Ok I’m not finding any diagrams for the Erwin knot online, all the links appear to be broken. From what I can gather this knot is basically what I call a double improved clinch knot (the line is passed through the eye twice, similar to a Trilene knot), which I have been tying for light tackle sense the 80s thanks to In-Fisherman. I was obsessed with that show as a kid, I cried every year the season was over.
So here is the single improved clinch knot:
The Improved Clinch Knot
Trilene knot is like this:
The Trilene Knot
I assume the Erwin is a Trilene knot with a clinch finish, which I call a double improved clinch knot. If it is, it’s nothing new.
Another way to say this is that this knot is the same as a Trilene knot with the tail passed back through the big hoop similar to the clinch knot except the line has been passed through the eye twice.
Does this photo look like an Erwin knot, not the best photos but:
80# mono, looks good before its cinched but does not cinch well with this large line.
(photos taken using 4lb Stren clear blue fluorescent line and a black light, larger line would have stood out more but I did not have any)
Me personally I use this "double improved clinch knot" for everything under 30#. I use the double San Diego for everything 30# and up.
The single Sand Diego:
Fishing Knots, San Diego Knot, Reverse Clinch Knot
The double Sand Diego is the same knot except you double the line up when you tie it. So you end up with 3 tags that get cut off in the end (two of them form a loop). Another nice thing about the DSD is that you can put 10 or 4 winds in it and it still comes out great. 10 winds gets a bit tough to cinch cleanly but they still work great. One down fall to the DSD is their size, this is where a Double Improved Clinch knot would work better in my book if it will tie well.
Here is a photo:
Here is a 10 wind DSD, hah:
I love the Double San Diego. I have lost very few fish to this knot, usually when a fish is lost its due to not retying after several fish. I do know this though do not pass the doubled up line through the eye twice, it will fail for sure. I lost several fish in mexico last year because I was being stupid. Once I figured out what I was doing wrong I did not loose anymore fish. I have also fished the double San Diego using light lines down to 2# test. I have caught tons of 5-7# Stripers at Lake Powell fishin 2# using the double San Diego on a large loop for wear resistance.
A lot of people really like the double Uni as well. I’m not a big fan of the double Uni. I think it cinches down too tight and does not cinch as cleanly as a double San Diego. I think that the double San Diego is a "softer knot" and does not cause the line to dig into itself as much when it is really cinched down. Maybe I’m just not tying the double Uni well enough.
I am working on developing a test station for knots using some sand and a bucket. Fill the bucket full of sand until the knot breaks then weigh the bucket. I’m still trying fine a good scale to weigh the bucket with. I would love to test some splices as well. I see a lot of data online but so much of it sounds like poor experimentation due to the crazy deviations in the results. I think a knot should be able to be tied with only 5% deviation from knot to knot. So I would like to set up my own test. I will post some results when the day comes with actual numbers, averages, and standard deviations. I would also like to play around wire gauge of the hooks to see how a lighter gauge hook performs against a heavy gauge hook
If any of you know a link for some knot testing that has been done using a tighter scientific method please post it. I would love to see the data
Time to pack for Mexico.
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