Braid To Fluoro Knot, Tired Of Failures

[Kyle46N]

I use the Alberto.  All my rods are braid to leaders.  Use it on all of them.  In the beginning I had a few issues with the knot slipping due to my own error and not taking time to make sure the knot was correct.  Now the only issue with line breaking is if I get a kink in the fc and don't catch it in time.  Believe I use 8-10 wraps up and back down.  Also put a couple half hitches in the braid once the knot is clinched down.  Make sure when pulling them tight you pull on both ends of the mono or FC as you tighten up on the braid.  This allows the braid to cinch down.  Once tight I'll pull on the mono/FC leader and make sure it's snug...then couple half hitches on the braid, trim and fish.  IF YOUR KNOT LOOKS QUESTIONALBE RE-TIE.  If I don't like it or feel it doesn't look right I'm not going to fish it, I'll cut it off and re-tie.  Took a good 6 months of constant tying that knot to get to where I can do it quickly.  Take your time looking at how you're tying it rather then looking for a different knot.  

 

Only using your comment because you mentioned taking 6 months to learn a knot.  If I'm going to take any significant length of time to learn one of these knots....it's going to be the FG.  Simply because it is far and away the thinnest out of all of them.   You can't beat that, and the fact if tied correctly, it won't break.  I've been tying it for a few months, but still could be better at it. 

[Chris at Tech]

I could never get the Alberto to hold consistently.  I've also spent about an hour messing with the FG knot and cannot get that one to hold either.  Uni-to-uni still gets my vote as I can tie it correctly every time, and I've not had a failure even with hard fighting inshore fish.

[jbsoonerfan]

Uni to uni has NEVER failed me.

[WRB]

The FG knot is low profile and nearly impossible to tie on the water under fishing conditions....practice and tie it at home.

Tom

[MickD]

I could never get the Alberto to hold consistently.  I've also spent about an hour messing with the FG knot and cannot get that one to hold either.  Uni-to-uni still gets my vote as I can tie it correctly every time, and I've not had a failure even with hard fighting inshore fish.

If you cannot get the Alberto to hold consistently you are not tying it consistently correctly.  The tag end has to go through the loop correctly or it will fail every time.  If you tie half right , half wrong, which is natural if  not paying attention to the tag direction, half will fail.

[Chris at Tech]

If you cannot get the Alberto to hold consistently you are not tying it consistently correctly.  The tag end has to go through the loop correctly or it will fail every time.  If you tie half right , half wrong, which is natural if  not paying attention to the tag direction, half will fail.

Well yeah, I kinda figured I wasn't tying it correctly

Regardless, I have no complaints about uni-to-uni so I'm not in desperate need to figure out what I'm doing incorrectly in tying the Alberto or FG

[MickD]

I have found this site very helpful.

 

As many have stated, the Alberto is significantly smaller, so goes through smaller guides better.  The uni has 5 thicknesses of the large diameter line, the Alberto only two.  I think if the Alberto has a weakness it would be in how tightly it bends and pinches the floro.  Some floro's may not take well to that.  If you really want bulletproof floro for leaders, buy the leader grade.  You don't use that much of it anyway, so expense shouldn't be an issue.   I have had so much trouble with floro lines (not leaders) lately that I'm about to just go to leader grade floro for leaders, and mono or copolymer for lines (+ braid, of course).

[Todd_Clark]

from a newbie here, when using braided line on jerk baits and frogs, should i have a flouro or mono leader, and if so, how long of a leader should i use?

[MickD]

Either will work fine.  From all the posts on this thread I would conclude that going with mono would be more reliable.  But the major point is that you need to know how to tie knots correctly, whatever knots you choose.  And you need quality line and leader material of the proper test.

[Smokinal]

from a newbie here, when using braided line on jerk baits and frogs, should i have a flouro or mono leader, and if so, how long of a leader should i use?

On frogs I wouldnt use a leader at all but I use a fluoro leader on all my jerks; about 8 ft.

[MickD]

Regarding length, I make mine short enough so they don't enter the reel.  Some use them short enough so they don't enter the rod at all.  With braid and fast action rods you have a pretty "hard" system, and I think a leader of 5 feet or so provides a little "shock relief,"  but just try different lengths and see what you prefer.

[RMcDuffee726]

Good Ole' Blood Knot will never fail you!

[ColdSVT]

I learned the albright when i was into fishing the flats of the gomex

A properly tied albright is tarpon proof...therefore it certainly bass proof...ive had tarpon straighten a hook out before i had a knot failure

[Robert Riley]

I've used a double uni most of the time, only breaks when I get snagged and just pull on the line as a last ditch effort to get it unsnagged.

