When Or How Often To Retie

[Dypsis]

Few similar questions.  So the last couple times out I have had a few problems. 

 

Sometimes I will tie a leader that is 5-6' long, Mono, on braid as my main line.  Is that too long, does it wear as it goes through the guides?  The reason I tie one so long is because I only have one rod currently in use (and anytime I switch baits I have to cut some off).  I have 2 Loomis rods and just got enough cash for reels to put on them, but that's another thing.  Anyway, twice in the last 3 times I've been out my leader kind of just rips off at the knot during casting (the knot is still there but the rest is just gone).  I tie an Alberto knot to join the lines.  While it certainly could be my knot tying abilities, my question is after a certain number of casts, 20, 50, etc casts should the knot be retied? 

 

Same kind of question - how often should I retie my knot on my lures.  Again a couple times in my last outings (this time using straight braid) my bait will simply fly off during casting - again this could be my knot tying or does the knot have a useful life?  I bank fish so sometimes when I get stuck I need to give the line a good pull to get unstuck. 

 

I feel these questions aren't very clear so I will apologize, but any help is appreciated. 

[ABW]

Whenever I break off, its usually because my line is frayed somewhere. I would only retie the lure on if your line gets frayed. As for the alberto knot, which I also use, I won't retie it as long as the line isn't frayed or I have enough leader to use.

 

edit: When your lure flew off with braid what knot did you use and how big of a tag did you leave?

[TrippyJai]

No, your knot should not wear going through the guides. If the knot is ripping out then it tells me you need to practice tying the Alberto Knot. It's the one I use as well and it never needs to be retied until the leader part is used up.

 

There shouldn't be a need to retie any knots if you do it correctly. The only time you need to retie is if the line if frayed or weakened to prevent break offs.

[Bankbeater]

I retie when my line is roughed up from dragging the bait across a sharp surface. When I snag and have to break the line, I always cut off maybe a foot of line in case it was stretched.

[deep]

Leader knot- I tie a new leader on before every trip.

Lure knot- retie as often as needed. Run the first few feet of line through my fingertips every few casts (I fish a lot of rocks with low pound test line).

[Catt]

I check my line after every fish caught or if I feel I was rough on it coming through timber, brush, or rock and retie accordingly

[HardcoreBassin]

As far as the leader goes, I tie an Albright.  It is a nice tight, small knot that will not bang up the eyes of your rod.  Make sure you tie it correctly.  Here is a link to it: http://www.animatedknots.com/albright/index.php?Categ=fishing

 

I check the first 3-4 feet of my line every chance I get, whether I am fishing a leader or not.  Same goes for the knot to the lure.  After every fish I catch, I feel the line for any fraying or dings.  Same thing goes for if I am throwing in rock areas, or docks.  Any time I think there might have been contact with my line and something that could cut it, I check.  And as a freebie, I check my knot every time I pull weeds off of my lure. 

 

As for the knot your are using for the lure, make sure you are using a knot that is appropriate for your line.  For example, if you are fishing mono or flouro, use a knot that will cinch down on the line like the Improved Clinch.  On something like straight braid, use a Palmomar knot.  If you type an improved Clinch on braid, it has a high possibility to slip through and untie because the braid lacks the pliability needed to tighten on itself.

 

Hopefully that helps!

[geo g]

If I were fishing competitively I would retie more often and check the line after every fish caught. Fishing recreationally I don't check it often enough. I seldom have a problem, but it did happen once during this last trip, Sunday.

[Ozark_Basser]

Mainline to leader knot - I tie an albright knot.  I like to to wrap the braid 8-10 times down then 8-10 times back up toward the loop.  This makes the knot WAY stronger tying it this way, even stronger than the double albright knot. Most people will tell you to just wrap your braid 16-20 times down then run your tag end back up through the your loop.  That way sucks for me.  As far as retying, you can kind of tell by the way it looks if you need to retie.  After throwing it for a good while the knot will look less uniform, and that's when I'll retie, but if you tie it perfect, it will last almost all day.  You just have to get the hang of it.

