TYING THE B2B LOOP KNOT
This knot owes its existence to the result of a happy accident in the same way as my Fluoro Loop Knot does. In both instances, I was pursuing my dream of creating a loop knot that did not rely on wrappings for its strength. Wrappings introduce variability. With a self-supportive knot like a loop knot, it is all down to one's ability to make the knot hold up under extreme pressure. There are no other mitigating elements such as a hook or swivel, or another line. It's simply you and the line. Thus, to conceive of a knot which will be the same for all comprising the same steps each time, like a standard Palomar Knot, is very attractive.
I gave myself the best chance of success by using a doubled line from the outset. I must have tested over a hundred different combinations. Some were designed to constrict, some were designed not to constrict. Some seemed to have real potential when they reached as high as 8.8 lbs b/s on my nominally 11 lbs b/s line. Even more occasionally, one or two crept over the magic 9 lbs b/s line. For knots of such simplified construction, this was quite a feat. Always, though, the problem was the same. A lack of consistency. The one area where I expected this type of knot to excel at, because there was no scope for deviation, it failed! All it excelled at was mediocrity! And, let's face it, we already have plenty of knots that are mediocre on fine braid. We hardly need any more!
Any of these knots that showed me a hint of promise was given every chance to shine. I reasoned that if there was any potential whatsoever within my new design, I should be seeing it within my first four attempts at tying. After all, I expected no less from the other loop knot patterns proliferating on this blog. Yes, you can make sub-standard loops using my profiles. So can you with almost any kind of knot. The difference is that when you get it right, these profiles can take you to the pinnacle of performance, whereas the patterns I was exploring seldom reached base camp, and never got much beyond.
So it was that sitting there idly twirling my knotting cord in pursuit of the above quest, I found that I had formed two loops, back-to-back, the first going under, the second over. Having placed a finger in each loop, and 'thrown in some double-line wraps' to form the knot body, I expected everything to jam up when cinching. To my surprise, I was able to release the first loop and smoothly cinch it, followed by the second. This was just too good to ignore. It felt like, for want of a better expression, 'it was meant to be'. I already surmised that the double line wraps would ensure the kind of performance I enjoy with my Double Down Loop Knot and Tuna Loop Knot.
But could the presence of those back-to-back loops afford the angler greater opportunity to tie a good knot rather than a mediocre one? On paper, it looked like it could, but my results in the table below were inconclusive. I was forced to concede that, FOR ME, there was little in it whether I tied a Double Down Loop, Tuna Loop, or straight King Sling Loop.
"Ah", I thought, "I am not YOU!". I have been tying these types of knot for years. They all feel like variations on a theme. The nuances that apply when tying one of these patterns apply equally to the others. I cannot 'unlearn' this knowledge and be approaching them for the first time evaluating which suits me best, which works most consistently for me. In the final analysis, it will always be down to you to make your choice.
And that is how I left it. How I felt I had to leave it. In due course, I readied the photos for producing this post. I hadn't tied the B2B on fine braid for several weeks. I needed to do so for the step-by-step shots below. To be honest, I pretty much did everything I will tell you NOT to do:
- Use of Tuna counter-wrapping with fine braid
"In for a penny, in for a pound", I told myself. Might as well add a reversed half-hitch tail for the photography.
Nothing could redeem that knot. I was sure of it. I thought I might see a little over 8 lbs b/s if I was lucky. Nothing prepared me for the eventual result ...
It left me shocked - but in a nice way! From start to finish, this B2B Knot has been a surprise. I do not think I have any more loop knots with a wrapping configuration left to explore. If this is to be my last, it is certainly a good one to finish on.
Before taking you through the steps to tying the B2B Knot, I feel duty-bound to present my assessment of where we are in the field of braid loop knots.
The loop knot that you tie with Fluorocarbon or Monofilament Lines can be quite a different animal to the one you tie on braid - even when it is exactly the same pattern. Many anglers avoid tying loop knots with braid and seek alternatives. You do not need to do that, but you do need to understand some of the fundamentals which I will explain in a moment - 'warts and all'.
