Dr halibut hoffman
Moderator
I cannot find the tutorial for braid to braid stitching anymore so here are a few pictures to explain the process..
I have stitched 80lb into 30lb line here, both are 8 strand. 8 strand is the easiest to stitch but they all work, I've done fireline and spiderwire to normal braid with no issues. The stitch is in my experience stronger than your weakest line, it might be stronger than the stronger line but it does not matter. Do not use this in situations for joining braid leaders where you are likely to get snagged and have to break off. If fishing lure or with bait if your hook link on a heavy trace snags, you will break off somewhere on your mainline, reliably, and will leave long lengths of dangerous and hazardous braid in the water knitted in the rocks. I've heard of sinker and oyster divers getting tangled and dying to be aware, I've seen countless birds and seals/otters with gashes from line so be aware and mindful of this.. Braid is just a pure hazard in nature.
Anyway..
First take your fingertips and pull the parts of lines you are working with through and squeeze each line flat while doing this to take the turns/twists out of the line and make the weave lays flat, this makes life a lot easier later and makes the stitch neater and stronger (not that I've made one fail yet, I've injured myself trying, bent 7/0 hooks open).
You then take the one line to be stitched, I like to take the thicker line first, and leave a foot at least tag to stitch into the other line later. Thread the thinner line into needles eye and grab the line to be stitched with your thumb and fore finger. Aim for the middle of the weave maybe 3 mm from where you are grasping the line, and poke the needle through downwards and through, while still holding the line, poke it back upwards and through where you are holding the line, spin the needle clockwise (for example), 180 degrees, grab the thicker line a few mm down and poke upwards again. Spin the needle 180 degrees anti clockwise (for example) and spin the whole arrangement with it, regrab the line and poke it through upwards and against the line where you are holding the line. This way after getting your eye in and starting the stitch off where you can see clearly, you just continue till done with that line in the same upwards direction in the same manner. This allows one to do it quickly and neatly without struggling, the needle point finds the mid point of the weave most times and if not just withdraw it and poke again gently till it does..
I'll post a series of photos afterwards detailing the process. There is one photo from the top showing how I hold the line and poke it upwards, spin and do it again. Just take care to alternate the directions of your 180 degree spins so you don't twist the whole lot up into a mess while you are trying to work which can make life really unpleasant. Once done with 10 full stitches or 20 half stitches, same difference, bunch up the line on the needle and turn it all 90 degrees to the other line through the eye of the needle. Then gently tease it over the double line. If they are 90 degrees to each other one does not struggle or damage your stitch in the struggle. Once that is done, pull the double line through so the tag is through the stitch, tease out your stitches flat on the thicker line and thread its tag through the eye.
Start the first stitch on the thinner eye in a downwards direction, where you can see clearly, a mm or 3 from the other stitches done. Stitch through and back up through where you are holding the line like you did before. Your eye should be in now and the thinner line should be a breeze, if you start the other way around it can frustrate. Carry on as you did before, in the pictures I have taken the photos generally just so you can see what has been done, I don't hold it like that, except for one or two pictures where I was illustrating that.. Once 10 full stitches done (count 10 loops on needle), or 20 half stitches, pull the thicker line through the thinner at 90 degrees like before, it should go smoothly through, do this carefully.
Once done, tease the entire stitch flat and taught, both sides. Then keeping tag taught, trim it as close as possible, one side then the other and you are done. That it is it. Do not tie off, it makes it weaker, if a tag pulls through, trim it off again, you have more than enough stitches to lock it still. Sounds like a mission to "tie" and is a little bit, but can be done in 2-3 minutes and it just cannot be beaten. You are not going to do one on a rocking boat or when you have bust off and the fish are chowing in front of you and time is critical but you won't beat it if you have the time at home..
There is no simpler, stronger join in braid that casts as smooth. I don't use this in situations where I am on heavy gear and likely to have to break off because of terrain or fishing situation. It is too strong for that and I have either injured myself or left hundreds of meters of expensive and hazardous braid in the water, which I regret. So FG knot to mono leader for those situations so I can pull at almost the braids strength, but break off at the leader if I need be. This connection is stronger than your line so take it into account when using.
