Suck at the alberto knot...Options?

[craww]

A VERY tight set eliminating tag slippage is key for me. And while folks can scoff about "just learning to tie a proper knot" I still like to massage a bit of gel superglue onto the wraps of the fingertrap.

[Darth-Baiter]

On 1/3/2021 at 11:08 AM, Kdizzle said:

10 wraps one way, 10 wraps back, then pass the tag end back through the loop 5 times before cinching. 

This.  Plus moisten it. 

[waymont]

I just tied about 10 Shin Knots. It's probably the easiest connection knot to tie. The knot I tie 100% of the time is the FG knot, but this knot is so small and easy I might try it next season.

Does anyone have real world experience fishing it? It seems very strong.

[mcipinkie]

I'm inclined to agree with MickD with some qualification.

 

If you tie an Alberto knot with a short leader where it doesn't pass through the guides casting for   flipping or pitching I've not had any problems.

 

Where using long leaders so that the knot comes through the guides, I tie one half with the tag over the standing part.  Two would probably be a little more secure.  Got to pull them tight.  Leave a long enough tag to pull.  Aaron Martens mentioned this in one of his videos.

[Junk Fisherman]

On 1/3/2021 at 12:58 PM, Spoons said:

Setting up a finesse rig and I can't for the life of me tie a reliable alberto knot for connecting a FC leader. My only other options seem to be to use just straight FC or use a barrel swivel. On the rare days these illinois rivers aren't stained or cloudy, do you think something as small as a barrel swivel will scare fish away when I want to use a FC leader with my braid? 

Just keep practicing.  I suck at knots and I have to practice over and over.  You just have to get your fingers used to the motion.  I will tie a couple then come back to it later.   
 

And I think the Alberto is one of the easiest to tie so I would stick with that one.  It is proven.  It will probably just take some time. Good luck.  

[Junk Fisherman]

A couple other things:

The Seaguar Knot is easy and reliable but I like the Alberto better.  IIRC, you have to cut your leader length before tying the knot.  Also, with the Alberto you are wrapping the braid around the leader and not the leader around the braid-right? The leader often has memory making it hard to keep your wraps straight.  The braid is limp and manageable.

[BrianMDTX]

Yes, with the Lefty Kreh/Seaguar knot, you have to cut your leader to length first, as after you make the loop and twist it thrice, you pass the tag end of the main line and the length of the leader through the loop and tighten. I normally cut mine about 6’ long. 

 

Its not the knot with the the smallest diameter, but I bet it’s the easiest main-to-leader knot to tie that actually works. 

[MickD]

Kreh knot too big for what I need.

 

The whole idea of finding a reliable, small, knot is so that it passes through the guides cleanly.  Especially small guides.  If you tie a leader so short that it doesn't pass through the guides, then just about anything will work.  A big swivel will work.

 

I didn't find the shin knot that easy to tie, will try again.  But it seems to me much more confusing and hard to accomplish than the Alberto knot.  To each his own.

 

[ThatZX14Fella]

The only one I can correctly tie is the Uni-Uni. However, if shy away from it. It has been causing more issues than it's worth for me. I've tried to tie the FG, but I'm not coordinated enough for it. I'm going to look up some different leader knots and try to find something a little smaller that's fairly simple to tie. I shake like I have Parkinson's, so that makes things a little more difficult.

[Hammer 4]

A few years back, I could tie almost any knot fairly quick, the SD jam was my go to knot. I don't use leaders. Getting up in age, plus the meds I have to take causes my hands to shake more than I like, so the uni, or palomar knots are the only knots I can tie within a reasonable time, and get em right the first time. Isn't life grand..? ?

[roadwarrior]

Youth is wasted on the young.

 

[lynxcat]

I go through the loop three times and will start doing it 5 after reading this thread. I need to evaluate the “half hitches” on the tags that people are referencing. Unclear if I am understanding that step correctly. These half hitches are after going through the loop and pulling tight? Aka finish with a half hitch after anchored?

[MickD]

On 1/4/2021 at 9:44 PM, waymont said:

I just tied about 10 Shin Knots. It's probably the easiest connection knot to tie. The knot I tie 100% of the time is the FG knot, but this knot is so small and easy I might try it next season.

Does anyone have real world experience fishing it? It seems very strong.

I practiced the knot watching TV and got pretty good at tying it, but prefer the Alberto because it's a little more straightforward and doesn't have the big loop of limp braid which I think will be hard to control in a windy boat.  It comes out the same size as the Alberto, has the same requirement to really set it tightly, and most likely has the same tendency to occasionally unravel if not topped with a couple of tight half hitches.  I have NOT fished it.

 

It should be as strong as the Alberto since it is so similar, depends on the mulitple wraps of braid around a doubled leader.

 

My knots were 1 mm in diameter with .41 mm leader (20 pound test) and .15 mm braid (15 pound Tuff line).  Basically same as the Alberto.

[Ski]

 

[Lead Head]

I posted about this knot a while back. If I remember correctly, it was pointed out to me that the knot being tied in this video is not a full blown GT but a simplified version of it. If you track down the original video, the guy that made it confirms this in the comments. (I'm pretty sure, its been awhile)

 

Having said that, this is the knot I used all last year with great results. My only failures were snags that I had to intentionally break off. On intentional failures, it was about 50/50 between the leader knot and knot to lure with FC. I used this knot with 15lb braid to 10-14lb FC, 30lb braid to 14-16lb FC, and 50lb braid to 25lb FC all with the same results. Mostly suffix 832 and sunline sniper. When I first started using it,  I was intentionally way over doing my hook sets to test out if it would hold up. It works great for me, I haven't had to tie a FG knot in nearly a year. As always YMMV. 

 

[MN Fisher]

I looked at the GT - then found this little tidbit and went away from it.

 

[MickD]

On 1/5/2021 at 8:24 PM, lynxcat said:

These half hitches are after going through the loop and pulling tight? Aka finish with a half hitch after anchored?

Yes, after you take the braid through the loop and HEAVILY set the knot then do two tight half hitches with the tag end of the braid.  The half hitches will be "on top" of the finished knot.  Have you ever tried to get a tight wind knot out of braid?  I have never been able to do  it.  Tight half hitches won't come out either and will prevent the tag end from slipping back out of the loop, which is the only way the knot could unravel.

 

Adding the half hitches is doing exactly what is done at the end of an FG knot.  If it were not for the half hitches on the FG, it would unravel .

[Ski]

After reading all the false hoods about the "GT" knot I have gone back to the Alberto.