I often write about loop knots as if they are high-performance vehicles. What is a knot but the 'bearer of your angling dreams'? I was puzzled how the same knot pattern could seem so different when tied on the aforementioned materials to when it is tied with braid. It should not be so, yet the divergence in the results I obtained on fluoro and mono to what I achieved with braid showed clearly enough that something was going on.
I hope the following analogy will bring some transparency to the proceedings:
- Using knots like The King Sling, The Tuna Loop, Double Down Loop, Back To Back Loop Knot with fluoro or mono is like stepping into a high-performance car or truck for a ride on the Freeway. You have way more power than you need to get the job done. A Figure of Eight, Perfection Loop, or Double Surgeon's Loop would suffice for most occasions. Only if you wanted some heavy-duty performance would you turn to one of these patterns. But once you have tied your King Sling or B2B Loop Knots, it's like being sat behind the wheel of a high-powered self-changing automatic. You touch the throttle and instantly feel yourself propelled forwards with enormous vigour. It truly is effortless performance each time of asking
- Switching to braid, especially fine braid in the 0.08 mm diameter class, you can't help but observe that there have been some changes. Gone is that multi-lane Freeway you were used to. In its place is more of a winding race-orientated track. You now have corners to negotiate. Externally, your vehicle looks just the same. Why wouldn't it? You are using the same knot pattern. Step inside, however, and there is something different. The 'easy-drive' automatic box has been replaced with a clutch and stick shift. Full-race harnesses, roll cage, crash helmets etc. adorn the interior. Clearly, you are getting ready for something serious! Instead of the burbling V8 there is the much harder-edged tick-over of a race-tuned engine. It likes to rev. To keep it in the sweet zone, the engine needs to be worked. As this type of a car demands to be driven, so this type of knot on this material demands all your attention if you are to avoid giving a lap time you could comfortably achieve in grandma's sedan! Nothing less than your full attention will suffice
Why do I need so many choices of loop knot when one is all I need to know?
Yes, having choice can be good, but too much choice can seem distracting if you are starting out.
For, if you are new to tying and testing loop knots on fine braid, it will be a matter of which one suits you best, which one you can most consistently tie to a high standard. Once you have identified 'the one for you', put out of your mind all other patterns you could use so that you are free to concentrate on other parts of fishing.
If, however, you have experience and have opted to use the Bimini Twist as your main loop for fine braid - remembering, of course, to give it x60 wraps each way to guarantee performance, you might welcome choice for another reason. Some knots are easier to tie at home in preparation for the fishing trip than in situ on the water. In such cases, a second knot can be brought into play. In the case of the FG Line-to-Line Knot, anglers might typically resort to using the Alberto. In the case of the Bimini Twist, an angler might resort to using a Spider Hitch Loop. I have no experience of this knot. I read that it is felt to be 'less durable' than a Bimini Twist. I prefer my knots to have some 'meat' on them in terms of wraps, but even at very low levels of wrapping you can see that they can more than hold their own with a Bimini Twist. So, this might be a consideration when thinking about a back-up knot. Additionally, there may be times when using mono or fluoro where you want the strength of a Bimini Twist without the hassle of tying it. Lastly, before we turn our attention to the B2B Loop and its siblings, no mention of loop choices would be complete without referencing The Lark's Head Loop Knot. It takes its name from the translation of a French manuscript on knots but can be traced back at least to the 1st Century AD, and undoubtedly was in use well before that. You will know it by its more common name of Cow Hitch. When tied with x60 reversed half-hitches on fine braid, you are guaranteed 100% of the line strength each time every time. If it is pulled to the max, you may have to push the hitches back into shape ready for it to do the same all over again! It does not perform well when circling wide objects like reel spools and needs to be pre-stretched when used in line-to-line loop connections. It's something to do with the supporting half-hitches being allowed to stretch and absorb the tension applied. I have described it in the following locations:
Video
Blog
https://braidknotsolutions.blogspot.com/search/label/02%20Knots%20-%20Crocodile
What is The King Sling Loop Knot? How does it differ from The Tuna Loop Knot? And what does this have to do with The B2B Loop Knot?
