Best knot for braid?

[12poundbass]

Shark knot or Trilene knot

[king fisher]

For braid I use a Palomar or double Uni if a Palomar is going to be difficult to tie.  A clinch or improved clinch knot will not slip and come untied, but will cut into itself causing it to  break slightly above the knot.  Doubling the line on a clinch does help. I have tested every knot you can find on the internet.  Many have this problem.  I'm not saying you can't use a clinch knot with braid and catch bigger fish than me, I'm sure someone has used a clinch knot with braid for years and never had one fail.  I am saying if you test a clinch or improved clinch it will break just above the knot at about 65% of line strength.  Braid does not hold knots well.  Even a Bimini twist with a cats pawl, won't get 95% strength.  The good thing is even a 50% knot with 50lbs. braid will break at 25 lbs. which is 5 pounds better than 20 lbs. mono with a 99% knot.  I will also say, anyone who has never had a knot fail, either hasn't fished much, or has a selective memory.  I have used every type of line, from two to 400 pound test, with many different knots.  All have failed at one time, maybe on a snag not on a fish, but still failed.  Knots are the weak link period.  Find one you have confidence in, can easily tie correctly, and set you drag properly  Just don't try and convince me that any knot will NEVER fail.

[roadwarrior]

"Never" might be too strong, but "very rarely" do knots fail if tied correctly:

If it ain't perfect, it ain't good enough.

 

[Lead Head]

Well... let me give context.

Before last lear, I fished 1-2 times a week (roughly 6-8 hour trips) 10 months out of the year for about 5 years. If that is "enough" to see a failure I can't say, I guess "enough" fishing is a relative term. In that time I used 50lb braid for all jig and t-rig fishing. I have cut braid on sharp stuff a few times, I have bent out more hooks than I could possibly count, and I have had to cut my own line (as deep as possible) but I have never failed a knot. Maybe if I used the paddle or a stick or something to really yank on the few snags I had to cut I would have failed the knot, but I was mostly a co-angler and tried not to be overly bothersome to the guy I was with. I guess its possible (if not probable) that I never managed to exceed the 40lb or so of force required to fail the knot. But I definitely stand by my statement that I never failed a fishing-fool uni on 50lb braid. 

I most definitely could if I intentionally tried, and I agree 100% that undamaged line forced beyond its breaking point will fail at the knot. I've just never managed to get there with 50lb braid where and how I fish. This is all just my personal experience, obviously YMMV.

[Boomstick]

On 12/31/2020 at 9:13 AM, Team9nine said:

Palomar is the tried and true braid knot, whether single or double, but a double line uni is also surprisingly good, though it burns up (uses) more line to tie. Can’t go wrong with either.

I'm confused. The double uni is a line to line knot, and single uni has less line loss than a palomar to tie if you tie it right and that can be quite significant with larger lures.

 

As for my personal preferences, I will almost always use a uni knot as it works on all lines with the exception of braid where I will tie a uni or a palomar. Both work, but on braid, I believe the palomar should be just a little bit stronger since they cinch down so tightly. If there's heavy wind, I will use a uni knot just because I find the uni easier to tie in the wind for whatever reason.

[Team9nine]

8 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

I'm confused. The double uni is a line to line knot, and single uni has less line loss than a palomar to tie if you tie it right and that can be quite significant with larger lures.

 

A doubled line uni is a single uni, but tied with two strands, not one. You end up with three tag ends, and, of course, double the line material used. Very strong, but a bit wasteful.

[Boomstick]

48 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

 

A doubled line uni is a single uni, but tied with two strands, not one. You end up with three tag ends, and, of course, double the line material used. Very strong, but a bit wasteful.

I'm confused. This is the double uni knot I'm aware of

On 12/31/2020 at 9:42 AM, N.Y. Yankee said:

Somehow, I had the idea that the standard Palomar would slip with braid and needed to be tied a special way? What did I miss?

Is it possible you mixed up braid and fluorocarbon? The palomar does slip with fluorocarbon but it's absolutely solid with braid from my experiences.

[king fisher]

Just now, Lead Head said:

50lb braid where and how I fish

A person can use 100 pound test braid tie a square knot and never have one fail while fishing for bluegill.  A doubled line Uni is a very effective knot for braid, and tests at the top of the list. Other than using more line and three tags, it is as good a practical to tie knot for braid there is. My only point is braid knots fail at far below the actual strength of the line.  Most 50 pound rated braided line will actually break at around 70 pounds.  With a 65% knot you will still straighten out most hooks before the knot gives out.  Hook in to a 200 pound tuna with 50 pound braid, and your confidence in a doubled line Uni will be tested. (Bimini with Cats Pawl for that situation)  I use 50 pound braid when I punch for bass.  Switching between, doubled line Uni, Palomar, and snell.  All work well, and failures have been extremely rare, but I can't say never for any of those knots.

