Wanting more info on midnight knot

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green weenie
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Wanting more info on midnight knot

Post by green weenie » Tue Feb 21, 2023 3:35 pm

I’ve watched the video posted in the survey but can’t get it to grip/hold. Anyone know anything about this knot?

Wes

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Randingo
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Re: Wanting more info on midnight knot

Post by Randingo » Tue Feb 21, 2023 8:16 pm

It’s the same thing as the PR knot. You must have a bobbin to tie it, preferably the kind that has adjustable tension and the rubber o-rings to grip your line. It's definitely a great knot for big game saltwater applications, and it *should* be ok in lighter tests as well. That said, if you need a tool that has to be swung around to tie, and you aren't 100% confident in your technique, I would never consider trying it on the water. Should you still want to, tie your first half-hitch and tension the whole knot by pulling both ends of the braid in the same direction and the leader in the opposite. Like the FG, getting the braid to bite into the leader is essential, and if it doesn't happen after the first half hitch, it never will. Also like the FG, finishing the knot (the multiple alternating half-hitches and maybe a Rizutto) takes longer than creating the working part of the knot. If you can tie it successfully and quickly enough that you're happy and confident in it, more power to you. I'll stick to the FG if I have time to tie in advance and the improved Crazy Alberto (which I can tie quickly and have complete confidence in) on the water.

green weenie
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Re: Wanting more info on midnight knot

Post by green weenie » Wed Feb 22, 2023 7:53 am

Thanks. I have not been able to master the fg with a clean knot in lower than 20-25 lb test flouro on heavy braid. The thin smaller braids and flouros just haven’t worked for me. I’ve used about a dozen different illustrations/videos to try and am not mastering it. I am using the improved crazy Alberto mostly but it’s still causing some interference in my baitcasters with smaller guides, not necessarily micro guides.

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Randingo
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Re: Wanting more info on midnight knot

Post by Randingo » Thu Feb 23, 2023 3:52 pm

I don’t know what to say. It’s frustrating when you seem to be doing everything right but the knots don’t hold. Although I can tie an FG without it, I typically use this tool for speed and consistency.
https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Daiichi ... -DSKA.html
And make sure you use gloves or some kind of knot pulling tool to tension your knots (between its slickness and its predilection for slicing through skin, I don’t feel like I can get enough tension consistently when tightening braid bare handed. You may be made of tougher stuff). With the FG knot, you should tension the knot after securing your first half hitch. That applies the most tension to the working part of the knot. Pull both the main and tag end of the braid in one direction and the leader in the opposite. I’ve never had a problem with tying 8# braid to a 5-10# leader, so it will work for this application.

The Alberto is prone to bumping and catching somewhat in the guides. It can be minimized by cutting the tag of the leader as short as possible. The only other thing I can suggest is using Loon UV Knot Sense to create a small ramp to the knot so that the leader to knot isn't quite so abrupt.

I assume you've tried other knots, but one that isn't mentioned here is the blood knot. It's most often used by fly guys to tie sections of leader together, but the Tactical Bassin’ guys swear by it for braid to leader connections. Check out their channel if you want to hear their reasons for using it and how they tie it (including how many turns per side for various sizes of line). It's a compact knot, and the tags stick out at 90° in the middle of the knot and can be trimmed down to nothing. It's also quick and easy to tie.

If it makes you feel any better, there are knots that I can’t get to hold well too. One I always thought would be great because it looks so perfect when it's tied is the Yucatan knot. Maybe it holds better in different size lines, but while I can tie it so that it looks perfect, it always pulls out with minimal effort when I test it. Anyway, for whatever reason, certain people using certain specific lines get really bad results. Use what works best for you.

green weenie
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Re: Wanting more info on midnight knot

Post by green weenie » Mon Feb 27, 2023 8:31 am

Thanks R! Your insight is very valuable.

GW

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Re: Wanting more info on midnight knot

Post by green weenie » Wed Oct 11, 2023 10:01 pm

Revisiting this thread. I’ve become pretty proficient with the fg, finally found a technique that is working for me. I am still having problems with the finish knots coming untied whether I’m using the risutto or alternating half hitches. I’ve even half hitched 6-8 times to protect the main knot. I’m thinking it’s the YGK’s x8 thinness and smoothness. Knot is still holding strong though. Thoughts?

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