North Australian FISH FINDER TM forums

Scottmac with all that Bitcoin goodness you shouldn't need to tie a knot out in the field; just grab another one of the 30 rigged outfits onboard....

Double Uni for leaders around 14lb and under and FG 20lb and above. Been using the FG for circa 6 years; cannot break it. It was difficult at first and I had to develop my own method which is a combination of a several versions you'll find on YouTube; my brain and fingers didn't align with any straight out.
Simply: I wrap the leader around my croc until taught, then weave my braid around the leader - 6 complete wraps, tension, another 6 complete wraps, tension (by holding the leader in my teeth and pulling the braid tight at right angles and then up along the line), finish off with 6 half hitches around both leader and braid and 6 half hitches around braid only (leader still in teeth). Then the most important step; using a glove or towel I wrap the braid around my hand and tension as hard as I can (leader is still wrapped around my croc as the anchor) once satisfied I trim tags.
It is time consuming but you can tie them in under a minute easily with practice.

Thanks for the advice

The second best option in my opinion is the wind-on leaders. Tie a loop knot in your preferred manner (bimmi or figure 8 variant) and then loop in the wind on.

Lats wrote:They are the biggest scam going at 5 bucks a leader. Watched a bloke lose a ripper barra last year with one it blew him away at the end of the loop on stuff possibly due to the glue used to hold it from fraying where it contacts the mono.

Yeah, I had the same thing happen and that's when I started exploring other options. For small rods, small lures, small eyes and small fish, they do cast well.

[quote="NBN" Been using the FG for circa 6 years; cannot break it. It was difficult at first and I had to develop my own method which is a combination of a several versions you'll find on YouTube; my brain and fingers didn't align with any straight out.[/quote]
As other's said, it's a challenge to learn and like others I had a few early ones fail because I didn't maintain tension, or sometimes had too much making it hard to tie. Once you learn it though it is quick and robust and I can't break it, even when I want to (something else always fails first).

I use the Slim Beauty for barra and have never had one give way . FG for the Gt's

Youtube the rizzuto finish for the fg fellas. Use it every time now.

I agree with rumluck, FG with a rizzuto finish....pull a car out of a bog with that knot

Thanks

double granny dose the trick..

Hi all,
For me leader knots are as follows,
Uni on braid side to modified blood knot on the mono side (think half uni to uni half double blood if that makes sense) for really small stuff braid to mono as it passes through the guides better than uni to uni.

Once upon a time wouldn't have reccomended the fg knot because every one I had tried to tie until that point had failed, but after seeing every second or third reel I serviced with an fg knot I figured it must be me, not the knot so I sat down with a rod loaded with 30lb braid, a spool of 50lb flouro, some scales and a bottle of Jacks and I figured it out and discovered a few things along the way.

Firstly, a 16-20 turn FG knot 4 half hitches over the mono and 4 over the main line is sufficient, and in fact excessive wraps are counterproductive and actually cause deformation and unravelling of the knot. Secondly, evenly spaced tight wraps with a very small gap between each wrap ensure the integrity of the knot by digging in and forming a slight indent where each strand lays increasing the surface area for the braid to lock to, personally I use the method where you work off the rod tip holding the braid tag end in your teeth but do the wraps very evenly by putting a slight angle in both sides of the braid as I do the wraps. Third, and most importantly, after doing your wraps lock them with one half hitch and shock the hell out of the knot, if it survives shock treatment it's good to go. After this do 3 more half hitches and shock again and trim the tag and finish with the 4 over the main line, some people reccomend alternating half hitches to keep the knot straight but I think this allows more room for errors and besides, I sort of like the spiral look.

Due to the fact that I chase Billfish I still use mono topshots for the stretch alot with braid backing to maintain capacity, so for me wind on leaders are still very much something I use although I will say after losing a fish to a store brought windon years ago I won't trust anything other than the ones I personally make and replace at least every second trip. These are attached via an Aussie Plait double and a cat's paw knot.

Anyway, hopes this helps someone.
Cheers ,
John.

deepblack wrote:Hi all,
For me leader knots are as follows,
Uni on braid side to modified blood knot on the mono side (think half uni to uni half double blood if that makes sense) for really small stuff braid to mono as it passes through the guides better than uni to uni.

Once upon a time wouldn't have reccomended the fg knot because every one I had tried to tie until that point had failed, but after seeing every second or third reel I serviced with an fg knot I figured it must be me, not the knot so I sat down with a rod loaded with 30lb braid, a spool of 50lb flouro, some scales and a bottle of Jacks and I figured it out and discovered a few things along the way.

Firstly, a 16-20 turn FG knot 4 half hitches over the mono and 4 over the main line is sufficient, and in fact excessive wraps are counterproductive and actually cause deformation and unravelling of the knot. Secondly, evenly spaced tight wraps with a very small gap between each wrap ensure the integrity of the knot by digging in and forming a slight indent where each strand lays increasing the surface area for the braid to lock to, personally I use the method where you work off the rod tip holding the braid tag end in your teeth but do the wraps very evenly by putting a slight angle in both sides of the braid as I do the wraps. Third, and most importantly, after doing your wraps lock them with one half hitch and shock the hell out of the knot, if it survives shock treatment it's good to go. After this do 3 more half hitches and shock again and trim the tag and finish with the 4 over the main line, some people reccomend alternating half hitches to keep the knot straight but I think this allows more room for errors and besides, I sort of like the spiral look.

Due to the fact that I chase Billfish I still use mono topshots for the stretch alot with braid backing to maintain capacity, so for me wind on leaders are still very much something I use although I will say after losing a fish to a store brought windon years ago I won't trust anything other than the ones I personally make and replace at least every second trip. These are attached via an Aussie Plait double and a cat's paw knot.

Anyway, hopes this helps someone.
Cheers ,
John.

......or you could just tie an Albright and be hooked up to a Barra while your mates still stuffing around with his fancy pants FG!

Scottmac-Yew! Although thanks for the advice deepblack

Absolutely FG knot.
Saltwater fishing have a quick video that is a cracker.
Make sure you pull it tight before cutting tags .
Never fails , if done right and will go though even the tightest rod eyes.
Good fishing

It's an FG more me but (slightly off topic) does anyone use clips for their lures? Down here for tuna I crimp a swivel on my leader and attach a split ring to swap lures. Do any of you blokes bother doing that for barra? Only reason I ask is it s...ts me on tough days with lots of lure changes having to retie an FG because my leader has gotten too short.

Shamozzle- i prefer to tie my lures as i feel like the swivel will break or bend, unless i use wire trace for macks. Each to their own though.

Tried the 16 turns version with the rizzuto finish and I will probably tie mine that way from now on.