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[Spawn Sack]

Was going through my rods/reels the other day and decided to put together a combo for jig twitching this fall. Rod is an 8 foot 6 inch Shimano Clairus trigger rod, 8-17 line ration. Beefy little fast action rod, will drive a 3/8oz twitching jig no problem I think. Should handle coho with ease and springs or chum as well. Reel is a Shimano Calcutta 201 D. Currently spooled up with 15lb Seaguar Senshi.

The rod and reel I feel are a good match, but the mainline has to go. Too much stretch and crappy feel. Would be fine for trolling or float fishing, but for chucking lures or jigs there is no feel. Tried chucking some spoons on this set up the other day and I had a really hard time feeling how fast the spoon was wobbling. I'm pretty sure I'd also hate this line for jig twitching.

Planning to put braid on this reel. Thinking of going 20lb, or maybe even 15lb? Brand? I've had Suffix 832 on a spinning reel I use for chucking lures and quite like this line. But I'm open to try other brands.

Lastly, wondering what I should run for a mono/flouro leader? On my spinning set up I typically just run a barrel swivel off the braid, then about a 2.5 - 3 foot mono/flouro leader. However, my spinning rods are a lot softer than the trigger rod in question. I feel the set up will need a bit more of a shock absorber, esp with a spastic fish on. Something to soak up the heads shakes more. Thinking of maybe running a 10ish foot leader connected to the braid with a line-to-line knot.

I like the FG knot although for some reason I had a few blow up on me last fall (probably me buggered the knot up somewhere), so I went back to the barrel swivel and short leader.

[Snagly]

15lb main line should be plenty in respect of strength, and the thinner the line, the better the feel. However, my friends all run 20-30lb main line with new age (8-strand) super thin braids, so I'm in the minority with my 14lb original 4-ply Fireline.

I run 10-20lb mono leaders that start the day with the knot just outside of the baitcaster's eye. As the day progresses and I cut off or break off, eventually I'll be down to 4'-5' and will then re-tie.

Last fall my fishing buds and I filled our glasses with grape sqeezing's and used hand scales to test join knots. The best, quickest knot I've found is a 4-wrap Surgeon's Knot (also illustrated in Geoff Wilson’s books).

1. Take the single strand of braid and the leader and overlap them about 9"

2. Wrap the leader around the braid 20 times (or vice-versa: just twist them together). [Make certain you have enough of a tag on the (slippery) braid that you can get a grip on it later when you’re snugging up the knot.]

3. Make an overhand knot with a loop at least as a big as a US quarter (2cm) and pass the tag end of the leader through it 3 more times (i.e., a 4-turn Surgeon's knot). (This is easier to do with shorter leaders but it’s no BFD to pass 5-7 feet of mono through the loop each time.)

4. Pull on all four ends slowly. The mono will tend to cinch faster than the braid. So pull on just the braid to get the loose loops out. Pull this knot up dry.

5. Tighten down into a small knot with no loose loops. (If there are any, cut and re-tie: only takes a minute.)

This knot is very small and winds on any reel. The knot typically breaks at 75%-90% of the actual strength of the mono.

A knot that can pull out with thin braid and/or a leader lighter than 25lb mono is the improved Albright (or "Alberto's Knot"). It's tied in a style that's the reverse of the more fashionable FN knot, which is to say that the mono is bent in a U-shape and the doubled braid is wrapped away from the "nose" and then back down. In more detail:

1. Make a loop in the mono/ fluorocarbon, pinching the two lines about 3" from the end

2. Insert the end of the doubled braid up through the "nose" (end of the loop) and leave about 5" sticking through.

3. Wrap the double around the loop 5-6x going AWAY from the nose.

4. Stop and wrap the double another 5-6x times BACK TOWARDS the nose

5. Pass the end of the double out through the nose the same way it came it.

6. Grab all four ends and snug up. Once the knot starts to seat, drop the two tags and PULL like crazy. Properly seated, the wraps of the braid will look like a whip-finish.

Caution: There should be a 1/4" fold of the leader material (the end of the "nose", so to speak) peeking out of the wraps. This is to keep the knot from slipping off the end.
7. Trim all loose ends tight and you're good to go.

The knot reels onto most standard baitcasters, so you can use long leaders. However, I start the day with the Improved Albright just outside the reel. It casts without a problem. Breaking strength is usually 85% of the leader material.

