leader knot catching

[MATTY]

probably a very simple explanation to this but i've been having a lot of probs lately with the leader knot catching the line wound on above it when casting.i'm using 4lb fineline,joined to around 2/2.5 rod lengths of platil ghost 4kg using double uni knot,6 turns on fireline & 4/5 on leader.i tie my knots at home to make sure they are as good as can be,have tried trimming tags back to next to nothing have left tags long and supaglued down but still get catching & have only had this when going up from 3kg leader
any ideas ???
cheers

[bparker]

Is there any reason you fish with such a long leader?

Try shortening it to about one rod length.

[MATTY]

g'day bp,
i had a good look in the search forum at lines and leaders and come up with around 2 rod lengths as the happy medium that people use,as my rod is 6ft missus butt that was what i thought was a good compromise.having this length allows me to tie quite a few knots before retying leader.if you think shortening leader so as the knot doesn't meet the spool i'll give it a go but can't work out why 4kg would catch and 3 kg didnt,the 4kg i use is only .4mm so very thin.

[Craig H]

I've had this happen now and again. I usually just unravel the line and wind it back on so the join sits elsewhere and no longer catches.

However if it's continually happening, perhaps try to slim the knot down somehow, or try some different knots and see whether that brings you any success.

[Richo]

Hey Matty,

Definitly try a 2m leader. I think you will find most of the lads meant 2 arm lengths, as that will give you 2m + of leader, I know Ira goes to about 3m but Im yet to see guys fishing 14-17ft leaders anywhere.

It may help your situation, and my previous PB was caught when I was down to 10cm of leader, just plain lazy.

cheers

[MATTY]

thanks for the tips guys,just another few steps on that learning curve.

Hi Guy, I was just wondering why you uses such long leaders.

Cheers Warren

[Bear]

Most of the time it's to try and keep the Fireline off the sharp stuff Warren. Some of the snags can be quite big and the Fireline can suffer a bit on the barnacles and mussels.

That's my reason any way.

HTH.

[pw-bream]

I usually start out with a leader of about 1 to 1.5 metres and as I fish it works down to about 30cm before I replace it.

At its longest the leader knot would barely get to the spool on the reel when ready to cast, typically it would be halfway down the rod. Shorten up your leader and see how you go.

[MATTY]

warren,
i spent most of my time until recently fishing very snaggy water and found that if a fish goes under a branch or around a pylon it gives you a bit of extra insurance,i've had a couple of occassions where the whole length of leader has come back with nicks in it ,most bream play dirty if they can so i guess it does pay to have a bit of length.i use long leaders off the beach and rocks as well especially with break away sinkers & ballooning but thats another issue.

[Craig_S]

Matty, you could also consider some other brands of leader. Powerline 6lb = .21mm, 10lb = .27mm.

Thinner leader should give you a smaller profile knot and theoretically not catch up as much. Dont know how Powerline stacks up against your leader in terms of performance but maybe worth a thought.

[MATTY]

never heard so many guys say that the shorter the length the better
but looks like thats the problem,i have probably misinterpreted some of the threads in the search forum.the line diameter may have something to do with it as well,that powerline is pretty thin for its b/s,is it flurocarbon?
anyway thanks for the imput

[Craig_S]

Penn Powerline is mono and available in the store

[Lizardboy]

When I measure and cut my leader it is as long as it can be without the knot sitting on the spool or the line feeder (assuming the lure is sitting about a foot below the rod tip)

Lizard