A knotty problem

[Guest tigger]

Grinner/Uni knot is my favoured knot.

[BigKev]

The palomar is a good knot - but "all the time"???

 

 

 

Hi vagabond ,

 

"all the time" was in reference to T.T's original post of chub and roach fishing mainly on rivers . i personally use 4lb line straight through to a super specialist (sizes 12 - 4) and only ever use a palomar

if i'm carp fishing i'll use a knotless knot

[Rob J]

On at least two occasions the knot has failed and the end of my line has been left looking like it has had a perm, while the fish has been left with the hook. Gaaargh! Only myself to blame. Should have tied the knot properly and checked it...

 

Nonetheless, do you use a different knot, thinking it more reliable than the tucked half blood knot?

 

I don't care for the Uni knot (basically a Clinch knot) and it can slip easily if not tied correctly.

The Palomar tests out to almost 99 percent of the breaking strain of the line..."IF TIED PROPERLY" It can be a problem with "Tiny" hooks as Vagabond stated... but I've had no problem with sizes down to 14... using Maxima .009cm 4lb test. There is a superior knot "The Jansik Special" that tests out to almost 100 percent but it's quite difficult to tie and takes a lot of practise to draw down.

The key to a successful knot is how it's drawn down (pulled tight). Regardless of what knot you are tying... make sure you lubricate the knot very well, prior to drawing it tight and in some cases the different ends have to be pulled together at the same time... not separtely (example would be a surgeons knot where all four pieces have to be pulled together or it won't seat correctly).

Lubrication is key... it is necessary to help seat the knot... without lots of lubrication, you create heat and that will destroy the integrity of the line, and hence the knot.

 

Rob J

Palm Springs Ca.

Edited April 21, 2008 by Rob J

[Steve Burke]

The key to a successful knot is how it's drawn down (pulled tight). Regardless of what knot you are tying... make sure you lubricate the knot very well, prior to drawing it tight and in some cases the different ends have to be pulled together at the same time... not separtely (example would be a surgeons knot where all four pieces have to be pulled together or it won't seat correctly).

Lubrication is key... it is necessary to help seat the knot... without lots of lubrication, you create heat and that will destroy the integrity of the line, and hence the knot.

 

There's an interesting snippet in the US book "Advanced Bass Fishing" by John Weiss about this belief over which there's been lot of debate.

 

Scientists at Du Pont decided to test this, and found that there was actually no difference between lubricated and unlubricated knots.

 

Despite this they also concluded that spitting on knots can help in practice, simply because these knots were more likely to be tied well. Additionally the type of knot the angler elects to tie is not nearly as important as the care he uses in the actual tying process.

 

By the way, "Advanced Bass Fishing" is well worth the UK coarse angler reading despite our not having these species in the UK.

[Rob J]

Scientists at Du Pont decided to test this, and found that there was actually no difference between lubricated and unlubricated knots.

 

Despite this they also concluded that spitting on knots can help in practice, simply because these knots were more likely to be tied well. Additionally the type of knot the angler elects to tie is not nearly as important as the care he uses in the actual tying process.

 

 

 

I was not aware of the tests performed by Du Pont... interesting... they actually have a product here in the US that is made specifically for the purpose of lubricating a knot as it is "drawn down".

Lubricating a knot of any type will help it "seat" better... hence "these knots were more likely to be tied well". Heat will damage any line to some degree and the more you can dissipate the heat, the less damage is done. When "drawing down" a knot the slicker the line is, the less heat is created... the better the knot seats itself... the stronger the final product.

I agree with Steve in as far as... "the type of knot the angler elects to tie is not nearly as important as the care he uses in the actual tying process."

However, I believe that some knots are much "Stronger" than others. The Palomar over Clinch or improved Clinch knot, for example. I would go one step further and say, that in my opinion a "poorly" tied Palomar is still stronger than an improved Clinch... just based on the slippage factor.

Having said that, I think one should endeavour to find the "strongest knot available" for their purpose and then practice tying it, and more importantly "seating it correctly". Remember... it's not practise that makes perfect... It's perfect practise.

 

Rob J

Palm Springs Ca.

Edited April 21, 2008 by Rob J

[Neil G]

Does depend a lot on line

 

As I use braid 100% of thr time I've found the Palomar the most suitable...managed to snap wire once whan I was snagged and you can always pull hooks straight before the knot goes.