Knots & Rigs
There are various options available when you need to join two lines together, starting with the Double Uni-Knot.
WHEN it comes to joining lines, there are a wide range of connections available and more being developed all the time. It must be a very confusing experience for a new angler to look at one of the specialist rigging books and wonder which of the multitude of connections described is best suited to their needs. The Double Uni-Knot is a real workhorse connection in my rigging arsenal. It’s a time proven, and simple, means of connecting lines. It’s basically two opposed Uni-Knots that butt up to each other when the connection is pulled up. In the sportfishing circles I’ve travelled in, this connection has always been called the Double Uni-Knot, however it apparently goes under a number of other aliases including the Grinner, Double Grinner and Opposed Roll. Scenarios where I’ve used the Double Uni-Knot over the years include top-shotting reels, constructing fly leaders and connecting casting leaders to mainlines when lure fishing. It’s a very versatile and useful knot and comes in handy in a number of common fishing scenarios.
Tying Tips
I use the Double Uni-Knot for connecting mono or co-polymer lines of a similar diameter. For this reason it’s ideally suited to top-shotting reels, which is my primary use for it. Another advantage of the Double Uni-Knot for this scenario is that the knot’s tag ends can be trimmed off quite short so the connection travels through rod guides and reel level wind systems unimpeded.
I dislike knots that require glues to achieve maximum strength and to prevent slippage. When tied and tensioned correctly, the Double Uni-Knot will not slip and provides good break strength. I also find the Double Uni-Knot a relatively simple connection to complete in pressure situations such as when you need to top-shot a reel or tie on a new leader quickly to get back into a red-hot bite.
Follow the steps detailed in the illustration opposite to tie a Double Uni-Knot.
A tip to remember is not to tension the tag ends until the two separate knots have butted up against each other.
While not ideal, if you use this knot to connect lines of different diameter, for example a heavy leader to thin braid mainline, use fewer wraps in the leader otherwise the knot won’t form properly.
An easy-to-follow video demonstration of how to tie the Double Uni-Knot is available at www.fishingworld.com.au.
Specialised options
There are other means of connecting lines for specialised circumstances. For joining lines of widely varying diameters there are a number of recommended connections whose characteristics suit specific rigging scenarios.
For example, the Albright Special, Ducknose and Slim Beauty knots are ideally suited to situations where a heavy leader needs to be attached to a lighter GSP braid or mono main line such as when lure casting for barra, Murray cod and giant trevally or casting live baits at billfish.
For connecting ultra-light GSP braid main line to light fluorocarbon leader when light line lure fishing for bream or Australian bass, the Triple Surgeons Knot or Seaguar knot are highly recommended; these knots are also used regularly in the construction of fly fishing leaders.
In the high performance world of saltwater fly fishing, anglers use a knot called the Huffnagle to connect their heavy shock tippet to lighter line class tippet because it allows them to use the maximum allowable shock tippet length available under the rules governing fly fishing.
For connecting GSP braid or mono lines where a maximum possible break strength is required, such as when line class fishing under ANSA or IGFA rules, then the connecting system will usually employ a double via Bimini Twist or Plait.
These connections, when tied correctly, will maintain 100 per cent of a line’s breaking strain, which is vital when pursuing large, powerful sport or game fish on light line.
If you’re looking to improve your results on big fish, I urge you to experiment with your rigging systems to find the best possible connections to suit the fishing you’re doing.