Can too thin braid cause line wraps?

willo

Sealiner
As Doc said ,
I hold the line against the rod using the last "pad" of my index finger . Never had any issues , except when I tried that gliss Sh!t , it started to part from my finger , every other braid has been fine .
I personally don't use a glove , never had the need for one . I have thrown 4/5oz plugs all day without any cuts .
 

Pylstert

Sealiner
I just can't put power into the cast without something over my finger, maybe the rods I use are too stiff, but can't imagine holding on to the even thinner braid I am using now even with a finger cover. Will see how it goes.
 

Limpopoking

Sealiner
Anything up to about 3oz is usually ok for me but once I get past there, it's on with my finger glove. I've had it for years and despite mislaying it a number of times because it's small and black, it keeps coming back and is responsible for keeping my finger tip intact. It's well worth getting one.
 

EugeneC

Sealiner
Can't cast anything over 2oz without a glove personally, I don't live next to the ocean at the moment, so I do multi-day trips and use full casting gloves. Never liked finger gloves and after 4 or more days of constant casting with wet hands I end up blistered pretty bad, so the gloves work well for me.
 

Pylstert

Sealiner
thanks everyone for the feedback, I tried a 65lb braid (used a uni to uni) leader to the main line with a short piece of mono outside the eyes (FG) and it worked pretty OK but the uni-uni was still to big and it would hang up on the first eye from time to time and when I gave it proper horns then &^%$#@ there goes the lure. It happened twice so I just gave up and retied the main line directly to the leader with an FG and the knot outside the tip guide. Problem solved no matter how hard I cast. I also think I use too much of an 8oz and 14ft rod full swing casting style and tried using more of a tip only action, that also helped when I still had the braid leader on. I may still try the thick braid to mono with a better knot or perhaps braid only leader, just didn't have time to stitch a leader. I just now have to get used to the idea that it is OK to cast holding that super thin braid and the idea of a leader not being on the reel.
 

Limpopoking

Sealiner
Glad things are looking up for you mate... Spinning with braid is just so much more fun and tactile. The connection to the fish is so direct that it offers an entirely new component to angling.

Some guys have successfully FG'd braid to braid, but my inner voice says no. I guess I should try it one day just for shts and giggles.
 

RotsRot

New member
I've been using the FG to connect braid mainline to braid leader on 5 setups for between 2 years and now 4 months on the newest set-up - 50lb to 120lb on two set-ups, 20lb to 50lb, 30lb to 50lb and newest 40lb to 80lb. Zero issues with breakage or snags through guides.
At one stage I also had 50lb to 150lb, but the knot was just a bit too thick / rough for the eyes on my rod I think - never caused real trouble but the sound / feel of it ripping through the guides was just too much for my nerves. 150lb was anyhow overkill for my purposes.

Most important - diameters must not be too similar - leader should always be at least twice as thick as the main line. And I like to do a few more wraps on the lighter set-ups, eg. 30 or so rather than 2 or so (which is how many I'll do on any braid to mono connection).
You must just do the knot right / tension it properly (especially after the two halfhitches around the leader / before you trim the tag) and do NOT make the finishing half-hitches at the end too tight - I made this mistake at first because I did not want it unraveling, then it would cut through itself there under enough pressure. And applying superglue to prevent the unravelling seemed to make it too hard, thus weakening it. Now I just do 8 opposing halfhitches pulled firmly but not too tight, one or two often unravel but no more, not had the knot fail since. And that bit of unravel just means like 3mm of frayed braid - so soft / short it does not interfere with casting whatsoever - all it really does is irritate my OCD tendencies.
 

Limpopoking

Sealiner
That's some real quality info there RR... Thanks. The relativity of the braid diameters seems to be of paramount importance here. I'm now itching to try one.

Ps: I trust the 2 turns (braid to mono) is actually 20 turns ;)

Thanks for the insight.
 

