Tying thick Fluoro leader

[Ronix 51]

picked up some 100lbs hi seas fluoro and got some stay-lok snaps...planning on tying direct to 50lbs braid on my lighters rig via double uni knot but the knot i was trying to tie to the snap wont hold...I was trying to tie the canoe knot but it keeps slipping and I dont think im doing it wrong but what other knots should I use for thick fluoro when tying to the snap end?

[zach]

Clinch knot, mushroom the tag end and add a drop of superglue. If you are having trouble tying your canoe knot- have fun w/ the back to back uni-knots! If you don't want a swivel, try the welded rings. Oh- some people use a big nail in a board to tighten the knots off of. Have fun with your knot adventure, been there- done it. You may end up w/ a swivel on your line before too long.

[NitroMusky]

This is the knot I use. Never had an issue with it working loose:

http://leetauchen.com/lees_leader_knot.pdf

Works good tying to a swivel or split ring. I do not tie direct with heavy flouro due to the difficulties in tying correctly - I don't trust it. Like Zach said you need something to pull against to get the knot tight. First thing is to leave yourself a good couple inches of tag end when tying. I then use two pair of pliers, one on the tag end and one on the swivel/ring and pull like crazy. I do it with the knot under cold running water when cinching it up tight the first pull so the heat generated doesn't deform the line.

When I'm done tying both ends I use the pliers to pull on each end and cinch up the non-tag end. Leave an inch or so tag on, in case the knot does slip at all and to prevent weeds from reaching the lure

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[Swingingflies]

Have you ever tied a bimini? Once I learned it I use it all the time. It is also called the 20 turn knot. I could help you with it. It is the stongest loop knot and I use it at one end and do a 3 turn uni knot to it.

[ray koziatek]

This winter i landed a 7ft shark and fought a 12 bull shark for 40 min and would of landed it if i didnt get impatiant.....with 20Lb test line.........what the heck you chasing with 100lb test ??? Just curious..

[NitroMusky]

what the heck you chasing with 100lb test ??? Just curious..

Muskies. Such a high lb test flouro leader is used not as much for the tensile strength but for it's durability (thickness) yet low visibility. Muskies teeth are sharp at the tip like sharks BUT they are also razor sharp along their edge so the chance for bite offs is much much greater. A break off on a well hooked fish is basically a death sentence for it.

The high tensile strength lines does help to keep from having to play the fish out as well. Muskies are highly succeptible to rapid lactic acid build up in as little as a few minutes, especially above 70 degrees, so getting the fish in the net quickly is also very important in preventing delayed mortality.

Not to downplay the fact that because of the above, you land more fish as a result too.

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[ray koziatek]

did ya ever try steel leader like we use in the keys for king mackeral,its only 30lb test and ya only use about 6 in from the line to hook (jig-secret),kings have unuasualy great eyesight but the wire dont seem to bother them and holds up to many hits ,about every 20 fish it starts to get a little stressed but ive gone all day in excess of 30 kings on several putings and never had a breakoff..

[Ronix 51]

aside from everything nitro just said...

it does say leader material....im sure you didnt land those sharks with 20lbs line and no leader?

[ray koziatek]

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fishing/ ... t103868280

simular wire to this.....I always make a 3 ft leader of wire for sharks their skin is pretty ruff and on the big ones ya gotta usenuf length to clear their head..next year i will have a shark rod set up with 65 lb powerpro and steel leader,then they ant got a chance

(unless they jump in my 14 ft boat)

[NitroMusky]

yep some people do use a singlestrand wire particularly trolling structure bouncing rocks etc but muskies sometimes roll up in the line and hurt themselves more than with a thicker softer flouro. I also worry about kinks and weak spots developing in single strand.

i will cast with a short but rigid wire when using jerkbaits or other lures that can foul themselves on the line. the rigid wire won't turn back on the lure and keeps the main line away from the hooks

there is also sevenstrand but I trust crimps alot less than knots

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[Ronix 51]

Zack- haha yeah I am enjoying it. I figured out what I was doing wrong with the canoe knot but it still doesnt look like much of a knot to me but ill take some practice casts in the yard to see how it holds up. Im really trying to minimize the rate at which I donate 20.00 lures to the lakes via poorly tied knots.

Nitro- I dont see how the guy initiates the knot in the beginning for your knot...i feel like its missing a photo that demonstrates it!

[NitroMusky]

Nitro- I dont see how the guy initiates the knot in the beginning for your knot...i feel like its missing a photo that demonstrates it!

there really isnt much to show (once you've got it you will see what I mean)...pull the line through the snap and back along the main part of the line a little bit, then turn the tag end back on itself again* and start wrapping the tag end around both the main and tag end with each new loop being closer to the snap than the previous (*you will want to hold the tag end where you loop it back towards the snap)

clear as mud now?

the trick is to hold it all in place while tying it so that the loops stay in the correct order when you cinch it down. takes a bit of practice put once you've got it, it makes for a great knot in flouro.

[zach]

Your lucky if it only costs $20 Ronix. Losing a few Plows would really hurt the budget. Problem with the bimini is you need it to pass cleanly through the guides every cast (hence the reason for this sort of leader) and the bimini is a good size knot. Ronix- don't make this whole thing tougher than it needs to be. Keep it simple. We tend (including myself) to make this thing tougher than we need it to be. I am still a fan of single strand wire at times but if I need a single strand wire it means I am using a jerkbait of topwater and there is no swivel on the leader. Just a piece of wire looped on both ends with a smaller than normal (normal for me) size snap. On my phantoms which I will fish all day, sometimes I leave out the snap and wire direct. Keep some spare wire in the boat and you can make up leaders all summer long when they get all bent up. For cranks and bucktails- its flouro. Remember to KEEP IT SIMPLE b/c tying back to back uni's on the water takes more time than just tying on a swivel until you do it a few times! Having fun yet?

By the way- even though I fish mostly flouro leaders throughout the season- I don't know how much it helps b/c if a fish is leader shy- what about he 3 big ole 5/0 trebles hanging off the bait? Is that natural and stealthy to have all that metal hanging off? Just a thought, I think- if its time to feed, you could fish a bait off your anchor rope and still get hit so who knows? Not me.