PR Bobbin Knot
PR knot · PR bobbin
Joins braid of 50-pound-test and heavier to a long monofilament or fluorocarbon leader, wrapped on with a PR bobbin tool. The join is small in diameter and passes through rod guides.
Finished structure
No drawing of this exact knot yet. The written steps are the reference.
- Diagram in reviewA drawing of the PR Bobbin Knot itself is being made. Until then, follow the written steps.
Step 01
Loosen the bobbin drag, load 1.5 to 1.8 m (5 or 6 ft) of braid onto the bobbin, then tighten the drag. Lay the leader alongside the braid with about 25 cm (10 in) of overlap just above the bobbin.
No drawing of this exact knot yet. The written steps are the reference.
You should now seeBraid pays out from the bobbin only when you pull firmly, and the leader lies parallel to the braid with about 25 cm (10 in) of overlap above the bobbin.
If it goes wrongStarting with too little overlap. It shows up later, when the end of the leader arrives before the tight wraps have covered 5 cm (2 in).
Fix: Slide the leader back to give a full 25 cm (10 in) of overlap before any wraps go on.
Why: The PR bobbin tool sets the tension every wrap goes on with, through its drag. The overlap is the working length those wraps are laid along.
- Diagram in reviewA drawing of the PR Bobbin Knot itself is being made. Until then, follow the written steps.
Step 02
Pinch the overlapping lines in two places so the leader cannot turn, then spin the bobbin around the leader 10 to 12 times so the braid lays a loose, open spiral down the leader.
No drawing of this exact knot yet. The written steps are the reference.
You should now seeAn open spiral of braid running down the leader with gaps between the turns, and the leader still lying straight between your pinches.
If it goes wrongThe leader turning with the bobbin. Instead of an open spiral you see braid and leader twisting together, and few real turns are laid.
Fix: Unwind back to the start, pinch the leader more firmly at both points and spin the bobbin again while the leader stays still.
Why: This loose spiral is the base layer. The tight wraps in the next step go back over it and do the gripping.
- Diagram in reviewA drawing of the PR Bobbin Knot itself is being made. Until then, follow the written steps.
Step 03
Keep both pinches firm, reverse direction and spin the bobbin back over the spiral, laying tight wraps snug against each other until 5 to 7.5 cm (2 to 3 in) of leader is covered.
No drawing of this exact knot yet. The written steps are the reference.
You should now seeA solid band of wraps 5 to 7.5 cm (2 to 3 in) long with no leader showing between them, which does not move when you pull braid and leader apart.
If it goes wrongWraps going on with gaps or slack, so the stack slides along the leader when you pull the lines apart. Carrying on well past 7.5 cm (3 in) makes a section that knocks through the guides.
Fix: If the stack slides, cut it off, tighten the bobbin drag and tie it again. If it is too long, tie it again and stop at 7.5 cm (3 in).
Why: The tight wraps squeeze the spiral and the leader along their whole length. Their tension comes from the bobbin drag, so a loose drag gives a stack that slides.
- Diagram in reviewA drawing of the PR Bobbin Knot itself is being made. Until then, follow the written steps.
Step 04
Pull several inches of braid off the bobbin and cut it free. With that braid tag, tie two half hitches around the leader, then a half hitch with three wraps around the leader. Cinch it and trim the braid tag.
No drawing of this exact knot yet. The written steps are the reference.
You should now seeThree hitches seated snugly against the end of the wrap stack, the last one bulkier from its three wraps, and a short braid tag.
If it goes wrongLeaving the hitches loose or tying them a gap away from the stack. You see them slide along the leader, and the end wraps of the stack start to loosen.
Fix: Pick out the loose hitches, push the stack back together and tie the hitches again, cinching each one down before tying the next.
Why: The wraps end at the braid tag. Without hitches locking that end, the stack can unwind from there under repeated loading, however tight the wraps are.
- Diagram in reviewA drawing of the PR Bobbin Knot itself is being made. Until then, follow the written steps.
Step 05
Trim the leader stub short at the end of the wraps. If you want a stop, melt the stub carefully with a flame, keeping the flame off the braid, until it forms a small bump.
No drawing of this exact knot yet. The written steps are the reference.
You should now seeA short leader stub or a small rounded bump, and a connection that slides smoothly when you draw it through the rod tip guide by hand.
If it goes wrongHolding the flame too close or too long, so the braid wraps scorch or the leader next to the bump turns glossy and hard.
Fix: If the braid or the leader beside the bump looks scorched, cut the connection off and tie it again.
Why: The melted bump sits at the end of the wraps and stops them slipping off the leader end under very heavy pressure.
When this family fails, it fails as these. The recovered end still outranks the name.
Braid wrapped onto a heavier leader, then locked so the join cannot hinge.
- !Hinge at the material transition — the join clicks, then parts
- !Wraps not packed on the heavier line before the lock
- !Lock or tag on the wrong side of the braid, so the column unzips
- !The tight wraps have gaps or slack, so the stack slides along the leader when braid and leader are pulled apart
- !The leader turned with the bobbin while wrapping, so few real turns were laid to grip it
- !The half hitches are loose, missing or tied away from the stack, so the wraps unwind from the braid tag end
- !The flame scorched the braid wraps or the leader beside the melted bump
Wrap stack slides on the leader
The connection lets go progressively under a sustained run
Grip is the product of wrap tension and wrapped length. Slack bobbin drag gives neither. · step 03
No half hitches over the wrap stack
The stack unwinds from the end once load cycles
The hitches are what stop the last wrap from backing off. · step 04
Leader spun with the bobbin, few real wraps laid
Looks wrapped, grips almost nothing
If the leader turns with the bobbin, no relative wrap is accumulating. · step 02
Wrapped section too long for the guide train
Knocks through the guides and costs casting distance
Guide passage is set by the length and taper of the wrapped section. · step 03
The wrap stack slides along the leader when you pull it
Check
- ?Pull the braid and leader apart and watch whether the stack moves at all
Then
- →Retie with more bobbin drag
- →Extend the tight return wraps to a full two to three inches
The wraps end without half hitches over them
Check
- ?Look for the locking hitches sitting on top of the wrap stack
Then
- →Add the half hitches and the three-wrap finish; the stack unwinds without them
The connection knocks or catches going through the guides
Check
- ?Draw it through the tip guide by hand before fishing
Then
- →Shorten the wrapped section
- →Trim and melt the leader stub flush
Wrap stack slides on the leader
Check
- ?The connection lets go progressively under a sustained run
- ?Inspect step 03
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
No half hitches over the wrap stack
Check
- ?The stack unwinds from the end once load cycles
- ?Inspect step 04
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Leader spun with the bobbin, few real wraps laid
Check
- ?Looks wrapped, grips almost nothing
- ?Inspect step 02
Then
- →Retie. Do not dress a defective structure and call it seated.
Same failure class, different geometry. Open the plates — Diagnose still starts from the symptom.
Not ideal for
- ×Anywhere the bobbin tool is not to hand — this knot is defined by the tool
- ×Quick leader changes on a drifting boat
- ×Light lines where the wrap length is out of proportion to the job