* * * * * *

Couple of other pointers:

1. Please tie and test break your own knots ahead of time. Your style has a lot to do with how they break.

2. Don't be fooled by knot breaking strengths by using published line strengths. I typically knot 15lb Chameleon (breaks at 17-18lbs when fresh) to 14lb Fireline (breaks at 22lbs) and achieve 15lb breaking strength (85% of actual mono) with the 4x twisted Surgeon's knot. If you use 20lb Fireline, it breaks at 33lbs. I read about people using inferior knots that break at 20lbs (say) for their 20lb braid and declare them "100% knots." Uh, no, you have a 67% knot.

3. Uniknots are typically very weak and/or pull out. Even doubling the braid before tying the uniknot doesn't help that much. Don't believe me? Get a set of scales.

[Vancouver_2010]

I run a 6'9" Fenwick HMG 6-12lb and Penn Fierce 2500 with 30lb Spiderwire. Leader length 5-7ft of Seaguar Orange 15lb. I typically use a triple surgeon's knot to connect, mainly because of ease of tying. I accidentally bought the rod as a once piece, but it makes for a great action when twitching (just an utter nightmare to transport/store).

I find that the line to line knot helps out when twitching by removing the "hinge" point that is created with a swivel. Braid being as thin as it is I don't find any issues with the higher test rating, but I will say the spiderwire I have is garbage and I'm looking for a better product so will have to look at the Sufix line. The one advantage is that it comes in a fluorescent yellow, which certainly helps in early morning light. I think fluoro sinks better than mono as well, which is helpful when trying to get the jig into the stroke zone quickly.

As long as I'm being conscious to tie a good knot, I find it's rare to break anything off with the above setup. I've caught multiple 6-7lb coho and pinks with no issue, and one 20+lb spring which was a bit of a miracle.

[clarki]

Ask 20 guys and you'll get 20 different variations of the same rig.

For me, 15 pound main PowerPro and 10 pound fluoro leader. Although 10 pound is a little light and I think my next spool of fluoro leader will be 12 pound. Connect flouro leader to braid main with an Albright knot.

Although there are some schools of thought that suggest that fluoro/mono leader is unnecessary when twitching jigs as the fish are triggered, and often hitting aggressively, so braid tied direct to the jig is unlikely to spook them.

[pwn50m3 f15h3r]

I run 20 lb braid and 6-10’ of fluoro (ranging from 8-12 lb depending on where I’m fishing). The rod I use is a 7’ hmx that’s rated medium and extra fast. My knot of preference is the blood knot. I find it has good strength and it slides through the guides very easily

[psd1179]

40 LB braid to 15 lb florocarbon

[Spawn Sack]

Thanks for the replies (esp Snagly). Did some reading up just now on the latest and greatest braided lines on the market. I decided to go with 8 strand as it is smoother/quieter than 4 strand. I like the 20lb Suffix 832 I have on one of my spinning reels. However I wanted 15lb for this application and I couldn't find any online. Decided to give Spiderwire a try and ordered up some braided stealth superline. Not stupid expensive like 15 bucks for 125 yards. The little Calcutta 201D does NOT hold a lot of line so I think this amount should suffice.

Quick tip that was given to me years ago: Adding a bit of "grip" to the arbour of you fishing reel before the braid goes on is a good idea. This prevents the braid from potentially spinning/slipping on your reel spool and making it seem like your reel's drag is buggered. Some ppl use a few wraps of duct tape or similar. I don't want to wrap sticky/gummy tape around my reel so I do the alternative which is spool on a bit of mono before your braid goes on. Just enough to cover the spool, 10-15 feet or whatever. The braid will grip onto the spool and prevent spinning/slipping.

As far as the line to line knot goes, I will look into the 4 wrap surgeon's knot. For me reading how it is tied makes no sense, I need to see a video.

