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Ok, can anybody give me the ins and outs of a bimini twist and shock leader. I know that they are most often used in the salt, but am curious as to thier applications for sweetwater. I have a book that shows how the bimini is tied, just don't understand the whys, hows, wheres, whens, of it.
Thanks
Jeff
The bimini is used anytime you want a 100% knot with some shock absorbtion to connect to other lines. The bimini produces a doubled line that can be used make loops or knots for connections. Many connections made with the doubled line are stronger than when made with a single line. You use it for the same basic reason fresh or saltwater.
I know some anglers that tie biminis in tippets as small as 6x and 7x for connection to the main leader.
I use a lot of level leaders on sinking lines. All of these leaders have a bimini in one end to produce a loop that is then folded over and tied into a surgeons loop to produce a double strand loop that is looped to the flyline. Since I fish both salt and fresh water, sometimes on the same day, these leaders get used in both types of water.
I also use the same type of connection to connect flyline to backing on all my reels. Makes for easy line changes.
I have never used a mono shock leader in freshwater. Just wire for pike - I use a small swivel for the wire to tippet connection since it greatly facilitates wire changes.
The Bimini is a great knot and I use it in both fresh and salt. For fresh it's especially handy whenever you run into teethy fish or are using very light tippets on fish found around obstacles or who have rough mouths. A light shock of several inches, for instance, is great for keeping a big Carp from breaking you off as your tippet hangs on one of his scales.