What type of Knot?

[Fishnski48]

How many of you use a snell knot or uni knot to tie hooks to your lines.  I use to use the clinch and improved clinch knot but found the uni knot to be more reliable and I have been thinking about using the snell knot for jigs.

[TonynswAR]

Uni is my primary

[MN Fisher]

Except for when I snell a hook - the 'Multifile-Knoten' is the one I use.

 

[Mike L]

I Snell for all pegged bottom contact presentations. 
Palomar for all braid and San Diego Jam for all flouro. 
 

 

 

Mike

[Dens228]

I've always used the improved clinch knot but use a double uni for leader to mainline. 

[Craig P]

Always a snell knot if there is a long enough shank to support a snell knot.  The reason for this is because of hook position when setting the hook.

 

When you're bored one day, tie a typical hook with a uni-knot with about 12" of line and then do the same using a snell knot. Now point your finger on your one hand and loop the line over your finger with your other hand and slowly and easily pull the line to see if the hook catches your finger.  I said easy right.   Do this about 5 times.  Now do the same thing with the other knot.  You will notice that the hook tied with the snell catches more often than the hook not tied with a snell.

 

This is something I learned through salmon fishing where lining or flossing a fish is common practice.....ethical, that's a different discussion but the guys who use a snell knot hook up WAY more often than they guys who do not use a snell knot.

 

FWIW, there are not many places a Palomar cannot be used vs. a uni-knot so I always use a Palomar, it's more reliable and easier to tie IMO.

[Cigarguy]

There are quite a few reliable terminal knots that can be utilized based on user preference.  Pick one or two that works for you for the type of tackle and equipment that your prefer.   Then practice, practice and practice some more tying those knots until you can do it from muscle memory. 

 

During the winter months, when I'm not out fishing or in the back country, I practice knot tying while watching TV.  I do this every day or every second day.  Using cheap 8-10# mono and braid I will go through my cycle of 5-6 knots that I use and rely on.  After each knot is tied I will test the line/knot combo by physically breaking it and seeing where it fails.  At the line or at the knot and why?  Learn, backed by experience, the characteristic of the knots, where it is most applicable and when is best to use it. 

 

I've never subscribe to the school of thought that will only use 1 knot for x number of years.  Why?  Because like all things in life, there is more than one way to do things and sometime something better comes along.  I like to have a tackle box full of useful knots in my head that I can tie in my sleep and that I know will work based on theory, practice and experience.

[snake95]

32 minutes ago, Fishnski48 said:

uni knot to be more reliable and I have been thinking about using the snell knot for jigs.

When it comes to connection knots you will get a lot of different answers.  Most of them correct.

 

To answer your specific question I use the uni in my rotation but with one or two variations:

 

If using a plain uni, I run the line through the hook eye twice and carefully cinch down the wraps on top of the doubled line.  This was done in one of knots submitted in the knot wars series and resulted in a superior knot (called the Fishin' Fool Knot based on the gent that submitted it).

 

More often, I double my uni knot line before tying the uni knot.  This is Aaron Marten's signature knot that he can be heard calling a "double uni slip."  He claims to have chosen it based on Japanese publications.

 

My belief is that in general terms doubled lines, at least at the hook eye, tend to produce stronger knots all other things considered.

 

 

[michaelb]

On 2/19/2021 at 8:02 AM, MN Fisher said:

Except for when I snell a hook - the 'Multifile-Knoten' is the one I use.

 

I think this is a really cool knot and I did practice tying it. But I can't get out of my head that in that illustration and instruction, the wraps are going the wrong way around. This knot doubles up on the hook, which is good, but as shown, it crosses the line at the hook. If the wraps went over the line in the illustration (instead of under as shown), the double lines on the hook would be perfectly next to each other and not crossed. There must be a reason for this I know. But the palomar and san diego jam are similar knots that have much support in terms of discussion about how they work.

[JustJames]

I’m cheap and lazy, so uni knot for everything. How many wraps depend on line type and diameter. 4 wraps for 10lb and above 6 wraps for 6lb and below. Braid 5-6 wraps, if smooth type braid then more wraps needed.

This way I only cut about an inch or two of tag end. 
Snell only when I don’t want knot on the hook eyes. I’m not sure if it would help hook up ratio without specialty snell hook.

[Deleted account]

Uni. How are you planning to snell a jig? That would be a trick.