[Hike_and_fish]

I use a Lamiglas Infinity Twitch with a Lexa Low Profile reel. 20 pound super slick braid straight to the jig. I used to use a Fluro leader but I find that  I get just as many hookups with straight braid so I stopped using a leader. Also, I'd advise against using a spinning reel for twitching. You stand a higher chance of a wind knott with a spinning reel

[clarki]

Quick tip that was given to me years ago: Adding a bit of "grip" to the arbour of you fishing reel before the braid goes on is a good idea. This prevents the braid from potentially spinning/slipping on your reel spool and making it seem like your reel's drag is buggered. Some ppl use a few wraps of duct tape or similar. I don't want to wrap sticky/gummy tape around my reel so I do the alternative which is spool on a bit of mono before your braid goes on. Just enough to cover the spool, 10-15 feet or whatever. The braid will grip onto the spool and prevent spinning/slipping.

As an alternative approach, I leave a base of braid backing on all my spinning reels and just fill up the top half to third of the reel with new mono or braid.

20 pound super slick braid straight to the jig. I used to use a Fluro leader but I find that  I get just as many hookups with straight braid so I stopped using a leader.

     
I've thought about doing that but I'm concerned that, when snagged, the braid could break anywhere from the knot to the reel, and not necessarily at the knot. That leaves a lot of braid line in the water. With a lighter pound test mono leader, you are least minimize what stays in the water. Do you find your knot always breaks first? I like the idea of not having to carry leader material, and creating less knots.     

Also, I'd advise against using a spinning reel for twitching. You stand a higher chance of a wind knott with a spinning reel

I know a wind knot from flyfishing when I break my wrist on the backcast (often!) and the fly drops out of plane and a wind knot results. Are you referring to the little knot that forms loops from spinning reel line twist. I do notice that more with braid on my spinning reels and it is annoying.         

[Snagly]

This knot is dead easy to tie: it's an overhand knot (with the mono/FC leader and braid overlapped--ideally, one wrapped around the other) with leader length (long end) pulled through a total of four times. You end up with a quarter-sized loop with 4 turns it. Pull it tight hard (no loose loops), even using pliers on the braid to really cinch it down. (If your braid brand is very slick, tie a single overhand knot in the braid tag to give the pliers additional grip). Trim the tags very close (no slippage will occur) and you will have a tiny knot that can be reeled onto the baitcaster spool and cast out without catching (unless your tags are too long).

You are correct in suggesting an underwrap of mono. Ten feet is plenty. Join the mono base layer to the braid main line using an improved Albright.

There was a further suggestion about tying braid directly to the lure and fishing it. This works fine in respect of hooking fish, but three problems can result. First, braid-to-hook knots can pull out (e.g. uniknots). I believe the Palomar is popular for tying to spoons, spinners and the like. Second, leadering fish is much harder with braid. If the fish surges off, gripping the braid easily results in line cuts. Third, and most important IMO, you want to introduce some stretch into your fishing system. Braid stretches 1-3% vs. 15%+ for mono and a little less for FC. I want that 9' of mono x 15% stretch giving me 1 1/2' of "surge protection" when my trophy steelhead's belly touches bottom for the first time and Ol' Nate goes ape.

[Hike_and_fish]

As an alternative approach, I leave a base of braid backing on all my spinning reels and just fill up the top half to third of the reel with new mono or braid.     
I've thought about doing that but I'm concerned that, when snagged, the braid could break anywhere from the knot to the reel, and not necessarily at the knot. That leaves a lot of braid line in the water. With a lighter pound test mono leader, you are least minimize what stays in the water. Do you find your knot always breaks first? I like the idea of not having to carry leader material, and creating less knots.       I know a wind knot from flyfishing when I break my wrist on the backcast (often!) and the fly drops out of plane and a wind knot results. Are you referring to the little knot that forms loops from spinning reel line twist. I do notice that more with braid on my spinning reels and it is annoying.         

I can definitely see your point about the snag issue. It's rare that I do snag up twitching jigs. I guess mainly because I twitch in a few spots religiously and know the water. When I have snagged I just pull till the knott breaks ( or at least that's where I think its breaking at ) and leave the jig in the water. I could care less about the jig. I pour my own so it doesnt bother me.

The windknott is essentially the same as when you are fly casting but how its formed is a little different. When using a spinning reel to twitch the line comes off the reel in loops. Those loops hit the first guide on the side. On a windy day the wind will slow your jig down in the air and the speed the line is coming off the reel doesbt probably match with the speed of the jig. The line will then overlap on its self and a knott will form as it goes thru your guides. If the knott doesnt form at that point, itll definitely form as you reel in slack braid as you're twitching. Then when you cast, you'll get that knott from casting slack you've spooled up.