03-02-2009, 10:26 PM
The Bimini twist is not a knot to connect two lines. It simply creates a double-line out of a single strand of line, which is then connected to the leader or tippet with a blood knot, double uni, or whatever your knot of choice is to connect two lines.
I tie Biminis every day in my lines here in Florida, so I know the knot well, and can tie it in less than 20 seconds. Again, its just a way to double a line so that knot strength is maintained when tying two lines of dis-similar diameters. The Bimini is tied in the smaller of lines. You can also simply fold over the smaller of the two lines and tie the connecting knot, but its not as strong as the Bimini.
As for fly leaders for pike or muskie, I always just used a 3-peice leader of about 7 or 8 feet, and then tied on a peice of coated, braided steel leader onto that. NEVER had a break off on the steel shock leader. I was guiding in Canada for several summers, catching dozens of northerns a day, up to 35 pounds. I made leaders by using some stiff 40 lb mono for a butt section (Maxima), followed by a section of 30, then a section of softer 20, and then the braided steel "tippet" of about 12 inches. I use 40lb steel. The other nice thing about the coated braided wire is that a simple figure-8 knot is used to tie on the fly. VERY EASY, and never fails with the coated wire.
I use the same stuff in Florida for big barracudas, and their speed and teeth make a pike seem like a tame goldfish. Seriously.
The heavy mono will work for most fish, but you WILL have a fish-of-a-lifetime wear through it when you're bringing it in on an extended fight. We lost several very large pike to tooth-bites in Canada the first year I worked there, and never went back to mono. Take your chances.
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I tie Biminis every day in my lines here in Florida, so I know the knot well, and can tie it in less than 20 seconds. Again, its just a way to double a line so that knot strength is maintained when tying two lines of dis-similar diameters. The Bimini is tied in the smaller of lines. You can also simply fold over the smaller of the two lines and tie the connecting knot, but its not as strong as the Bimini.
As for fly leaders for pike or muskie, I always just used a 3-peice leader of about 7 or 8 feet, and then tied on a peice of coated, braided steel leader onto that. NEVER had a break off on the steel shock leader. I was guiding in Canada for several summers, catching dozens of northerns a day, up to 35 pounds. I made leaders by using some stiff 40 lb mono for a butt section (Maxima), followed by a section of 30, then a section of softer 20, and then the braided steel "tippet" of about 12 inches. I use 40lb steel. The other nice thing about the coated braided wire is that a simple figure-8 knot is used to tie on the fly. VERY EASY, and never fails with the coated wire.
I use the same stuff in Florida for big barracudas, and their speed and teeth make a pike seem like a tame goldfish. Seriously.
The heavy mono will work for most fish, but you WILL have a fish-of-a-lifetime wear through it when you're bringing it in on an extended fight. We lost several very large pike to tooth-bites in Canada the first year I worked there, and never went back to mono. Take your chances.
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