RotsRot

New member
Hi Limpopo,
You're most welcome, and haha, ja sorry - typo - 20 turns for braid to mono (at least). I'll usually do 22, works for me, maybe go as high as 24, but then sometimes not all the braid wraps go shiny when I pull to set the knot, no matter how hard/much I pull. Can't remember having an issue because of it before, but I believe it could cause the knot to slip if excessive.
Also, when I trim the mono's tag end I'll do it to about 3 or 4mm, fold the braid away, wet the whole story as well as pinch between my fingers to protect the braid as much as possible - so just the bit of mono is peeking out, then blob the mono with a lighter, mainly to get rid of sharp edges which may chafe against the braid / cut it eventually. Also, since this knot never goes through the eyes the mono really does not need to be blobbed 100% flush against the braid, ok for it to be 1 or 2 mm still, and not worth the risk of heat-damaging the braid.
 

Limpopoking

Sealiner
Spot on... I have spent a lot of time working on perfecting my own FG and my thinking is exactly the same as yours... Great minds think alike :cool:

I am wanting to experiment with less turns (from 24 down to about 16 but even down to as few as 12) on really heavy mono leaders for that "bite" to extend right down into the first wrap. I've noticed, on close inspection of the knot after a hard fight that the constricting of the braid onto the mono doesn't really extend far enough... I'll report back. (specifically, I'm talking 100lb Jerry Brown solid onto 1.65mm and 1.8mm nylon leader... a typical heavy popping setup)

Also would like to try a dab of Knot Sense on the half-hitches because it's a pliable adhesive. I find it disconcerting when that first few mms of tag unravel. For this reason, I've given up on the Rizutto finish because it end up as quite a few mms when it unravels... and all mine do unravel.

I'm also extremely careful on bulbing the end of the mono. The slightest bit of heat on the braid really weakens it. I know because I have broken off quite often when testing the knot because I've allowed just a bit much heat into the braid.
 

Pylstert

Sealiner
I think my problem has been that the difference in thickness between leader and mainline has been too extreme, very thin mainline with much thicker leader, mine has been like 3 to 4 times difference. I actually found a clip on Youtube now with Rob Kyle where he recommends going from 20 mainline to 30lb braid then mono
 

EugeneC

Sealiner
Limpopoking wrote:
I am wanting to experiment with less turns (from 24 down to about 16 but even down to as few as 12) on really heavy mono leaders for that "bite" to extend right down into the first wrap. I've noticed, on close inspection of the knot after a hard fight that the constricting of the braid onto the mono doesn't really extend far enough....

Shouldn't be a problem LK, I routinely do only 15 wraps on the heavy gear and no problems whatsoever.
 

RotsRot

New member
Jeepers, LK, yeah - that's a very heavy set-up, not what I'm used to - I only do r&s. Makes sense on such thick line that less wraps will work. Good luck!
And the rizutto, I also tried it a couple times long ago, but as you say, when it unravels it REALLY unravels.
 

Zacharias

New member
Once you have pulled your FG knot up tight apply a small quantity of UV glue, rub the knot between your fingers and that should stop it from unraveling, it works for me.
 

StanVERSTER

New member
So this might just be personal preference, but i would not make my leader longer than 1-1,5m. In my opinion having the mono go into the guides causes alot of frustrating casts, as it seems you are experiencing.

Edit:
So hierdie is my 2c en ek hoop dit help you uit inverband met die tip-wrappes wat j kry. Met artlure of indien enige grinder setups gooi n mens braid leader, of baie kort mono/flouro leader (1-1.5m) sodra mono/flouro deer die ogies gegooi word veroorsaak dit wreiwing.

Omdat braid vinniger as mono van n spool af gaan, vang die braid op met die mono, en veroorsaak dit daai tip-wrappes.

Dit is hoe ek dit verstaan, ek mag dalk verkeerd wees. Ek hengel 20lb braid, met a 1-1,5m flouro leader op my 11ft dropshot. Die leader gaan nooit in my ogies in nie, en ek het geen probleme nie.
 
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