Fishing 101: Leader, Snaps and Knots

First part of my series on fishing basics, talking about leader and snap selection and what knots I use.
Arbor Knot:
• How to tie an Arbor Kn...
FG Knot:
• Quickest Way to Tie th...
Instagram: bcsgfishing
Facebook: / bcsgfishing
Music:
Dreams - Joakim Karud
/ joakimkarud

[@maciej_s]

I've been using the FG knot for a couple of years now and it's absolutely awesome! I don't like the half hitch finish tho so I've switched over to the FG knot with Rizzuto finishand I couldnt be happier with it :)

[@mojondro]

Man you hit the nail on the head,it is a great idea to make the series for the sake of the nubies on the genre

[@at0mikutzk]

@BCSG i suggest you my knots: air palomar on braid line, after finish, tie flurocarbon inside the palomar loop with a clinch (6 rolls if fluro is lower than 0.20lb, if its bigger, you can 5 roll) and for snap use another palomar of 2 rolls. Im excited for your reply!

[@user-dq9fp4do4r]

It's really helpful. Thank you. Don't forget that you are the best finesse baitcasting video blogger on the net.

[@SkipToMyLieu]

That knot you tied is called the Double Pitzen Knot which was made famous by Shaw Grigsby. It's basically the same as the Double San Diego Jam Knot. I'm not sure which came first, but I assume the former did

[@johnritter3218]

I want to say thank you for some information you gave. " look up " With this all my casting goes much farther than ever. Making casting more fun and exciting. 100 percent good on all my equipment. Thank you sir

[@fishingformax]

Awesome and informative video! Definitely helpful for beginners like myself. Looking forward to see more of such videos in future!

[@Tezido]

Looking forward for the next episode already!

[@reviewer1015]

Finally!been waiting for this vid for the longest time

[@Nas-rh8xd]

Definitely. You should continue to do a 101 fishing tips video bro. It would be nice if u can do a fishing video this week and a 101 fishing tips video the next.It will then get more interesting👌 Just my thought tho..

[@BCSGFishing]

+Nas 99 thanks for the suggestion bro, yea I'm thinking of doing 2 videos a week, 1 fishing anf 1 something else. But if i cannot push out 2 videos a week it will be 1 week fishing 1 week something else.

[@yoongshernchong]

Very informative video! I hope this series continues as it is quite hard for me to find videos on fishing in countries like Malaysia and Sg.

[@catohostilius1221]

That knot looks pretty tough. Going to test it out with braid. Thank you for your tips!

[@firdausmohamed9677]

Thank you for a wonderful video with a lot of guidance and tips.been watching a lot of your videos recently and it has been a tremendous help for a newbie like me who’s gonna try to fish for peacock bass for the first time😆😂

[@yakhackers6342]

The bass fishing community calls this the "Grigsby Knot"... He was the first big name Bass Angler to claim this as the strongest fluorocarbon knot and actually make a decent KZbin video showing how to tie it. I'm guessing he didn't invent it. Definitely the strongest knot... But the 3 tag ends pointing in the direction of the main line is a big caveat. Catching more weeds than fish in certain scenarios. I use this knot whenever possible.

[@fairultan8686]

TQ Cikgu,. nw i noe exactly wher i'd gone wrong for line selection✨🙏🏻🎣

[@DbaldetToShuffle]

I think here in Germany we call this knot a secured Blood Knot. At least it looks exactly like it. Good video my dude. I use fluorocarbon for all my not too toothy fish catching too, haven't had any issues with sinking lures as long as I don't cast out way too far which is never really needed.

[@BCSGFishing]

+Hunter Flannigan thanks dude! I'll look it up to see if it's the same knot. Yep thats the reason why I am not too picky about FC vs Mono. I think the float or sink effect isnt too big because usually the amount of leader used is not long enough to really make a big difference. It is a little different if I use straight FC as mainline though, that I can feel the effect on topwaters, so I tend to stick with braid mostly.

[@DbaldetToShuffle]

BCSG Fishing ye the difference only really shows from a certain lengths on. Four to six feet don't really do that much, especially on thinner diameters.

