Line-to-line knots, used to attach spooled line to leaders, have a history of giving anglers fits. Fear knot! Or no knot, I guess… Below are three knots in this category that will reduce the mystery and solve your terminal tackle connection problems.
Full disclosure- I haven’t always been a great angler. Back before I took this type of stuff as seriously as I do now, I used to cut a lot of corners, as most kids do. Hell, while growing up I’d either use exclusively pre-made leaders, or just get the responsible adult on duty to do all the grunt work for me (nothing against pre-made leaders- when I’m feeling especially lazy I still dabble from time to time). As I got to high school, though, a realization hit me. It was simply time to grow up and try to learn a little bit about what I enjoyed doing.
Knot tying is one of the more frustrating things to get a grasp on when trying to get into fishing. For the beginner, the instructions sure make it seem a lot easier than it actually is. Youtube (showing my age a bit) makes anything look like a breeze. Reality hurts, though. A short tutorial on an easy knot, tied with obvious, neon bright strings on a spotless white background often turned into curse inducing bouts of annoyance as I tried imitating the few short steps it took the instructor to get to the end product.
“How am I supposed to tie this when I can’t even see the damn line” is probably something I’ve muttered to myself on many occasions where I try and branch out from my comfortable Palomar and Fisherman’s Knots into something a little more complicated and situation specific. Side note- the vision in my left eye is almost nonexistent, so maybe lack of common sense isn’t the only reason why it took me a bit of time to grasp. This goes doubly when trying to bust out my new techniques on any trip starting before 5 AM, right after peak hours of darkness.
My tallest hurdle used to be those tricky leader-to-line knots- a sentiment that many new anglers likely share. To me, they’re the most intimidating kind of knot, to the point where I completely avoided them when first learning to tie my own leaders. Trying to take the easy way out, I found myself using a swivel to connect my braid to my mono leader, unaware of the sins I was committing.
Why is this a sin? Using a swivel instead of a designated leader-line knot creates points of weakness on both sides of the swivel connection, in tandem with a restriction on how high you can reel back in (the swivel won’t fit through the first guide on your rod). It creates a flashy target for toothy fish such as mackerel, and braid-to-swivel knots are not always dependable. With time you tend to pick these things up.
Over the years, I added a couple of different leader-line knots to my knowledge tackle box. Among them, there are three that I’d like to highlight. They each excel in different ways; you’ll have to decide which is best for your purpose at hand, but this is why these three appeal to me.
First: ease of use. The easier something is to learn and use in the field, the more you’ll be willing to use it again and again. Some of us are good planners, but for the rest of us (myself included), waiting until we meander down to the fishing spot to rig up isn’t uncommon. The anticipation mounts as we rush through all of the knot tying; nobody wants to sit there fumbling around longer than they have to, all the while the fish sit there mocking us (or worse, move on to a different part of the beach altogether). God forbid it has been a while, and you have to pull up a video to jog your memory- get ready to sit through 10 minutes of life story, and rewind the hard part of the knot 20 times because the instructor was moving too fast and you missed the important part.
Ideally you’ll get to a point where you can tie your knots with your eyes closed, or while rocking on a tippy kayak, etc.
Second: strength- easy to grasp the value here. The stronger a knot is, the less often you’ll need to retie due to a hard-fought catch (or non-catch due to knot failure). The only downside to a strong knot are those times where you hook up on the bottom of a rocky area- not a fun time, so adjust your line/leader strength accordingly.
Finally, Profile: how clunky is your knot? Does it glide safely through your guides? These are things that can negatively affect your ability to cast. Most of us have made a cast only to smack the water with your bait and lose it altogether, due to the knot catching on the tip of your pole. Slender, smooth knots are the answer.
First up, the Albright Knot (or Alberto Knot, depending on who you ask). This was the first leader-line connection I ever learned, and was my absolute go-to for the longest time. I may be a bit biased toward this guy, but nonetheless there are some valid criticisms that you should be aware of. First off, ease of use. To me, this is absolutely unmatched. Once you have it down, it’s pretty much a 100% success rate every time you use it. Whether it’s dark out, windy, or you’re on a boat with a couple feet of chop, you’ll be able to get to fishing in less than a minute flat, even with little experience. This knot falls a bit short in the other categories though. It is by far the weakest knot out of the three, so you might want to increase your line or leader strength a bit if this is your new go-to. It’s also rather rotund, depending on how tightly you tie this sucker.
The Uni-To-Uni Knot is another popular leader-line knot- In fact I think it’s probably the most commonly used knot. This knot excels in versatility- it combines ease of use with a greater strength than that of its previous counterpart. This is the second one I learned, and although it is easy to use, there are times where I have to try a couple of times before getting it right. Luckily for me, I use less monofilament leader with this knot than I do with the Albright Knot, so even if I mess up on occasion I’m not going to be running through tons of line to fix my mistakes.
Up to 10-20% stronger than the Albright, this knot is perfect for both inshore and offshore trips alike, and perfect for many anglers. The weak point of this knot is that it tends to be pretty chunky- from my experience, more so than even the Albright Knot. Overall, this one is a regular jack of all trades type of knot- great for many occasions, and easy to learn.
Here’s where stuff can get slightly tricky.
the FG Knot is the last of the three that I learned, and because of that I tend to use it less than the others. Lets start with the positives- the FG Knot’s strength and profile are unmatched compared to most other leader-line connections out there. When tied correctly, the FG is long and slender in appearance, allowing it to slip through the slimmest of rod guides. The way that the braided line can really dig into the edges of the mono leader, coupled with the amount of times you typically wind it up before cinching allow for near perfect knot strength, meaning that you’ll pretty much never have to retie up if done correctly.
Unfortunately, this one has a small learning curve. Once you have it down, this becomes less of an issue, and it is worth powering those first few times you don’t get it totally right.
For some occasions, I would say this knot tends to be a bit overkill. Even when you get it down pat, I’d venture to say it still takes a bit longer to tie than both other options presented- even without multiple attempts. I will say though, once you learn it, it's pretty dang satisfying to tie. If you have time to prep in advance or become adept with this one while on the water, this might be the knot for you.
Overall, I feel as though the Uni-To-Uni Knot is the best in terms of practical use for most anglers, though both other knots may work better in certain situations. I would recommend the Albright for any inshore trips, where you don’t anticipate hooking any sea monsters or megalodons. I also recommend the Albright for any trips where you’ll be tying under low light or rough sea conditions, given that it is the most accessible to tie. Once you master the FG, by all means use it as much as your heart desires- you’re certainly an angler more capable than most.
Overall, leader-line connections shouldn’t form any knots in your stomach, given enough practice and patience. I would recommend checking out The How To Channel on Youtube for short, clear, no nonsense tutorials for the FG and Albright knots. Addictive Fishing has an excellent video on the Uni-To-Uni Knot for those interested on learning how to tie it.
Keep up your pursuit of nautical knowledge. Each time you learn something new, your fishing trips will continue to get easier and easier.
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