Practicing Knots

[BuffaloBass716]

I was wondering if practicing knots (mostly knots to connect to lines) with old line from my reels from last season would be okay. What I mean is I want to practice the Improved Albright knot with two lines, both being old mono.  Would the knot still tie the same way with no problems even though I am not using a braided main line?

[jbsoonerfan]

I would take a few feet of braid and practice with that. I practice tying knots a lot. I always practice with what I plan to use. I will tie a knot and tie a loop and put the main line around my shoe. I will tie the other end (leader or straight to hook) and put it on some needle nose pliers. I will pull up until it breaks and see where the break took place. Not real scientific, but I get bored a lot and like to try things out.

[frogflogger]

it's good to practice with whatever line you have on hand but for braid to mono/fluro it would be wise to use the real thing because braid is so limp it takes a bit of getting use to

[ClackerBuzz]

dang i thought i was cheap

i use the real stuff. you won't waste more than 6 ft of line by practicing 50+ knots (far less on the braid side). you'll be happy you mastered the exact material when ur out on the water

guys swear by the albright knot but it slipped for me.

i'd go with uni to uni or bob sands knot (kinda like a uni on mono side and san diego jam on braid side).

the braid doesn't slip at all

[J Francho]

No problem learning on old line. Once you get the knot down pat, tie it on line your going to use, and test the knot. I use an old spring scale attached to a vice on my bench. That way I can get a good idea of how strong my knot is. Not everyone can tie every knot well, myself included. I tie a Palomar better than my buddy. He loses about 30% on the line strength, where I lose none. But he ties another knot so well, he uses that instead.

[nascar2428]

That's what practice is all about. Use whatever you have to practice tying knots. Once you are confident in tying that knot, use it on your actual setups. 

[FrankW]

Hi BuffaloBass716,

You can use any line to practice with but eventually you need to work with the lines you fish with. I find the best place to practice is while I am watching TV with the wife. Keep your line and cutters close and get in some practice ever chance you get. It is a good way to learn new knots. You have to be very careful with pieces of line if you have a cat. Don't let any fall on the floor. Some cats will pick up the end of a line and swallow it. Our cat had about eight inches into its throat before I saw her. We were able to pull it out with no harm to her. Our vet said it can be deadly if a cat swallowed it.

Frank