Sorry, but another knot question

That's how I roll too (most of the time).  Except ... I double the the spectra when doing the uni-to-uni.

-Allen

How about testing a San Diego Jam knot?  Pretty easy to tie.

Check out http://www.netknots.com/html/fishing_knots.html

-- Dave

Ok,

I tied the San Diego Jam knot onto the hook. I tied a palomar knot for the loop for the scale. I hooked it to the handle on my vice and gave a slow steady pull. The palomar knot on the scale end failed at over 17 pounds. WOW!

I will try this again later. Impressive! 

mahi,
one more comment from a guy that only likes to know a few knots too...

one knot you might like to add to your arsenal is a surgeons loop.

it is not as strong as the standard for making a doubled line, the bimini twist,
but is also about 10 times easier to tie. you can also use it to make dropper
loops.

If I had only two knots to remember I would go with uni and surgeons loop,
and ditch the palomar. the palomar is good for when the leader is close to
the same strength as the main line and you want two strands going through
the hook eye. but if you have a thick shock or abrasion leader then you can
just use the uni since one strand through the eye will be strong enough.

J

BTW, just to be clear, I don't actually tie a knot to double the spectra.  I just lay it back on itself and do a uni-to-uni.

If you only had to remember 1 knot ... the uni is it.  But heck, I know way too many knots and sometimes randomly tie them for the heck of it.  I'm weird that way.

-Allen

if you tie a knot to double it, and one strand breaks, you still have the other one.

assuming abrasion has anything to do with it, this could happen. never has happened
to me, but that's part of the reason I double with the surgeons loop.

J

P.S. Allen, I would have known you were weird even if you didn't tie too many varieties
of knots. 

P.P.S. I like to know about a lot of knots, from vic dunaway's bait rigs and tackle, but I only
bothered to really learn a few of them, albright (use less often now), uni and all the uni
variations (uni snell I use a fair bit), surgeon's knot, and palomar.

I would like to know one of those sliding snell knots to adjust the length of the stinger.

J

I'm not worried about one strand of the double breaking.  The issue I am addressing with doubling the braid is that the braid is very thin compared to the mono and I've experience it cutting into the mono and breaking the knot when I only use a single strand.  Hence I double it to make it thicker.

John, you need to fish with me at least once before you can call me weird.  So when are we getting out on the water?

-Allen

Allen,

I think you have the right idea in doubling the uni to uni when using braid and mono.  The uni to uni knot is designed for two lines of equal size and usually mono and braid are much different.  I think this is why I usually go with the albright for these sorts of connections as it is specifically designed for two lines of different diameter.  Anyway, I'll have to try the doubled braid uni to mono uni and see if I get better results.

Brian

Y'all need to look at the Alberto knot. Super easy to tie and is half the size of the uni-to-uni. I can tie an Alberto in a kayak in crummy seas. Doing the same with a uni-to-uni is going to take 3-4 times as long. Making it much more likely that I'd be getting nauseous.

Better yet, if you don't need yards and yards of leader, use a swivel as the interconnect between braid and leader. Palomar the braid to the swivel, and do a loop-to-loop to connect the leader to the swivel. Choose your line and leader strengths appropriately, and the leader will always be the point of failure. Changing leaders takes seconds, and doesn't require a knot. In the unlikely case that the line breaks, a Palomar is dead simple to tie on a new swivel. If your lure spins, then the swivel will reduce the amount of line twist.

Just my 2¢
Scott

bsteves I don't think the uni to uni is limited to lines of the same size...
maybe you are thinking of the blood knot?

the only problem with the uni to uni for a thick leader is that it is bulky.
the albright is more svelte. but you can also
just tie an overhand knot in the thick line, with the spectra going through it,
then tie a uni with the spectra. this is not as svelte as the albright, but is
quick to tie and works pretty well for attaching a thick shock or abrasion leader.

pole^2, when are we fishing, that is a good question!

About knot strength testing, I recently discovered a book "Complete Book of Baits, Rigs and Tackle" by Vic Dunaway.
He tests using both steady pull and impact (jerk) tests, and claims that Uni knots test well in both types of tests, but that Palomar and Spider Hitch knots, as examples, hold up well in steady pull tests, but fail much more quickly in impact tests.