[@TackleAdvisors]

Good stuff! Nice shoes in the background....My girlfriend couldn't stop staring at the fishtank and heels....LMAO

[@eidzwaneizaiful]

Nice informatic video. I think it will be better if you can put the timeline of the different parts in the descriptions. Easier if we wanna refer back to a specific parts rather than randomly forwarding the video. Anyway keep the series coming and tight lines!

[@BCSGFishing]

+Eidzwan Eizaiful great idea, I'll add the timeline into the description asap.

[@Vermincinerator]

Great video and some useful knots to try, In the UK because of Pike in almost all our waters we have two trains of thought FC leaders or Wire leaders, its a much debated subject and its really an old school vs new school situation, more younger anglers are prepared to take the risk of a bite off on UL spinning and ULBC with us old timers tending to use wire. The argument lessons as the gear steps up when purposely targeting big pike where FC leaders of 80lb upwards are used, the diametre being the key to avoid bite offs, seldom is there a bite off with this heavy FC but it has happened, it does not happen with wire which when the gear has been stepped up is also substantially thinner diametre then FC. For UL and ULBC i use a 45cm long 0.20mm multi strand wire trace with a 000 snap crimped on at one end and a micro-match swivel at the other which is in turn tied to my braid. This wire can be actually tied direct to your braid with both a FG knot and an improved albright knot but we dont want to be winding wire through our guides so the swivel is a good indicator.Just in case you might be wandering for my own curiosity i weighed the above mentioned trace and it came in at 0.3 of a gram which is enough to turn a 3-4g floater into a suspender

[@BCSGFishing]

+Ian Wilson wow thanks for the info about the wire trace, I would have never thought to try the fg knot on wire, I must try that one day. I havent had many opportunities to use wire trace in recent years because one of the few species in Singapore that requires the use of wire or heavy/exotic leaders is the giant snakehead, which isn't my main quarry. I still have boxes of coils of twist n weld and crimp traces in storage that my dad used to use some 15-20yrs ago that I havent even begun to use hahaha

[@Vermincinerator]

You're Welcome Bryan, i was quite surprised myself that tying the wire actual worked when i tried it, the reel proof of course would be how it actually performs in a real fishing situation, i might give it a try with one of my old rods that i dont mind if the rings get damaged

[@ljubn3961]

Personally i only use mono as leader when dealin with UL towater/ subsufface lures on my ul tict for perchfishing. 3lb mono for my poco poco popper as leader, anything heavier i just use fc!

[@mojondro]

And about Knott's i use the FG but if the line brakes i quickly ty the slim beauty

[@ocula22]

Nice

[@Baggensson]

I have a shimano aldebaran bfs xg i was told not to use a backing and just spool braid. Would this work or will the braid slip?

[@MrBrosnanlyx]

Hello here to ask. How Long should my leader line be? Is there any length to use what in fishing on any condition?

[@suanzytan]

Hi Mr BCSG, I don't wet my fc leader because i read that it is totally waterproof. What are your views on this? ☺️

[@TheConstantAngler]

Why did you stop? Really love your vids mate.

[@charlesadams1721]

Thanks for the video, your thoughts and comments. Have you tried the Uniknot or the Palomar knot?

[@BCSGFishing]

+Charles Adams yep I have tried them, i find the uni knot one of the weakest knots for that lure/snap connection, it seems to just pull itself apart under load, really easy to tie though. As for the palomar, I know this one is a hot favorite for many, and I did try use it for a time but I could never get my silly fingers to tie it consistently on FC or Mono. About 10-20% of the time I'd end up with the last 1cm of line badly kinked up and slightly compromised, so I'd have to retie. I do use the palomar for braid to lure/snap connections on heavy braid though, but I do a doubled variant where I thread it twice around the snap/eye, and do a double overhand knot. No issues with braid like I have with mono or fc using the palomar.

