Leader Knots - Why Use Them?

A controversial title to start - Why do most fishermen use leader knots?

Why indeed have I used them so many times in the past?

The Fors -
Answer has to be, that leader knots help me use a thin monofilament main line with only a slight breaking strain, probably around the 15lb breaking strain.
By using thin main line it means that I can cast further due to less wind resistance and also suffer less tidal pull because of the thinner diameter and so causing less drag in the water.
Is there any other reason? - Answer for me, none that I can think of.

Against -
The leader knot tends to clog with weed; this seems to happen just as it hits your top ring!  If you get snagged then the chances are you could lose not only a hook or your weight but also the entire leader with everything attached!  The leader knot could jam on casting and snap as does happen from time to time.
Using a level-wind reel increases the chances of the above reason, the knot catching on the level-wind and snapping there, causing one heck of a birds nest.
Now what if we could find a way to overcome those negatives but still supply us with the benefits of thin monofilament?

Alternative -
I have for the last 2 or 3 years been using BRAID fishing line on all my reels including my multiplyers.
I first started using braid on my spinning reels quite some time ago. The intent was to use a thinner line which would enable me to cast very light plugs and poppers without the drag of monofilament line through the air. Also I wanted something to still be strong enough to play a decent fish if I ever came across one.
In braid I found the answer.  I know fresh water fishermen have used it for years but to most sea anglers it has only just started to come into its own for the likes of spinning and for use when fishing aboard a charter boat.  The line is far less susceptible to tidal pull than monofilament, so needs less lead to hold it down in the water.  This makes for easier fishing, you're not pumping pounds of lead up and down all day and doing your arms and back in whilst attempting to catch a fish.

Two or three years ago I started to look at it very seriously for my everyday fishing using my heavy duty fixed spool reel but more importantly to me, my multiplyers.

I tend to fish over at Aldeburgh on the Suffolk coast in the winter for the cod.  Lovely steep beach but a tackle grave yard!
What has happened over the years I believe is that, the bottom in parts is very muddy and what does tend to happen at times is that the weight sinks in and then you have trouble trying to free it without snapping your line.  With the use of shock leaders being used I personally think that this has added greatly to the problem.  What seems to happen, and this has happened to me many times in the past, is that the line gets snagged and then parts at the leader knot, that being the weakest link in the chain.

Over a period of time, not only are you battling against the mud but also the build-up of the leaders that have been lost, probably around the 50lb to 80lb breaking strain mark.  I think it's safe to say the average is probably about 60lb breaking strain.
I also think it's safe to assume the more tackle that gets lost then the greater the mound of line and end tackle to get caught up on.

A couple of years ago it was getting beyond a joke with quite a few posts on the forums about how guys were going to give the area a miss because of the amount and cost of the tackle they lost.  The worst session I had, was when I lost 6 full sets of gear, costly and demoralising when having to re-rig afresh again and again.

I have a very good friend who has his own fishing tackle factory and makes amongst other things, a great amount of braid.  I talked to him about this and he recommended using, or at least trying braid straight through, hence no need for a leader knot.
He told me that braid used to have a flat profile and as most arguments against using braid on a multiplyer seem to stem around the fact that braid tucks itself under itself when reeling in and so would 'birds nest' on the next cast or worse was probably true to some extent.

Most braid manufactured today is of a round profile and that problem doesn't happen so much. I have found by laying the braid across the reel a bit faster than I normally would has now almost eliminated any over-runs or bird nests at all.
This ensures that each wrap of line around the reel is further apart and not laying next to each other with a chance of 'tucking' in under the next.
If I do bunch the line up in one area of the reel as can happen when playing a decent fish and especially when fishing in the dark, I just gently cast out and then reel in laying the line on as normal, this seems to eliminate the dreaded 'birds-nest'!

To get back to the origin problem of snags: My thinking was to use a stronger breaking strain line than normal but with a far less diameter than monofilament.

I bought some 100lb breaking strain braid with, wait for it, only 0.28m diameter!  That's probably thinner than the normal 15lb monofilament.
I decided to make up some end rigs using the 100lb braid and using 60lb monofilament for my hook lengths, reasoning that if the hooks got caught up they would break off before the line, thus far less expensive.  On my next trip over to Aldeburgh I used this method - result:
My line stayed where I cast it most of the time and didn't get dragged into a snag because of breaking free due to tidal pull.
I never lost one set of tackle despite getting snagged up quite a few times.

