Braids, Knots & Leaders

[strex]

Kinda Newbie here been fishing for a while but on the path to learn more....  I've recently converted most of my reels from Mono to Braid - some larger 7500 reels and 4000 reels.. Not chasing anything in particular, so here's the thing - On my 4000 reel on advice it was suggested that I run a 15lb braid, then a leader being 20lbs.  My questions are?

How much leader should I run from the braid to the swivel and how much from the swivel to the hook?

I usually use a free sinker above the swivel .. but notice that some of the sinkers get caught on the knot joining the braid to the mono, the knot also gets caught in the line guides on the rod. The knot I'm using is a double uni knot and I trim the excess quite tight... What am I doing wrong?

So using the 15lb braid - Can I simply change the leader to an 8lb leader with a smaller hook if I decide to change my rig at any time or will I be seriously compromised by having a heavier braid.

Thanks all.

[Killer]

Have a look at the FG knot.  I use that, as well as the double uni.  FG knot goes through the guides a lot easier.  Yes you can use 8lb leader and 15lb braid. I generally use 1.5 to 2m of leader.

p.s.  I rarely use a swivel

 

Edited May 17, 2020 by Killer

[Guest Guest123456789]

You only need to run mono from braid to swivel if you are using a paternoster (which you’re not). If the sinker is getting caught in the braid knot try a small piece of 2mm plastic tube - you can buy from a hardware store cheaply then cut it up to suit. 

50cm to 1 metre mono leader from swivel to hook/lure is fine - and longer and you won’t be able to cast unless you have a really long rod.

you can definitely fish lighter leader than your braid. Bear in mind heavier braid means less casting distance and more affected by current so normally you have the same or lighter braid than your leader.

[nutsaboutfishing]

This is how y you tie an FG knot. The reason it's better than double uni is that it's thinner and  I'm  pretty sure stronger

cheers

Richard

 

[James Clain]

42 minutes ago, Killer said:

Have a look at the FG knot.  I use that, as well as the double uni.  FG knot goes through the guides a lot easier.  Yes you can use 8lb leader and 15lb braid. I generally use 1.5 to 2m of leader.

p.s.  I rarely use a swivel

 

Now, this here is great advice!!! FG, FG, FG All the way. Although if you are gonna use a swivel for a bait rigging setup all you need is around 30cm from swivel to hook. And then if you want a nice rig for trolling or even land-based live-baiting. Get a snap swivel and stick that through your swivel then run 40cm of slightly lighter cheap mono to a sinker. This makes whats called a paternoster rig but you can easily remove the sinker for casting the live-bait or even down-rigging. 

[strex]

Thanks all much appreciated - I'll give the FG a try

[Rob81]

do you plan on having the sinker as a stopper or you wanted the sinker to run down to the hook?

Some people use swivels in their connection as a stopper, to stop the sinker going all the way to their hooks so not too sure of your intention with the sinker.

[strex]

The intention was to have a sinker above the swivel - Using the swivel as the stopper

[Rob81]

Yeah you can still use a swivel if you wanted to. I used to just use a uniknot for the braid to swivel knot, its probably not the best knot to use for braid to swivel but its held for me when I did use and didnt have any issues with it slipping.

One thing you need to bare in mind, as braid is very soft and flexible, in turbulent water sometimes they tangle up (the leader wraps around the braid). This is for landbased though. Mono - swivel - Mono wont have any issues. Off a boat I'm not too sure how it will affect. 

[Volitan]

By double uni I assume you mean a ‘double loop uni’, as used for tying a line to a fitting (eg swivel), not a double uni as used for tying two lines together. If you want to keep on using the swivel between braid and leader then the FG knot is irrelevant. The FG knot is for a braid to mono connection.

To run the sinker above the swivel then try one of these https://www.ebay.com.au/i/254138269790?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-139619-5960-0&mkcid=2&itemid=254138269790&targetid=1087152002312&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1000594&poi=&campaignid=9767734220&mkgroupid=99377634146&rlsatarget=aud-786643580326:pla-1087152002312&abcId=1145981&merchantid=7364522&gclid=CjwKCAjw5Ij2BRBdEiwA0Frc9fVuscOPT1q1sE48MxWU79MW3i0zY-rCjFCuAZ9jQXd06UjyAK3EgRoCi_kQAvD_BwE  . Don’t be fooled by their simplicity they work amazingly well at stopping a running sinker from tangling - I would never fish a running sinker without one.

There is nothing wrong with using a light leader on heavier braid. Most of our local fish are leader-shy, so the lighter you go the more fish you will catch. This is especially true if land-based - not so relevant if you have a boat. For beach fishing I use 25lb braid and 10lb leader. The braid is heavier then I need but it gives me peace of mind to be over gunned on the braid.

The rig you describe (called a ‘fishfinder’, among other names) I use when the surf is small but it tangles badly when the surf gets up. When the surf is larger I switch to a paternoster - wherein if you can anchor the swivel and keep the line tight against it then a tangle is unlikely. Inherently, you will catch less fish with the paternoster in areas with high fishing pressure because of the unnatural presentation, but at least you won’t be spending your time sorting out tangles.
 

cheers

 

[Rob81]

The tangle is from the running sinker (the main weight) being on the braid side and being stopped before going on to the leader. If you run an fg and the sinker runs though to the leader you wont have an issue, or if you are running mono-swivel-leader, also you wont have an issue. Issue is more for Braid-Swivel-Leader where the sinker sits in the braid. Also depends on length of leader.

[anthman]

As others have said, use an FG knot. 15LB braid to 20LB leader should be fairly streamline passing through eyelets, even with a rod that has microguides (e.g. Gomoku jigging rods). In terms of length, I actually like to use about 1-1.5m of fluoro (lets say 15LB to match your braid), down to a swivel, then a light (i.e. less than 15LB) fluorocarbon leader that I want at the hook end. That way if I get snagged I'll likely loose from after the swivel rather than potentially from the FG knot. 1-1.5m of length also means I can switch over to a lure if I want to without having to change leader to a longer length.

In terms of sinker, as per all the above, but id also add that putting a bead between the sinker and the swivel will help stop the sinker from the damaging the knot and prevent premature breakage.

Edited May 19, 2020 by anthman