[MN Fisher]

30 minutes ago, michaelb said:

I think this is a really cool knot and I did practice tying it. But I can't get out of my head that in that illustration and instruction, the wraps are going the wrong way around. This knot doubles up on the hook, which is good, but as shown, it crosses the line at the hook. If the wraps went over the line in the illustration (instead of under as shown), the double lines on the hook would be perfectly next to each other and not crossed. There must be a reason for this I know. But the palomar and san diego jam are similar knots that have much support in terms of discussion about how they work.

I do tie the knot over instead of under and have never had cross-over. Hasn't failed me whether it's on 6# mono, 12# YZH or 50# braid - the key is to do more wraps the thicker the line is, and braid gets even more. Do a search on it - this pic only shows part of the whole - and it'll give you the entire knot start to finish.

 

One of these days I'm gonna film myself doing the knot and post it...need a 'round tuit'.

[Fishnski48]

2 hours ago, BassWhole! said:

Uni. How are you planning to snell a jig? That would be a trick.

 

I saw this and thought I could do it on football jigs

 

 

 

[Deleted account]

46 minutes ago, Fishnski48 said:

 

I saw this and thought I could do it on football jigs

 

 

 

You could do that on a jig with no skirt, collar or keeper, but only on smaller ones where the weight of the head won't be much grater than the weight of the hook, and then only for a vertical presentation.

[new2BC4bass]

4 hours ago, Fishnski48 said:

How many of you use a snell knot or uni knot to tie hooks to your lines.  I use to use the clinch and improved clinch knot but found the uni knot to be more reliable and I have been thinking about using the snell knot for jigs.

First knot I learned was the Clinch Knot.  Then the Improved Clinch Knot.  Then the Uni Knot.  Use the Uni all the time now regardless of line type.  Well.....occasionally the Fish N Fool Knot which is nothing more than the Uni, but with the line run twice thru the eye.

[J Francho]

I uni works for me most of the time.  I use an improved clinch on wire baits because it's faster to tie.  My line is usually a little oversized, so I'm not worried about what knot is stronger, just that I tie a good, clean one.

[Hammer 4]

Up till about a year ago, I tied everything with a San Diego jam knot, except for a drop shot. The meds I have to take cause my hands to shake too much these days, so for the last year, I have been using a uni and have not had any issues. Always run the line through the lure or hook twice. 

[Choporoz]

Palomar on braid.  San Diego Jam for everything else. I used to use Rapala loop knot for some topwater, but decided it didn't make a difference. 

[A-Jay]

San Diego Jam for connecting baits/hooks to FC

Uni Knot to connect baits/hooks to Braid or Mono 

Uni to Uni to join Mono/FC to Braid

and a Blood knot to connect mono to mono

A-Jay

[Catt]

6 hours ago, snake95 said:

This is Aaron Marten's signature knot that he can be heard calling a "double uni slip." 

 

Watched a video of Aaron showing KVD how to tie it, when he was done KVD cut it off & tied a Palomar. 

 

I use a Palomar with monofilament, copolymore, fluorocarbon, & braid.

 

Who can argue with KVD's success ?

[BayouSlide]

Not KVD, but Palomar works for me on everything, too, Catt.

 

No knot failures since I switched to it a few years back.

 

Ain't broke so I ain't fixing it ?

[Bankbeater]

I use a Palomar knot for almost everything.  When I do use a different knot it's usually an Improved Clinch knot.   

[haggard]

99% of the time I'm doing Texas rigs or jig heads, using the Improved Clinch Knot. I've never found a reason to change that. For the occasional spinner bait I'll use a Palomar. I like to keep things simple. I also like the Uni, and the Double Uni particularly for joining line to line.

 

 

[snake95]

1 hour ago, Catt said:

Watched a video of Aaron showing KVD how to tie it, when he was done KVD cut it off & tied a Palomar. 

 

I use a Palomar with monofilament, copolymore, fluorocarbon, & braid.

 

Who can argue with KVD's success

I sure won’t disagree with you or KVD or for that matter Aaron.

 

I was more focused on the question about the uni.

 

Personally my go to is the Berkeley braid knot or the reverse which is G mans double shindoe around the farm or something like that.  Depends which way the wind is blowing and angle of the sun and whether or not the bass are hitting on topwater.  ?

 

 

[keagbassr]

I've used the uni knot for 20+ years, for every type of line,  any pound test for any lure. The only exception being  a doubled line uni for punching. For me its the easiest to tie and i dont recall one ever failing.