Knotting well?

[peter crabtree]

Rather than hijack skippy's thread I thought I'd ask this on a separate thread.

When giving opinions on Hooklink line what does this description mean?

 

[binka]

Sounds like past tense to me as an alternative to 'knots well', with the same meaning.

Or maybe some sort of wider reference to knot quality eg. not only strength but how it knots without being prone to damage, surely it would be easier to just say 'good knot strength' otherwise?

Is it part of a wider sentence?

 

[S-Kippy]

Not sure I really understand the question. There are two knot issues that I'm interested in. How well a line knots in terms of the hook and how (say) it stands up to sudden shocks like eg when using a loop to loop connection. I can't honestly think of any line I've ever used that didn't hook knot well enough provided I took the time and trouble to do that proprrly, which I usually do, but I can think of a couple that didn't stand up to sudden shock very well. This is why I prefer lines with a bit of stretch in them.

Funnily enough Stroft was one that had a bit of a weakness in that it didn't do shocks very well......but that's not really being fair to the stuff because a trite that hits a fly hard would test the most carefully tied knot. I stopped using it for trite for that reason and because I found a line that was very shock knot resistant. Loved how soft and supple it was though which is why I might try a spool for me trotting hooklinks.

God.....life was so much simpler when we had less choice. I used to carry a spool of Drennan Hooktie ( the blue one) in 1.1- 1.7 - 2.2 and ( I think) 3 lb and it did everything I ever wanted a hooklink to do. Any higher bs and i went straight through. This, of course, was before the inexorable rise of the carp filled commercial and 6lb line was considered perfectly adequate for Barbel fishing.

 

[Keith M]

'Knotting well' in itself isn't a clear enough definition for me on its own; however I would be inclined to think that it meant that it will not weaken too much due to knot strangulation although the knot used would have a lot to do with this anyway, and also that it won't tend to curl when knotted like some lines with a lot of memory can. But this is only guessing what was meant by the term 'knotting well'

Keith

 

[peter crabtree]

Furry muff, to put it in the present tense 'knots well' means what?
Do some lines not knot well?
Is the line actually to blame when it does not knot well?
Or is it poor knot tying to blame or not?

 

[lutra]

Furry muff, to put it in the present tense 'knots well' means what?
Do some lines not knot well?
Is the line actually to blame when it does not knot well?
Or is it poor knot tying to blame or not?

Maybe I'm bad at tying knots, but some lines are very unforgiving for me. Drennan double strength comes to mind. That was a pants line for knotting.

 

[S-Kippy]

It can be all, any or none I guess. I've found most monos to be reasonably well behaved when it comes to knots. Same is true of co-polymers. I think it's when you start messing about with fluorocarbons and pre-stretched " hi-tech" lines that it gets a bit lively. I tried Krystonite when it arrived to huge fanfare but soon abandoned it as I just could not get a knot to hold. To this day that is the worst knotting stuff I've ever used.

I tried and dismissed a few low diameter lines because I found them so uncompromising when it came to knots....both which knots and how well/carefully they were tied and got fed up with the stuff snapping. Once there is doubt in my mind it just nags away at me and I cannot fish like that. Eventually I found both a fluorocarbon and a "hi-tech" line that knotted well and that I came to trust. Typically.....both are now discontinued so when my remaining stocks are done I'll have to start all over again.

Hence my thread about hooklink materials. Barbel excepted....Ive been away from the rivers for years and im feeling seriously out of touch in terms of " go to" gear for float work.

 

[Philip]

Do some lines not knot well?
Is the line actually to blame when it does not knot well?

Basically yes.

Thats what I think it means. The material itself can impact the overall knot strength at the end so using the same knot on two different materials can give you a different strength of knot. So a material may knot well or is knotting well.

Of course the type of knot also plays a part...certain knots work better on some materials than others...so line manufacturers can be quite cunning here. They can say it knots well but dont specify with which knot.

Its one of the reasons I use a palomar because its one of those knots thats consistantly strong regardless of the material. Tie it 100x on braid, mono, fluro or whatever and it will always be a very strong knot.

 

[rayner]

I tie the same knots for line to line I've used since forever, figure 8 loops.
All eyed hooks knotless, all spades with the whipping knot, don't have a name for it so call it what you like.
Main thing for me is if a knot works I'll stick with it. If someone tells me another knot is better I still stick with what I've always done.

 

[Peter Jacobs]

To my mind a good "knotting line" is one that is supple enough to make a knot relatively easy to tie; maintains a good percentage of its ordinary strength after the knot it tied and is not too "springy" as to allow unravelling of the knot.

 

[sam vimes]

I'd consider something like Maxima to knot well. It isn't fussy about the type of knot used. You don't have to be particularly careful about how well the knots are tied. It retains a significant proportion of it nominal breaking strain when knotted. Good knots are easy to tie without evidence of line damage or being excessively careful. It knots well. Bayer Perlon, Drennan Floatfish, Sensor, and the like, all tend to knot well.

If you have to be a little more selective about the knots you use, and a little more careful about how well they are tied, the line concerned doesn't knot quite so well. Many modern fine diameter monos don't knot quite so well, but they are still well worth using as they can offer distinct advantages in use.

Then there is something like Nanofil. If there's a line of any type that knots as badly as this stuff, I've yet to encounter it. It is just about useable, but the knots you can use are very limited, and they have to be tied very carefully. Failure to do so will see the knotted strength drop hugely in comparison to the stated breaking strain. The reality is that it's barely worth the effort or taking the chance. I've no problems stating that the stuff knots badly.

 

[S-Kippy]

Then there is something like Nanofil. If there's a line of any type that knots as badly as this stuff, I've yet to encounter it. It is just about useable, but the knots you can use are very limited, and they have to be tied very carefully. Failure to do so will see the knotted strength drop hugely in comparison to the stated breaking strain. The reality is that it's barely worth the effort or taking the chance. I've no problems stating that the stuff knots badly.

Oh My Lord...thank you so much for reminding me of that bloody stuff. Bin it,burn the bin,bury the bin,build a patio over the bin. In fact....that's Uncle Skippy's advice for all line prefixed by Berkeley.

Don't try to persuade me otherwise. I am unequivocally not having it.