KING SLING
The standard method for tying this knot is designed to accommodate a lure within the eye of the loop:
https://www.netknots.com/fishing_knots/king-sling
This may work acceptably for fluoro and mono, but is unable to accommodate the quantity of wraps required when using fine braid. I evolved my variation of this knot independently of all references. Twisting the doubled line around the index finger of my left hand allows me to add as many wraps as I need without restriction, and bunch them together for maximum friction. Once my preferred x25 - x30 double-line wraps have been added, the wrapping loop is taken straight back to the gap vacated by my left index finger and inserted one or more times before cinching.
TUNA LOOP
This is the loop knot I use most often. It differs from The King Sling only in that I counter-wind the wrapping loop back over the outward-going wraps before positioning for cinching. It has many similarities with The Tuna Connection Knot - hence its name.
Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr-SoRu1TUg&t=49s
Blog
B2B
Ernest Hemingway had his classic short story Big Two-Hearted River. I offer you my Big Two-Hearted Knot! It offers two opportunities for cinching where the above offer one. It might bear a passing resemblance to the starting-point of my Double Down Loop Knot, although Double Down becomes a doubled-line knot later in its construction. In spirit, it is closer to The King Sling and Tuna Knots - just with more of what they have. Like them, you may tie The B2B Knot with either a King Sling-style or Tuna-style finish. When using lighter lines with a knot body created by multiple outgoing wraps, the option is yours. With much heavier lines where fewer wraps are required, this may not be an option - x6 wraps on 10 lb fluoro allowed me to add x2 counter-wraps but x4 wraps with x20 lb mono did not. Both went the distance, naturally.
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| King Sling (front) & Tuna (rear) Variants |
Now let's see how they compare
I promised you a 'warts and all' picture of what it is like to tie any of the above knots. Laid bare are my successes and some of my failures. I think it is important to see what can go wrong and know how to correct, rather than present an idealized view which you may not be able to achieve on your first few attempts. I wanted to present a real-world snapshot of the capabilities of these knots.
The important points to remember are:
- Maintain the tension in the wrappings
- Try to use dry and cool hands for better purchase
- On fine braid, use upwards of x25 - x 30 for more friction / insurance
- If the knot body sticks when you try to absorb the first cinching loop, use some spittle on the cinching loop to ease its passage
- With two fingers trapped instead of the one for the Tuna Loop, it may be best to stick to the King Sling-style when tying the B2B Knot - at least to start with until you are more practised
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Loop Knot Testing |
Looking at these results, it should become clear that I am not some kind of super sensei and that I am fallible like the rest of you. But you should also take heart from the fact that If you take your time and don't rush these knots, you too will succeed more often than not.
I find it a good idea to set a benchmark that you want your knots to reach. In this way, you can quality test each loop knot to ensure it meets your minimum standard without overstraining it, or worse, breaking it.
In time-honoured fashion, I am going to take you through the knotting process step by step using my knotting cord as you must first walk before you can run. I will adopt The King Sling-style to finish up the knot with.