When I did get snagged and broke free the majority of the time it took a while to reel back in - reason - because I was towing a hunk of line and end tackle that had probably laid there for a very long time!  In normal circumstances I would probably have lost the lot as the leader knot would probably have given way under the pressure of hauling such a weight ashore.

Nice to be able to sit there and cut swivels, hooks, beads, weights, oh yes, plenty of free weights etc in between each cast.  All this lovely FREE tackle, not forgetting the FREE leaders.  I was pulling in full leaders with all the end tackle attached! I use the leaders now to make my hook lengths!
My best was six leaders with everything attached in one go along with a few half eaten dead fish!  What you are doing in fact is making a clear patch in front of yourself!
Braid wrapped around monofilament will cut through it like a knife through butter when tangled.
A guy who owns a local fishing tackle store was telling me he actually pulled in thirteen sets of gear whilst fishing down Selsey way. He uses the same method as me.

I also use the leaders for my ends rigs if I'm fishing a place I know is not so snaggy, like Deal beach in Kent.  The pier is a different kettle of fish, please forgive the pun! That gives me a 100lb main line, 60lb-80lb rig body and I use 40lb to 50lb for my hook lengths.  I fish the lower deck of Deal pier and that can be snaggy casting straight off the end. I fish there normally with a good friend of mine who I had explained my reasoning for using braid and to a good strength.  Living on the door-step he fishes about three or four times a week, lucky devil, a very understanding wife me thinks!
Breaking free when once getting snagged up and pulling in two sets of end tackle, complete with leaders, he passed comment about how, yes, he could see the reasoning behind it OK.

One benefit of braid is that when you hook a fish you certainly know you have one on, there is no give (stretch) in braid so you feel every tug and pull of the fish. I feel you get more sport with braid.  Also with there being no stretch in the line, you see every little knock and it is very hard to miss a bite while watching your rod.  The only drawback to this I find is that if it is blowing a gale or the sea is rough then the rod tip does tend to jump about a bit. If you're using grip leads then the rod tip will really bend over with the pull of the waves or the swell.

To sum up - I have found lots of different benefits using braid, not everyone will agree with my opinion but what I would say is, don't knock until you have tried it.

Drawbacks :

•  Sometimes it can be hard to see bites when the sea is running or the wind is bad.
•  If playing a fish too hard could lead to the hook being pulled out of the mouth due to no stretch in the line.

That is the only points I can come up with.  I have never had a 'wind-knot' as some seem to claim happens quite freqently to them.

Benefits for me :

• Less side tidal pull.
• Less loss of tackle.
• No problems with leader knots.
• No weed jamming in the top ring of my rod.
• Not having to tie Leader Knots after losing gear due to snagging.
• Better bite detection.
• Nearly always get my gear back when snagged.
• Often pull in plenty of FREE gear.
• Better casting distance.
• Better contact with the fish.

I have been discussing this with the lads on one of the fishing forums and had quite a bit of feed-back.

One suggestion was using a double grinner knot if using a mono leader knot for attaching mono to braid, another was the Albright knot.  I always had trouble stopping any knot from slipping when using braid with a mono leader on my spinning rods so these knot might well be worth a try.  I do know a few lads, as another of the guys suggested, who use a mono leader to provide a bit of a stretch between you and the fish, it has been mentioned that on a neap tide with little tidal pull it has helped with fish hook up but be aware with no stretch then it could lend itself to pulling the hook out of the fishes mouth.  I have had that happen once or twice so just be a little gentler when bringing a fish in. The consensus from the guys is that some do use braid but do like a mono shock leader to provide a bit of a buffer between them and the fish, but I have to admit that is one of the major things I was trying to get away from.

I just want to thank Jeff and the lads off the Kent Sea Fishing Forum for their input and views.  It's a great little forum, set up to get away from a lot of the aggro that does happen on a lot of other forums from time to time.  They don't stand any nonsense so anyone having a go is immediately kicked off.  They run meets nearly every month with reports, picture competions, and much more.  Well worth checking out if you fancy a nice FRIENDLY place to visit and getting to know like minded folk.

So there you have it, hopefully some food for thought and maybe a way around the dreaded leader knot problem.