[PAGreg]

I like the alberto but I've learned that its very important how you tie it. If I take the braid and make the loop and wrap the fluorocarbon around, the knot slips right out because the fluoro doesn't bite into the braid. Make the loop with the fluoro and the braid bites down hard and the knot is solid.

[MickD]

I learned the albright when i was into fishing the flats of the gomex

A properly tied albright is tarpon proof...therefore it certainly bass proof...ive had tarpon straighten a hook out before i had a knot failure

I'll bet you were using leader grade floro and not something like Vanish line.  Right?  That's the other half of this equation that sometimes gets forgotten.  I think some knots like the albright fail because some floro is incapable of being kinked that tightly.  I have had name brand 15# flouro line fail right after picking out a backlash, under very light loading.

[ColdSVT]

I'll bet you were using leader grade floro and not something like Vanish line. Right? That's the other half of this equation that sometimes gets forgotten. I think some knots like the albright fail because some floro is incapable of being kinked that tightly. I have had name brand 15# flouro line fail right after picking out a backlash, under very light loading.

I used triple fish and or seaguar blue label flouro leader material

These days i use sunline sniper or invisx for my leaders right off the normal spool without problems. From 6# up to 20# leaders on anything from 65# braid down to 15#braid

[RMcDuffee726]

On frogs I wouldnt use a leader at all but I use a fluoro leader on all my jerks; about 8 ft.

Why wouldn't you want to use a leader? Filling the whole reel with braid I feel seems wasteful.

[paleus]

Why wouldn't you want to use a leader? Filling the whole reel with braid I feel seems wasteful.

 

What? The leader goes on the end you throw in the water... never touches the reel. You must be thinking about spooling mono on first as backing.

[RMcDuffee726]

What? The leader goes on the end you throw in the water... never touches the reel. You must be thinking about spooling mono on first as backing.

That's what I meant LOL.

[ColdSVT]

^^ how much leader do you use?

I know my leaders never even touch the spool

[corn-on-the-rob]

With minimal practice, the uni-uni, blood-knot, and Alberto all take about the same time/difficulty.

 

Alberto will win a head to head every time against the other two, test it yourself at home. They all have their own critical step to which if not done correctly, may weaken or fail, so improper tying should not factor into the evaluatiion of the knot.

 

A good leader knot should never come undone or break unless you cut the line with scissors, if it breaks even when you pull straight back trying to break your line, it makes leader use way less practical. With the Alberto, your leader will break near or at your lure if you intentionally break on a snag or whatever, never at the knot if tied properly.

 

Now the aforementioned critical step to all of the knots is important, and for the Alberto, that is making sure your tag enters back through the loop the same way it entered. The major mix up here is that when making wraps its not uncommon for the loop to move or flip over while you are focusing on the wraps, which disorients the "correct" way for it to pass through the loop. There is an easy way to check if you passed through correctly before cinching but I will have to make a video to show/describe it properly, which I can probably do this weekend.

 

With all that being said, the uni-uni is completely fine and works for many and did for me for some time, but the Alberto is just as easy, and stronger.

 

Stay tuned, I'll make a video on the Alberto hopefully this weekend.

[WPCfishing]

Assuming you are using jigs that are 3/8th ounce or heavier I would recommend you go heavier with your leader material. Look at 15 or 17 pound test. Bass are not line shy and the heavier line will not alter your presentation with those sized jigs. I use the Uni to Uni knot and go with 6 wraps on both ends. More wraps may be better but for me I get a more uniform knot with the 6 wraps.

Lastly (and this is just me), I have no use for fluorocarbon and I use 14 or 17 pound test Trilene XT Mono (both of which test out at 20 pounds or more). My issue with fluoro is that if you stretch it (like on a snag), you weaken it. On a strong hookset the braid has no give, it is all transmitted to your leader.

I use the uni to uni 5 wraps. Haven't had a problem to date. I like the P-Line CX as a leader. 15 or 20# depending.

I have no use for Flouro in any application. I just don't like it.

[aceman387]

I like the Alberto knot.

[Snakehead Whisperer]

 

A good leader knot should never come undone or break unless you cut the line with scissors, if it breaks even when you pull straight back trying to break your line, it makes leader use way less practical. With the Alberto, your leader will break near or at your lure if you intentionally break on a snag or whatever, never at the knot if tied properly.

 

This.