I have stitched 80lb into 30lb line here, both are 8 strand. 8 strand is the easiest to stitch but they all work, I've done fireline and spiderwire to normal braid with no issues. The stitch is in my experience stronger than your weakest line, it might be stronger than the stronger line but it does not matter. Do not use this in situations for joining braid leaders where you are likely to get snagged and have to break off. If fishing lure or with bait if your hook link on a heavy trace snags, you will break off somewhere on your mainline, reliably, and will leave long lengths of dangerous and hazardous braid in the water knitted in the rocks. I've heard of sinker and oyster divers getting tangled and dying to be aware, I've seen countless birds and seals/otters with gashes from line so be aware and mindful of this.. Braid is just a pure hazard in nature.
Anyway..
First take your fingertips and pull the parts of lines you are working with through and squeeze each line flat while doing this to take the turns/twists out of the line and make the weave lays flat, this makes life a lot easier later and makes the stitch neater and stronger (not that I've made one fail yet, I've injured myself trying, bent 7/0 hooks open).
You then take the one line to be stitched, I like to take the thicker line first, and leave a foot at least tag to stitch into the other line later. Thread the thinner line into needles eye and grab the line to be stitched with your thumb and fore finger. Aim for the middle of the weave maybe 3 mm from where you are grasping the line, and poke the needle through downwards and through, while still holding the line, poke it back upwards and through where you are holding the line, spin the needle clockwise (for example), 180 degrees, grab the thicker line a few mm down and poke upwards again. Spin the needle 180 degrees anti clockwise (for example) and spin the whole arrangement with it, regrab the line and poke it through upwards and against the line where you are holding the line. This way after getting your eye in and starting the stitch off where you can see clearly, you just continue till done with that line in the same upwards direction in the same manner. This allows one to do it quickly and neatly without struggling, the needle point finds the mid point of the weave most times and if not just withdraw it and poke again gently till it does..
I'll post a series of photos afterwards detailing the process. There is one photo from the top showing how I hold the line and poke it upwards, spin and do it again. Just take care to alternate the directions of your 180 degree spins so you don't twist the whole lot up into a mess while you are trying to work which can make life really unpleasant. Once done with 10 full stitches or 20 half stitches, same difference, bunch up the line on the needle and turn it all 90 degrees to the other line through the eye of the needle. Then gently tease it over the double line. If they are 90 degrees to each other one does not struggle or damage your stitch in the struggle. Once that is done, pull the double line through so the tag is through the stitch, tease out your stitches flat on the thicker line and thread its tag through the eye.
Start the first stitch on the thinner eye in a downwards direction, where you can see clearly, a mm or 3 from the other stitches done. Stitch through and back up through where you are holding the line like you did before. Your eye should be in now and the thinner line should be a breeze, if you start the other way around it can frustrate. Carry on as you did before, in the pictures I have taken the photos generally just so you can see what has been done, I don't hold it like that, except for one or two pictures where I was illustrating that.. Once 10 full stitches done (count 10 loops on needle), or 20 half stitches, pull the thicker line through the thinner at 90 degrees like before, it should go smoothly through, do this carefully.
Once done, tease the entire stitch flat and taught, both sides. Then keeping tag taught, trim it as close as possible, one side then the other and you are done. That it is it. Do not tie off, it makes it weaker, if a tag pulls through, trim it off again, you have more than enough stitches to lock it still. Sounds like a mission to "tie" and is a little bit, but can be done in 2-3 minutes and it just cannot be beaten. You are not going to do one on a rocking boat or when you have bust off and the fish are chowing in front of you and time is critical but you won't beat it if you have the time at home..
There is no simpler, stronger join in braid that casts as smooth. I don't use this in situations where I am on heavy gear and likely to have to break off because of terrain or fishing situation. It is too strong for that and I have either injured myself or left hundreds of meters of expensive and hazardous braid in the water, which I regret. So FG knot to mono leader for those situations so I can pull at almost the braids strength, but break off at the leader if I need be. This connection is stronger than your line so take it into account when using.
