# Main line to leader knots - the No Name



## BeachBob (Aug 27, 2010)

* A Very strong knot that's easy to tie whilst being slim enough for casting through the rod guides.*

The FG knot is just a pain for me to tie, and if (k)not tied well it's a losing proposition for lure or bait.

Now if the FG is yer cup of tea, more power to ya, keep on keepin' on.

The Alberto, the Albright, and all their variations parallel the leader to exit in the forward end of the knot, so both the main leader and its tag end point forward and I want to avoid that due to hang ups and wear on the guides. Long casts with revolver reels is a prime requirement for my surf fishing.

If the braid is rated at 30lbs face value, and a knot with it busts at 32lbs, it's obvious the braid is stronger than 30lbs tensile strength. Percentages should be based on a manufacturer's labeled weight as that allows for a base line that all can understand. Breaking at 85% to 110% of the weakest link in a knot (almost always the braid in a braid main to mono shocker) allows understanding how a line is to be fished.

The big problem I have with some knots, particularly those that require tying under tension and compression, is that I personally can't reliably tie them within an acceptable range of reliable tensile strength, and I have tried many Many dozens of times. I can tie an FG that'll go over 100% of a braid's LISTED strength, and sometimes I'll tie one that looks really good but pops at less than 50% - understanding why this occurs has eluded me so far. Add to that the annoyance of compression on my finger(s) in order to maintain good tying tension. For me, the FG is just a PITA to tie.

This No Name knot pretty much guarantees I'll have at least an 85% knot if I don't pretest it, no matter where it's tied and no matter what the conditions = confidence. It's quite friendly to the rod guides, too.

I want a leader to main knot that is [1] easy to tie anywhere, anytime, [2] did not require initial coil compression during the wrapping, [3] the leader tag can't exit the knot with the leader itself, [4] at least 75% tensile strength minimum for all tied knots, and [5] minimum frontal and rear diameter for sailing well thru the guides.

So far the winner for me is the "No Name" knot. Stupid easy to tie well, so there are no misgivings as to its performance. It runs well enuf through the guides despite having an overhand knot caboose in the rear

With a 50lb mono leader and 30lb 4s braid, 15 coils (15 wraps out, 15 wraps in) I've had 25lb to over 32lb breakage right at the knot, typically around 27lbs, which equates to a 90% knot.

In this video, I'm tying Sakuma 80lb shock leader to Hercules 30lb 4s braid. It broke at 26.4lbs, which is an 88% knot.






From tying/testing at least 33 of these knots so far, they sure do have a wide tolerance during the build, not much is critical, but I can give some tips ...

- Keep the initial leader loop rather small, but don't scrunch it down til later. If left too open, the coils will want to wrap into the loop and that will not be a good thing. Keep the coils outside of the leader loop.

- Pass the braid tag end into the leader loop so that it exits that loop in the same direction as the leader tag exits the loop.

- Ten coils works almost as good as 15 coils, but I'll always opt for 15, which means 15 spirals out and 15 (or more) spirals back. Either way, the knot length will be pretty small when tightened down.

- ALL coils must "criss-cross" over each other in a kinda "X" pattern, so keep the initial spirals wide. This is reasonably critical. After busting a knot, you can open and remove the coils from the leader and see how the braid has been dented the leader, which is a good thing for excellent purchase of the mono (same as what occurs with an FG knot).

- When the coils have been completed, pass the braid tag end into the leader loop in the same direction the braid tag end was initially put into the leader loop.

- Like most fishing knots, wet the coils good before applying tension to them.

- I first pull both the braid tag and main together and as they're pulled slowly I push the coils together, slowly. Then pull the braid main and the leader, wrapping each on a stretching stick. I make stretching sticks with rod butt shrink wrap over dowels.

- When the coils are cinched down _TIGHT_ (you wanna see the coils change color as the tension is applied), tighten and close the leader loop knot, but don't cinch it down too tight as that can become a fulcrum point for the braid to abrade and bust. The job of the leader loop is to collate the braid tag and main, and to act as a stop for the braid coils. I do like to get the leader loop as small as possible, though. After tying a few of these knots, you'll see what works best.

- Now cut off the braid and mono tag ends within a few mills of the knot, cinch down the knot _hard_ one more time. It's ready to fish.

- I usually ball up both the tag ends, too. I use a plasma lighter as it concentrates heat only to those tag ends and won't radiate heat to the braid main line.

- I test each knot before being ready to fish using a scale to apply at least 25lbs tensile strength. I want it to fail before tying on a lure or bait. This way I KNOW the knot is at least at 83%.

Enjoy and cheers!


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## retired (Oct 20, 2016)

After a trip I ALWAYS replace my shock leaders. (that is a 2-3 week trip, not a one day). Last week I tried the knot you have put up with a diagram.(mono to mono) We will see how it goes.....I did like the simplicity of it and thought it rather sleek to go through the guides.......
I'm always trying something new.......


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## BeachBob (Aug 27, 2010)

Yes, for mono-2-mono I only use the leader loop to main line uni knot ... besides, it's Tommy Farmer endorsed. 😳😎😆😂


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## Drum Bum (Jan 12, 2004)

Whenever stating % of knot strength, we "should" test the line for absolute strength, not what the label states.


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## BeachBob (Aug 27, 2010)

Drum Bum said:


> Whenever stating % of knot strength, we "should" test the line for absolute strength, not what the label states.


