Those would be the very LAST parameters Id use for a line to backing knot. I mean how many times a week; a year; for life of the equipment…do you change lines that you need to re-tie it?
I have NEVER had to change a line. So no big deal to me. And if I did, I cut off maybe 1/4" of fly line and backing line…and just tie on another line, quick and easy with the Castwell Knot. I must be missing something here, because I see no big deal here.
Furthermore, I don’t have to change lines…because I have a reel and or spool for every line weight, including floater/sink tip/intermediate sink/and full sink for every line weight from 1wt through 10wt inclusive. And even a few 11’s.
To each his own. I will continue to use the Castwell knot. I don’t really care what you would use as a parameter for a knot selection. Perhaps others do though.
Jim
I use an albright … never failed me and is rally quick to tie.
… oh, … and how often do I need to tie it, … well … I’ll often retie all my knots after a long fight. (as well as change the leader) So almost every day on the water for at least one rod.
So after drawn out battle I’ll often strip out the line, cut the knot and retie t before starting up again. The albright seems to cut into the fly line and I always wonder if it’ll eventually cut all the way through.
So maybe…just maybe it isnt the proper knot for that application??? A nail knot or a blood knot surely wont do that.
I already looked it up, because I wasnt positive myself why, about which knots retain most of the original strength of the “material being tied” and a blood know…for example…retains 85-90% of the lines strength…hence there would be no NEED to cut and retie them.
It doesnt matter to me an iota about what knot someone uses…but in almost every package of new line there are charts that tell what know to use where…and I figure THEY spend more than 5 minutes to determine which is best…ya think?
Classic Bedlam ! Thanks for making my afternoon.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
Remember that the weakest connection is the tippet and tippet knot. If you are afraid of the backing to flyline knot breaking or pulling off, something is wrong with the knot you are using. Certainly an Albright is a heck of a strong knot and for sat water species, I’d agree. But c’mon, for trout almost any knot, properly tied will hold agains’t a tippet knot.
I amazes me that we often forget that the weakest link is what will break. If a nail knot suffices for leader to flyline, why won’t it suffice for backiing to fly line? I submit that the backing has a greater grip on the fly line than mono does so which knot will fail first?
Sully, I googled for a “grimp knot” and couldn’t find it - can you elucidate?
Well…without pics of it…of which I have none…I’ll TRY and explain. You tie it with a knot tieing tool.
(The tool is made of SST sheetmetal and is formed to make a deep U-shaped groove)
You take the leader and wrap around the tool 5-6 times starting at the end and working UP the tool. When done…you take the tag end and insert it from the front and out the back of the wrapped area.
Then you take your line and insert it into the U shaped valley groove in the tool ( where the tag end of the leader is coming OUT of) pinch it with your thumb to hold it…and YANK on the leader tag end…thusly pulling it OFF the tool…onto the line…and as you tighten on the tag end you tighten the leader around the line. Pull it HARD and clip off the tag.
What is accomplished it “sort of” like wrapping a guide on a blank. The “thread” is wrapped around the guide foot AND the blank and the tag end is pulled under the wrapps and cut off.
Karen -
Here is a link to the tool Sully is talking about. I believe Tie-Fast considers the knot that Sully described to be a nail knot.
http://sierrastreamflyshop.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=4&zenid=af81ca596c0876c9fcb269b61f9b5d6b
John
Yeah…There are 3-4 different sort ( or names??) of knots one can tie with that gizmo
And the video is VERY good and showing and explaining how to use it.
I carry a Tie-Fast Nail Knot tool with me where ever I go. I remember the first time I saw one used. I was doing the nail knot the old fashioned way, with a nail, and I watched a fly shop owner tie a nail knot with the Tie-Fast tool. That was it, I tossed the nail and bought a Tie-Fast tool. One of the best investments I have ever made.
Larry —sagefisher—
I tie a perfection loop, big enough to get the reel through, in the backing and use a loop-to-loop. Of course, a big bream or small bass, all I seem to catch, don’t seem to inclined to put me on the backing.
Kirk
just a side note…
for saltwater, steelhead, carp & other big burly species i always use the albright…
as previously mentioned, your weakest link is typically going to be tippet or your knot attaching the fly. for trout, I’ll typically just use a modified (by me) uni-knot. It’s super fast & is never going to be the weakest link in that situation.