Great advice here

 

Rodholder... I'm probably to some degree on the first point, just arguing semantics, because I agree, essentially, totally with you. But I would say it is wear on fluoro not friction that causes the issue. If it were friction,... you;d be wetting your knots.

 

One of the things that lead me to change to 100% fluoro in trout fishing, whether it be lake fishing or on a back country stream chucking dry flies at dumb rainbows... was it's abrasion resistance.

 

Some have argued this with me saying after a fish drags fluoro over a rock it feels very abraded and they are, of course, correct... it does. You have also landed the fish and have the photos.... You tie a new leader because you can tell this one is stuffed. Had you been using the mono in the same circumstance you would have, instead of leader feeling somewhat abraded, a cleanly broken leader that snapped on contact with the first obstacle and no photos but a good story of yet another monster that got away.

 

I believe there is a lot of marketing hype in the "invisibility factor" of fluoro, although I have no doubt it is less visible than mono. I don't believe the blanket statement that it doesn;t knot well, I accept totally that knots completely differently to mono.

 

I fish, as I am certain you do Rodholder, with the thought that the very next fish to take my fly, or that i might present a fly to, may just be the fish of the lifetime. This leaves no room for "She'll be right" It means, to me, that if I can tie a 98% knot instead of a 87% knot then I should. It means if one leader material gives me a 2% advantage over another I should take it... when else will I get to do battle with this fish?

One of my favourite quotes if from Sean Connery in the movie the Untouchables... "Trust a wop to bring a knife to a gunfight"... we all laugh at this, but when many go fishing they do exactly that. They fish not with the %age advantages but with the "cheap" line, the "look at the deal I got on these flies" and the "I can only tie this knot", knot...

 

When you gird your loins to take on that creature you've spent a lifetime dreaming about and pursuing... you better be ready.... and it might just happen on this drop???

 

I'm probably preaching to the converted here... but I felt like saying it anyway!

 

 

 

The Triple Surgeons (TS) is a superb knot for it's strength to stability. It  is most probably the handiest line joining and loop making knot that can be done in a real hurry onboard a boat... not nesacarily to replace the Lefty's for fly or jig connection because that is just as fast, but for line joining and also double making...

 

The bimini as most everyone knows it is a thing to be done land bound by most anglers requiring two hands and usually one toe and one knee. However, a good friend of mine, Peter Morse from Australia evolved a method of tying a small bimini using only your hands and teeth. This proved a bit of an obstacle for me as I wear a partial denture, but time and experience now means I know exactly what two real teeth will hold the braid to tie of what Peter calls the "Guides Bimini"... it's a great thing to learn. We use it in many a[pplications in Saltwaterfly and it was natural to bring it with me as I have the occasional dabble with a softbait or two...

 

The TS will serve you well, very well and there is probably few reasons to part from it. But the Guide's Bimini is a just a great tool to have in your arnsenal and if nothing else, like the Yucatan... a fun thing to tie.