table, i can't imagine the guys tying all these on the boat.
Swamp Yankee reply :
On 11/9/2019 at 4:49 AM, jmz313 said:
Its really challenging to get the back wraps to fall in nicely (which might be my biggest issue). that's sitting at my kitchen table, i can't imagine the guys tying all these on the boat.
Yeah, I have to drop the anchor sometimes so I can focus on the dang knot and not worry where I’m drifting.
GreenPig reply :
On 11/9/2019 at 2:01 AM, jmz313 said:Man i wish i had the type of luck above with Alberto Knots. they are easier to tie than a Double Uni but thye're the only knot that ever fails me.
Do some brands/models of braid allow slip more than others? is there a secret trick?
I go 7 up and 7 down. Wet and cinch. Trim tag ends close. I tie it on Power Pro and Fireline with fluorocarbon and mono.
stratoliner92 reply :
I spent 1/2 my Summer dropshotting in Minnesota and only retied if leader got to short, using J-knot never had issues over several days at a time.
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