[@charlesadams1721]

BCSG Fishing; all valid points. I too sometimes have problems with the Palomar knot, but it seems to be the pre-imminent knot for “dropshotting.” I am curious as to your findings of weakness with the uni-knot, but I’ve found over the years, knots preferences are actual quite personal. For example, I’ve fished with extremely proficient fisherman who tie knots in ways I simply couldn’t do. There is some differences, when I’m fishing light and UL Tackle, I’m not using leaders (I’m currently not using braid) so for example, I’m either directly knotting 2 to 8 lb mono’s to the lure or a small snap, such as your preferred 000 or 00 Duolock snap. Interestingly enough, for many years, many freshwater fly fisherman have used a knot that was well established back in the turn of the 18yh and 19th Century, called the Turle knot. It’s quite suitable for downturn and upturned eyed hooks. I was never a fan of the knot, but as I said, is widely used in fly fishing. Again, in regards to the uniknot and even the improved clinch knot, doubling the line significantly adds to the knots durability and success. Thanks once again.

[@BCSGFishing]

Yep the palomar is definitely the go-to for dropshotting because of how it makes the hook stick out and up at a 90 degree angle, perfect for dropshotting and other similar rigs. Oh for sure, knots are as technical as they are personal preference. I know I did state that these were just the knots I personally use but watching it back again, I might have been abit too harsh on the knots like the clinch knot and even the trilene knot which was my driver for a long time. Most of the knots available do work sufficiently well and knot strength adds a somewhat unnecessary level of worry because most knots hold up more than well enough for typical use cases, even the uni knot. I think at the end of the day knot preference comes down to ease of tying(which again differs from person to person), and most importantly, confidence. A single bad break at the wrong time can turn someone off a knot completely, and such was the case for me and the improved clinch. I had a series of unfortunate failures in relatively quick succession a few years ago and I never used it again. I stopped using the trilene knot on the otherhand not because of failure but because I felt it wasn't forgiving enough, what I mean by forgiving is how often a retie is necessary after making a slight mistake such as pulling just a little too hard or not wetting the line enough before tightening it, kinda the same deal with the line kinking on the palomar.

[@Tezido]

Hi Bryan. Usually, how long is your leader?

[@rusyaidi4]

Hmm i have used an evergreen or decoy snap before, and it opened up.Rarely happens but it happens when it is so important,like a no fish day. Maybe its just that one snap that has quality issue.

[@BCSGFishing]

+maverick goose yea I know what you mean, all snaps can fail from time to time, no brand is immune to that unfortunately. It's the same for most aspects of tackle too, buying the good stuff just lowers the odds of failure or qc issues as much as possible, but even good stuff can fail and when it does it's usually at the worst times.

[@vire559]

Just ask if you ever heard about Seaguar line on certain online shop is fake, and folks in Russia tested it by burning the tip of the line with lighter

[@BCSGFishing]

+Aufar Raden yep i've heard about that, China will copy anything and not much can be done to stop them. To me, if they wont stop then I just hope that they at least learn to copy shit properly lol. Some of these copies are actually dangerous cos peoples lives depend on them.

[@Purserr]

new shoe rack ... lol

[@BCSGFishing]

+Purserr hahaha yea the previous one broke! Mrs bcsg has too many shoes lol

[@shangesonyap1065]

Hi Bryan, i still have the link for the vid of the knot. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXqcYWiGja6Mrdk Tight lines!

[@HanTo0]

That is tuna knot

[@HanTo0]

www.anglingknots.com/kbiggameknots/tunaknot.html

[@yongcw181]

Hi! Your no-name FC knot has got 3 tag ends pointing upwards..Dont think this is a good idea for heavy cover or rocky areas like Pandan. No doubt its strong but your snap could get snag easily by the debris or weeds. Also, i find that it waste too much leader material and takes too long to tie. You can consider the Davy knot which is much more simple and easier to tie. Dont be fooled by its simplicity. I have tried the knot at Orto (RTCs), Barelang , Pasir Ris pond and also Pandan. So far, no failures in close to a year. I hope you take my comments positively.

[@BCSGFishing]

+Yong CW thx for the suggestion, I'll definitely check out the Davy knot! Yep it does have 3 tag ends and that's no good for heavy cover, i use the trilene knot for heavy cover. As for rocks, I fish pandan 2-3 times a week and I have had no issues with this knot and rocks specifically. I also used more leader than necessary for demonstration purposes, in real time it doesn't use that much leader. I think most knots tie faster once you get used to it, I tie it as fast as most other knots I have used.

[@yongcw181]

The FG knot is a good idea ..i also learnt the knot from the same vid as u did... :)

[@bluemarlin6137]

You talk too much