dont beleive it - i lost a nice salmon last saturday evening on the spey because of a wind knot in 12 lb fluoro - my own fault as i saw it ten minutes before and didnt change the leader - stll annoyed with myself - good job i caught two in the morning or i would be hopping.

I fished last weekend for the first time using 6lb AirFlo Platinum fluorocarbon, using the same knots I usually use with monofilament and was broken twice by fish I would normally expect to land. I used a figure of eight loop to attach the tippet to the leader and a tucked half blood knot for the fly.

Does anyone have similar experience and should I be using different knots?

The best knot for compactness and strength when joining two pieces of monofilament is the "four turn water knot".

The best knot for tying a fly to the tippet is the "grinner knot".

The best knot for joining the sacrificial butt to the flyline is the "needle knot".

The best knot for joining the flyline to the backing is the "nail knot".

richard

For the last couple of years I've been using a three-turn water knot. I don't think it loses any strength, it's a little faster to tie and I think it packs down a bit neater.

i have also done this.

jim

__________________
The Fishermans Friend is the Flirty Fly,Fickle Food for Fleeting Fish.

A bit off the top of my head (dim memory here) but regular 'mono' is triangular in shape due to the dies used to draw the material. Floro is more of an oval shape so it doesn't have 'the sharp edges' inherent with mono.

You will not get better advice than what has already been posted. I will only say that I have lost a good fish through a wind knot, which I disregarded before hooking the fish, and actioned it every time I see a wind knot since then.
I also use three-turn water knots with no noticeable difference in strength.

cheers

Alex

If you try both and using a spring balance pull them both to destruction (you have to watch very closely, no blinking!) you may find there is a measurable difference. Certainly I found a difference.

Fish deserve our best efforts to avoid them swimming off with hooks and line attached to them so I put up with one more turn on each knot.

richard

Personal experince (three vs. four turns) is the 'test/thickness' of the leader. The 'fatter,' three turns appears to work just fine. Lighter material a four is A MUST.