[Team9nine]

40 minutes ago, Boomstick said:

I'm confused. This is the double uni knot I'm aware of

Is it possible you mixed up braid and fluorocarbon? The palomar does slip with fluorocarbon but it's absolutely solid with braid from my experiences.

 

Not what you posted. Watch Brent tie it in this video.,,

 

 

 

[Lead Head]

@king fisherI understand what your saying. I'm fishing for bass, and giving my experience and opinion based on such. It was not my intention to suggest there is a knot out there that will not fail, just that I've never failed MY braid knot in my waters. 50lb braid is simply way stronger than what is really needed for how I fish, but the fish don't seem to mind the braid, and I would rather bend out a hook than break off my lure and leave it behind in the water. 

 

I guess it is noteworthy that I have recently switched to a jig with a much stronger hook. It is likely that I will be forced to wrap line around my pliers and fail (most likely) my knot at some point but I haven't got there yet. I've been using leaders way more as well, but that is a totally different conversation that ill stay out of in this thread.

 

 

[Boomstick]

32 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

 

Not what you posted. Watch Brent tie it in this video.,,

 

 

 

I believe this is called the improved uni, hence my confusion plus the fact that this variant is new to me.

[dodgeguy]

I fished braid for 30 years and never had a Palomar fail. I do glue the tag so it doesn't fray.

[WRB]

The original braid knot is simply a double line 5 twist clinch knot. You end up with 3 tag ends to cut off so it’s looks bulky but this know doesn’t fail. Keep that in mind when snagged with 100% knot strength with braid is usually stronger the most rods and reel spools can withstand.

Tom

 

[mcipinkie]

I love all this, seeing different people's perspective.  I expect everyone posting is telling the 100% truth about what works for them and what doesn't.  Then factor in what all the pros say they do, and we still don't have any sort of agreement about what works, and what doesn't.

 

Maybe the new lines are better than they were 20 - 30 years ago when I did my testing, but no way I could get a palomar to hold in 30 lb Lynch Line, or Spiderwire.  That was what we had then.  It slipped every time.  Slipped, didn't break.  Just came untied.  I remember the frustration.  Get a bite, set the hook and wind in the line. 

 

Mind you, I didn't do any gluing, or line melting or anything like that.  If you have do that, you have a bad knot. 

 

I'm not flaming anyone.  I expect what everyone says works, works for them, but the different viewpoints are amazing.

 

Me, I'm staying with the round turn, and the 7 turn uni.  PS:  It ain't no fishing fool knot. 

[Lead Head]

I think WRB makes a really good point here. It is definitely important to keep in mind that a good knot with (heavy) braid is probably capable of destroying most bass fishing equipment. 

 

@mcipinkie I had the same experience with braid 20+ years ago. It seemed like no matter what I did the knot would slip or cut itself. I gave up on it. About 8 or so years ago I tried again using the "twice through the eye" uni knot and haven't had a single knot issue since. I'm sure the Palomar works great as well because too many great anglers have success with it, but I have never had a reason to switch from the uni.

 

 

[mcipinkie]

We on the some wave length, shortfish.

 

What part of Arkansas?  Born and raised in Russellville.

 

[Lead Head]

About 20 miles south of Little Rock. You know about this dirty ol' river I'm always talking about. I've never made it out to Dardanelle, just too long of a haul. I could never drive past Atkins anyway. They have mature Florida bass, monsters come out of there pretty regularly. 

[zeth]

Palomar. Double palomar if you are concerned about line slip. 

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

13 hours ago, Team9nine said:

 

Not what you posted. Watch Brent tie it in this video.,,

 

 

 

This "improved uni knot" is close to what I use with Nanofil and Gliss. The only difference is I go through the eye twice not just once. 

[jbsoonerfan]

Ain't a dang one of ya'll catching any bass that is gonna break a knot that is tied properly.

[mcipinkie]

Hello ShortFish,

 

I lived in Pine Bluff late 60's.  Was working for the Corps of Engineers doing preliminary surveys before we dammed up the river.  I was instrument man on the survey party that layed out the big curve when we cut off the river and made Pine Bluff harbor. 

 

Our office handled from L & D 5, whatever they call it now, to the mouth of the White River.  I've walked it at least three times.

 

Always wanted to go back and fish some of those old places.

 

There was a ferry at Pendleton when I was there.

[livin2fish]

On 12/31/2020 at 11:12 AM, Jig Man said:

Pitzen for all lines is my go to.

^^^^Me too.  Doubled it is like the knot Jimmy Houston used to call his own, which he used for spinner baits.

[J Francho]

Palomar and Uni work fine.  I've been using a Uni for almost a decade because it's simple to tie for me.