With regards to knots that are mono/fluoro leader to braid main ...

I've yet to find a braid that (when tested alone and not in a knot) breaks under the label's strength rating, but it IS a good thing to find that out before using any new spool of braid. If no strength test is done, one can only hope that the label strength is correct data. I've personally had some of these knots break at 110% and more. All that means is that the braid's strength rating is underrated. 

There is yet to be a knot that will break at the braid's actual tensile strength - ain't gonna happen. I've had "Hercules 4S 30LB" braid break in a No Name knot at 32.2lbs or over 107% of the spool's rating, which means that particular braid is stronger than 30lbs. 

You want a high test knot, use quality braid and test each spool before knot tying.

Knots themselves are the key cause for braid breaking, as braid is laid over braid and thus the abrasion is what causes the break. ALL my braid to mono/fluoro knots have had the braid break right at the knot, where braid crosses braid.

If the label on spool of braid sez "30LB", and no tensile strength testing is done on that spool of braid, that should be the target breaking strength.

Quality of the knot build is Crucial. It makes sense to scale test each knot that's rigged to go fishing, to be sure of its efficacy. If it passes an 80% test, it's good to go for me. I've seen and had knots that looked great but fail at well under 80%, and the knot types for this will typically be compression style knots like the FG.


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## Agendabiz (Sep 6, 2021)

BeachBob said:


> * A Very strong knot that's easy to tie whilst being slim enough for casting through the rod guides.*
> 
> The FG knot is just a pain for me to tie, and if (k)not tied well it's a losing proposition for lure or bait.
> 
> ...


I have to re recommend using the GT knot. It is simple to tie and very strong. If you go to YouTube, you will see how they actually tested the knot and it is superior. To me it is the best knot for mono to braid. Best to all!


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## BeachBob (Aug 27, 2010)

The GT knot is no more than a 10 turn uni to a figure 8 overhand. It's more bulky than a NoName, and thus less forgiving if it's application requires going around the spool and thru all the guides.


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## BeachBob (Aug 27, 2010)

I ran some tensile tests with FG and NoName knots using light lines.

30# Big Game mono leader + 15# Hercules 4s braid main, 4 breaking knot tests for each of the 2 styles of knots.

FG - breaks an average of 19.8# = 130%

NoName - breaks an average of 17.4# = 116%

Winner for me is the NoName, just easier and faster to tie, and is just a hair larger in diameter than the FG.


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## BeachBob (Aug 27, 2010)

I've been tying NN knots since yesterday, over 2 dozen so far, to try to get a better handle on why some break at 24lbs and others well over 31lbs - this is with the 50lb mono to 30lb braid, all tied with 15 coils. I have no issues with the NN knot and braid 20lbs or lighter, they're all breaking at or well over the braid's listed tensile strength. So far I think I found some parts of the NN tying process for 30lb braid and up that add more consistency to their overall strength. 

Consistently tying a 90% to 110% NN knot for braid 30lbs or more ....

1. The initial mono/fluoro overhand leader loop knot needs to be small to insure that the braid coils don't get into the loop, but large enuf to pass the braid into twice. 

2. Braid must enter the leader loop in the same direction as the leader line exits the loop.

3. Spiral out the braid over the leader - don't bunch them up or make the spirals very short, don't make the spirals too long, keep at least a bit of tension on the braid as the first set of 15 spirals goes out over the leader.

4. The second set of spirals that go over the first set of spirals also need to be kept under a bit of light tension - wrap more spirals if need be to meet up with the first starting spiral.

5. When all 30 spirals are done, and there's a good 15 coils or more, the braid tag end must enter the leader loop the same way the braid tag end had entered that loop.

6. Keep any coils out of the leader loop, the coils need to be pulled back and kept away from that loop and only the braid entering and exiting that loop need to be seen.

7. Tighten the leader loop.

8. Keep the braid tag and main together, swipe on all the coils to keep them a bit opened and away from the leader loop.

9. Moisten the entire knot. Pull the leader main and tag to tighten down the leader loop. Grab the braid tag and main together and pull together against the main leader - this will set up the coils uniformly and some of the coils will start to change color and go translucent from the tension.

10. Pull the braid main and leader main slowly - this will get the coils moving together and tightening on the leader - most if not all the coils will go translucent.

11. Done - tag ends can be cut and optionally flamed.


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## BeachBob (Aug 27, 2010)

Following the above knot tying guidelines, 15 minutes ago I just tied and busted 7 NN knots in a row using Reaction 50lb mono and Hercules 30lb braid.

The results for breaking poundage - 31.2, 29.5, 31.4, 31.6, 32.2, 30.1, 31.8

There is no such thing as a "100% knot". Knot junctures are where line will break, as line crosses line. Clearly this 30lb braid is a conservative tensile strength, as it is with almost all braid line. A knot that is easy and quick to tie without coil compression and results in 90% to over 100% of the braid's LISTED breaking strength is fine with me. Not bad at all. B'bye FG.


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## BeachBob (Aug 27, 2010)

I've been testing the heck outta the NN2 knot and for me it's better than the NN - a bit faster/easier to tie and it's been routinely breaking at 100-113% (30-33.8lbs) of the Hercules 30# labeled test weight rating. I'll be putting up a video for tying this braid-to-mono/fluoro knot.


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