01
Double the line over and allow yourself a generous length of tag end
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02
Form a loop as shown giving yourself a good length of wrapping loop with which to work
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03
Bring the wrapping loop back around to form the second back-to-back loop such that it resembles a figure of eight
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04
Trap both loops between your thumb and forefinger of your dominant hand
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05
Place the two fingers nearest to your thumb of your other hand inside each of the loops newly made
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06
Place the wrapping loop in the intersection between the bridging-line linking your two fingers and the main and tag lines. Commence wrapping with turns away from you
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07
Wind the wraps as tightly as you can. Every three wraps, push the wraps together using your thumb and forefinger. After about x9 sets of wraps, you will feel the wraps move less on the main and tag lines, and start to get a firmer grip on them
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08
Here, I am showing the wraps tightly bound together, and am making ready to bring the wrapping loop down towards the first of the cinching loops (or coils) in The King Sling-style
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09
The wrapping loop is inserted through the outside of the first cinching loop and held between thumb and forefinger of your left hand if right-handed (Edit - it is important to take the wrapping loop up from underneath the first cinching coil when you remove your finger, i.e. taking it up from the side whence your finger has just exited. If you poke the wrapping loop through the other way, i.e. in the same direction of travel as your remove your finger, the knot will jam). With the thumb and forefinger of your right hand, grip the body of the knot and push it towards the cinching coils. The first set of cinching coils will tighten down and become part of the knot body. You will also feel the second cinching coils tighten around your finger. Do not overtighten as you may find it difficult to extract your finger later to make room for the wrapping loop
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10
Here, the first set of cinching coils have been tightened down and the wrapping loop is being prepared to be inserted through the second set of cinching coils (Edit - up from underneath as with the first cinching coil)
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11
As with the first set of cinching coils, maintain the tension on the wrapping loop with your left hand while using the thumb and forefinger of your right hand to push the body of the knot up to close this second set of cinching coils
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12
And here is the knot after cinching with the two sets of cinching coils clearly visible. For some reason, they remind me of the head of a Musk-ox!
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I like to use a rounded bit of cord to practice with as it allows you to re-use as many times as you need to build up muscle memory. You may prefer to use old fishing line you may have lying around. This too can give you a feel for what is to come, but if you are practising with mono or fluoro, but planning to use braid, you may find a difference every bit as big as using knotting cord.
Let's assume that we are ready to have a go. When working with a doubled braided line, I tend to keep the respective wrapping loop and main and tag lines well lubricated with saliva as I find it easier to work with the double line when it is sticking to its neighbour than having to constantly gather the two lines together.
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01
Double the line and make a loop. The wrapping loop forms the outside part of the loop
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02
Bend the wrapping loop back on itself to form the second loop and trap under your thumb as shown
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03
Place the fingers closest to the thumb of your other hand through each of the loops you have made and pull on the wrapping loop to tighten the loops around your fingers. Then, tightly wrap away from you the wrapping loop three times before using your thumb and forefinger of your right hand to bunch up the wraps. Repeat in groups of three until you have reached the required number you want. Gradually, as you progress, you will feel the wraps becoming firmer the more you add
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04
In this frame, I am starting the counter-winding of the Tuna-style. I didn't mean to do this as the King Sling-style is easier, but am so used to the counter-winding of my usual Tuna Loop Knot that I was already doing it before I realized ...
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05
Despite the slight blurriness of the shot, you can see that I am taking the wrapping loop through the outside of the first cinching loop
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06
Here, I am holding he wrapping loop with my left hand having pushed up the body of the knot with the thumb and forefinger of my right hand to close up the first cinching loop
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07
An altogether sharper frame. The wrapping loop is being brought through the second cinching loop via the far side towards you in readiness to be cinched in exactly the same way as the first of the two cinching loops
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08
And here it is! The B2B Knot fully cinched and ready for use!
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09
Look closely, and you will see that I have added a x30 reversed half-hitch tail to provide further support. I do this for all my braid loops. If you tie a bad knot, it won't make much difference. If, however, you tie a medium-to-good-strength knot, I like to think that it can help make it even stronger. Talking of strength, the knot you see pictured here is the same one I referred to earlier as having been tied in contradiction to my carefully-laid out rules. Curiosity got the better of me. I had to know! Despite my worst fears, it just managed to creep over the 10 lbs b/s mark before failing which, all things considered, is not bad on an 11 lbs b/s line
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If you have managed to make it to this point and to absorb everything I have said, you deserve a reward.
Sit back and enjoy these two back-to-back videos I have laid on for you. The first is punctuated with annotations, the second is a straight run through until almost the end:
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