Since my fly fishing experience is based on freshwater fishing I have always used a nail knot to connect backing to fly line, I ,mentioned that to a person who fishes mostly saltwater and he told me that if I catch a big fish (leopard shark for instance) it could damage my fly line, is the albright the safest knot if you deal with big fish? I’d gate to get my fly line striped off my backing due to a bad knot.
Thanks in advance.
I take off the PVC about 6-7 inches of the fly line and then I make a double Duncan knot, with the backing and the naked multifilament. Nothing better in my opinion. Good luck!
i use an albright knot for both freshwater and saltwater rigging.
Bimini in the backing with a loop large enough to go over the reel to change spools to a whipped loop on the flyline end. Good enough for tarpon !
I hope I’m not asking for too much but could somebody post a pic of the Bimini knot? I already found it on line but a pic would help tons, thanks.
I’ve always used the Nail Knot, in both fresh and salt water, with no trouble. And I catch some pretty big fish at times. I do one thing a little different, though. After I have tied the knot and cinched it up, I coat it with Sally Hansen’s Hard-As-Nails and let it dry. It lets it slide through the guides much better.
I have seen anglers standing on the deck with a blank look and no fly line after a nail knot connect stripped the coating right of the core of a flyline. They had been connected to a tuna just prior to the observation. Often, this doesn’t happen on the first fish or two, but after a couple of tussles. This won’t happen with an albright connection. I don’t use an albright though because line changes are more work. I prefer to put a loop in my backing and a loop in the end of the flyline. This facilitates quick line changes. I now use this methods for all of my setups from 2 to 13 wt. On the heavier rods where the backing connection actually does go through the guides, I will change the knots in the backing periodically. The frequency depends on the setup and abuse that the connection makes. On an 8wt rig that I use for bonito I change the connection once a year or if I notice any damage to the knot. For bigger stuff like tuna at the end of a day or end of a trip, depending on the amount of abuse the connection has taken.
I guess what I am using is not a nail knot, after all. I looked Nail Knot up online, and it is not what I use. I was mistaken. I don’t know what the knot I use is called.
I take a large needle and run it through the center of the end of my fly line for about 1 inch, then come out the side of the line with it. Then I thread the needle with my backing, and run it through again. I pull about 6 inches of backing through, then wrap it around the fly line to the end, and go under the wraps twice, and pull it tight. Then I clip the tag end close, and coat the whole thing with Sally Hansen. The only way this can come loose is if the fly line, or the backing itself breaks.
great thread - found an animated version of the albright knot - http://www.animatedknots.com/albright/index.php
I’ve never used it but now am going back and re-tying my backing with it.
Definitely looks more durable and reliable than a nail knot for that connection.
The reason I don’t use the Albright Knot is that it requires you to double the fly line, making a large knot. My fear is that it could ‘catch’ or hang up in one of the guides of my rod, causing catastrophic failure if it is a very big fish. The knot I use is not much bigger than the diamter of the fly line, and slides through the guides like corn through a goose.
Everyone has their own preferences. And none of them are really right, or wrong.
I’ve used both Allbright and nail knots. Some day, I hope to catch a fish big enough to take me into the backing. The only potential problem I can see with the Allbright is it is a bit more bulky and could hang up in the guides, especially the tip top guide as a big fish was dragging it out. Not sure but it seems like it could cause a problem if it got hung up. I think most of mine are Allbright knots now but some of my reels that have been strung up a while are nail knots.
Jeff
Here is a great link to all sorts of knots. Take your pick.
OK. After an exhausting search online, I finally found the knot that I use to attach backing to my fly line. It is called the Needle Knot. Normally, it is used to attach a piece of very heavy monofilament for shooting heads, but it works just as good for Dacron backing. I also use it to attach a short piece of 25 lb. mono to the end of my fly line to attach a leader to.
I’ve been using this knot for so long, I can’t even remember where I learned it from.
I’ve been thinking about this trying to make a smart decision but I couldn’t make up my mind. I called my local fly store and they said they have been using the nail knot for ever. That’s why they tied my fly line to the backing like that. We catch small fish around and there is the chance to catch a shovelnose guitarfish, big fighters but it’s not like you’re going to come across one every time. Other than that it’s all perch, halibut and corbina. The ones I’ve caught so far haven’t taken me to my backing so I guess I’ll just leave it be and keep on using the nail knot. I thank everybody for their valuable opinions.
I use an Albright knot and then I give it a tapered smooth coating with Loon Knot Sense UV. I figure it both strengthens the connection and tapers it on both ends to make the knot pass more easily through the guides.
I use a loop2loop connection with a double whipped loop in the line and a bimini twist in the backing.
The backing loop is tied large enough so that a coiled line can pass through it, in case I want to switch lines
I’ve had too many Albrights slip to trust one for a knot as important as the backing to line
if you use an albright with the backing, what do you use on the leader? most people use a nail knot, so how is this OK on the leader and not the backing. BTW i’ve gone over to using the castwell knot on most of my set-ups now.
Hey Dudley, that’s the second option I’m considering. Do you use the loop connectors sold at fly stores or just a piece of mono? I use the nailknot on both backing and I tie with the same a piece of mono with a loop to connect my leader.
Thanks
Well first of all, here’s what Lefty says on the subject in Fly Fishing in Salt Water
He recommends that you do not use a nail knot or an Albright
http://books.google.com/books?id=naXkqG4wq-UC&lpg=PA64&ots=5GqFuOInfc&dq=whipped%20loop%20fly%20line&pg=PA63#v=onepage&q=whipped%20loop%20fly%20line&f=false
This is what my double whipped loop looks like
I kevlar thread
http://books.google.com/books?id=naXkqG4wq-UC&lpg=PA64&ots=5GqFuOInfc&dq=whipped%20loop%20fly%20line&pg=PA49#v=onepage&q=whipped%20loop%20fly%20line&f=false
I prefer braided mono loops to a folded and whipped loop ( or secured with two nail knots in stead of whipping) since the braided mono loop goes through the guides a bit better. Both methods are very strong and fairly easy to construct. Also, a braided loop can be removed and replaced without cutting the end of the flyline.
I won’t use the braided loops sold in most shops. They are usually single catch loops (braid only inserted back into itself once) and are often glued. The single catch are more likely to pull out and the glue creates a stiff point that may either crack our cause a slight hinge that eventually causes the mono to weaken and break. I quit using the premade loops after several failures. I now build my own using the method demonstrated on Dan Blanton’s website. See www.danblanton.com/gettinglooped.html . I have only seen one tackle outlet that sells custom loops like these - Sea Level Fly Fishing.
Both the whipped loop and braided loop methods are illustrated in Lefty Kreh’s latest book on fishing knots. This book comes with a DVD and is a great book that covers most of the knots used by fly and light tackle anglers.
Some of the latest high end flylines now have factory welded loops on the backing end of the fly line. The latest generation are very strong and I just use that loop.