 

Leader to bait knot - It depends on the bait for me.  Baits that put a lot of stress on the knot like jerkbaits, crankbaits, or heavy baits get retied more than others. Another factor is the lb test of the line I'm using.  If I'm throwing a jerkbait on 10 lb fluoro to get it deep I'm gonna retie a lot more often than if I'm fishing a t-rig worm on the same line.  Also you should retie more often if you're using fluorocarbon line. Some brands have good knot strength, but some don't.  I think tackle tour did a review on testing various fluorocarbon lines a while back, and seaguar invisx came out on top for knot strength. Also you should visually check your line anytime you feel it needs to be checked such as after pulling your bait through heavy cover etc. 

 

Also, if you want a knot that you tie to your bait that doesn't tighten on itself nearly as bad as other knots, I'd check out the double uni knot.  It's awesome.  It's also great for walking frogs because it gives a little play where you tie your knot on the bait, allowing you to walk your frog a little easier.  

[Big Jon]

I have not used a leader, but I use the Alberto using braid with some cheap mono backing. I check the knot at the lure every so often and after every bite. I retie about every three fish depending on what the line looks like.

[Dypsis]

Thanks for the replies. I'll be sure to check my lines for frays as well as work on my knot tying.

[WRB]

Knots are a necessary evil, we need to tie our lures or hooks onto the line and they are the weakest link.

The fewer knots the better, 1 knot twice as good as 2 knots and the reason I avoid using leaders.

The 100% knot strength is a myth! Line breaks at the knot 100% of the time unless the line is damaged and line gets damaged while fishing. If you leave a knot tied more then 24 hours, the line under pressure creeps weakening it, always retie if the knot is over 24 hours old.

Tying good knots under fishing conditions takes lots of practice, so retie often. Check your line for damage, any flat spots or rough spots that section of the be should be removed.

Practice tying a new knot until you are good at it.

Tom

[hatrix]

How often I retie depends on what line I use and how expensive the lure is or if something happens I am not comfortable with. As for the leader knot It don't matter what knot you tie but going though the guide will weaken it buy how much and how quickly I cant say. But I can say after say after 100 casts it sure is not as strong as when you first tied it. for the knot it is hard to go wrong with a double uni and a uni is probably top 3 as far as it goes for tying to your lure since it is a slip and really anything you tie should be a kind of slip and not actually a knot. The only knot I know that is technically a knot is palomar and tbh its junk you should avoid tying it really and only ever with braid. for my leaders though I have changed to a blood knot. Its super thin and insanely strong but somewhat difficult to get down. There is a way to tie it easy but you end up with the same amount of wraps from both lines and you might not always want that.

[Fishing Rhino]

It's not just the leader fraying that is a problem.  If you are fishing a jig, a shaky head rig or any bait that is being fished over rocky bottom, the knot at the eye of the lure takes a beating.  It amounts to hitting the line at the eye with a hammer.

 

Eventually the impact with the rocks will wear through the line at the eye.  When it eventually breaks, you'll see a little bit of a curve at the end where it parted.  It will be obvious that the constant impact of the rocks had worn away the front edge of the loop.  Except for the knot the rest of the leader may be perfect.

[SirSnookalot]

I don't have problems with knots, that is when I tie them right in the first place, being human that doesn't always happen.  My leaders usually are no more than 24" or so, I do like that little bit of shock.  Fishing the way I do I don't change lures too often and I'm not fishing conditions that rough up my line, I don't check too often when I'm bass fishing and can go several days without putting a new leader on.

Fishing for some of my other species the program is different, I'm fishing over rocks, coral, cement pylons so the line and leaders can get roughed up, not to mention fishes gill plates and teeth, I check after each fish is caught.  I do put a fresh leader on every outing still only about 24", I don't change lures too often for other species either.

[Sam]

I retie when:

1.  Dragging the line through cover or structure.

2.  Getting hung up in a tree or bush along the bank.

3.  After every third fish hooked.

4.  After running the line between thumbnail and forefinger checking for knicks, scratches, abrasions and cuts in the line.

 

Remove damaged line.

 

Retie as often as you wish.

 

If a  nice fish breaks off while fighting it then you know you were tardy by not checking your line or retie.