I wanted to find the strongest and the fastest way to attach solid wire to monofilament or fluorocarbon, so I tested two methods head to head on 20-pound Daiwa J fluoro. The first was a uni knot tying the fluoro to a swivel, with a haywire twist connecting the wire to that swivel. The second was an Albright knot tied straight to the wire. The uni-to-swivel route broke at 14.87 pounds, or 74.35 percent, while the Albright came in weaker at 11.08 pounds, just 55 percent.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
In my test the strongest connection was a haywire twist from the solid wire to a swivel, then a uni knot from the swivel to the fluorocarbon. That route broke at 14.87 pounds, or 74.35 percent of the line's strength. The uni knot always tests as one of the strongest knots, which is why I tied it to the swivel. If your priority is the most reliable, strongest connection, the swivel route is the way to go.
The fastest way is an Albright knot tied directly from the fluorocarbon to the solid wire. It saves you the extra step of digging a swivel out of your tackle box and tying a second connection. There are absolutely applications where that speed matters. The tradeoff is strength: in my test the direct Albright broke at just 55 percent, well below the swivel route, so you trade durability for quickness.
Quite a bit. The haywire-twist-to-swivel-with-a-uni-knot connection broke at 74.35 percent, while the Albright tied directly to the wire broke at only 55 percent. That is roughly a 19 percentage point difference on the same 20-pound Daiwa J fluoro. So while the Albright is faster, the test makes clear there is a real strength cost, and you should pick your method based on whether speed or strength matters more for the situation.
Use the Albright when speed matters more than maximum strength. If you are re-rigging fast, working through a lot of leaders, or in a situation where getting a line back in the water quickly outweighs squeezing out every pound of strength, the direct Albright is a faster, swivel-free option. Just go in knowing it tested at 55 percent, so it is a deliberate tradeoff rather than the strongest possible connection.
Because the uni knot consistently tests as one of the strongest knots, so it is my choice for the critical line-to-swivel connection. By pairing a strong uni knot to the swivel with a haywire twist on the wire side, I am building the connection out of two proven, reliable links. That is why the swivel route held up so much better than tying a single Albright straight to the wire.
If you have other knots you use to tie fluorocarbon to solid wire, I want to hear them, drop them in the comments and I will test those too. The whole point of How 2 Tuesday is to control the controllable by actually testing connections instead of guessing. You can also compare my existing results in the free knot guide at tomrowlandpodcast.com before your next trip.
Connecting solid wire to fluorocarbon comes up constantly with toothy fish, and there is always a tension between doing it strong and doing it fast. So I did not test for just one answer, I tested for both. I pulled a haywire-twist-to-swivel-with-a-uni-knot against a direct Albright on identical line so I could tell you which to grab depending on the moment. The gap surprised me. I walk through both connections in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The Albright is genuinely faster, you skip the swivel and tie straight to the wire, and there are real situations where that speed matters more than the last few pounds. But the machine showed it at 55 percent against the swivel route's 74 percent, so the tradeoff is not small. Knowing the exact cost lets you make that call on purpose instead of by accident. I explain how I decide which to use in the episode, so press play in the player above and follow along.
Here are the steps I walk through in this How 2 Tuesday. I cover the details in the episode, so press play in the player above and follow along.
I unpack each of these in the episode. Press play in the player above.
If you want the strongest wire-to-fluoro connection, go haywire twist to a swivel, then a uni knot. It tested at 74 percent against the direct Albright's 55 percent.
The Albright is still worth knowing because it is faster and swivel-free, and there are times speed wins. Now you know the real cost. Press play in the player above for the full test.
solid wire · fluorocarbon · haywire twist · swivel · uni knot · Albright knot · Daiwa J fluorocarbon · knot strength testing · Danco · Tom Rowland Podcast · How 2 Tuesday
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
Tom Rowland Podcast — Episode 967: How 2 Tuesday (Tom Rowland, solo)
In this episode: testing the strongest and fastest ways to attach solid wire to fluorocarbon, an Albright knot versus a haywire twist to a swivel with a uni knot, the break-strength results on 20 pound Daiwa J fluoro, and when speed beats strength — in the exact words spoken.
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Tom Rowland: We're looking for the strongest and the fastest way to attach solid wire to monofilament or fluorocarbon. What's going on, everybody? This is the Tom Roland podcast brought to you by StarBright. And today, we're doing how to Tuesday brought to you by Danco.
Tom Rowland: So we tested tying solid wire to 20 pound Daiwa j fluoro in two different ways. We're looking for the strongest. We're looking for the fastest. We tied an Albright knot, and we tied a haywire twist to a swivel with a uni knot to the 20 pound fluorocarbon. Which do you think was strong?
Tom Rowland: The results are in. The UNI KNOT broke at 14.87 pounds. That's 74.35. Not that great, honestly, but the Albright knot broke at 55%, which is 11 o eight pounds.
Tom Rowland: So what this tells me is that there is definitely a fastest way and there is definitely a strongest way. We chose the uni knot. That one always test as one of the strongest knots, so that's the one that we tied to the swivel, and then we tied an Albright knot directly to the line. The Albright knot is absolutely a faster way to go because you do not have to get an extra step of of grabbing a swivel out of your tackle box. You just tie it directly to the wire. But test don't lie. This one was way weaker than the other way. So if you're looking for the absolute strongest way, it's gonna be a haywire twist to a swivel then to a knot. If you're looking for the absolute fastest way, which there will be applications for that 100%, that is going to be an Albright.
Tom Rowland: If you've got other knots that you use to tie fluorocarbon to solid wire, put it in the comments. I'll test those too. Alright. That's how to Tuesday brought to you by Danco on the Tom Roland podcast. We'll be back next week.
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