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In almost
every case the knot is the weakest piece of the fishing
tackle. Long before a fish strips the gears of your reel,
snaps your rod in two, breaks your line or leader, or
straightens out your hook, a knot that is not properly tied
will fail under the pressure of hard fighting fish.
You may
argue that fish can break lines. That may be true, but only
in part. When a line does fail, it is usually the result of
it being damaged by foreign objects or weakened by age.
When a sound line does break, the line, once again, will
have almost always failed at a knot. And when you consider
that there may be several knots in play, at locations like
the line’s connection to the reel, at the junction of the
line and the leader, and again at the attaching point of the
hook or lure to the leader, the odds of a knot failure
increase by their number.
It is the
rare knot that provides one hundred percent of the tensile
strength of the material from which it is tied. For
example, when tying 30-pound test leader to 20-pound test
line, the knot’s strength will usually be something less
than that of the weaker materials. But, that may be 90
percent or better, if the knot is tied and formed
properly. I’ve added emphasis to the forming of the knot
because even if you make all the right motions in laying one
strand of line over and around another in tying, if the knot
is not shaped properly or isn’t drawn down properly, it may
slip rather than break.
What’s a Guy (or Gal) to Do?
In a word, be ‘fussy’. Inspect your
line and your leader before you begin fishing and several
times during your outing. If either the line or the leader
are chafed, nicked, or frayed, cut off the damage area and
retie whatever knots may be affected. Then, pay close
attention to how you tie your knots and how you form or
finish them. Moistening the formed knot with saliva will
lubricate the area and allow the knot strands to slide more
easily into place as you draw the knot together.
Some knots are formed by section, such
as knots that join lines or lines and leaders together. I
don’t want to promote uncontrolled spitting, but a little
saliva on each section that you tie and form does wonders,
when compared to dry lines. Again, be generous with the
moisture as your draw the completed sections down on each
other. Do not be afraid to put pressure on your knots in
the draw down process. Be careful, however, that you don’t
slice your hands or fingers by having the line, particularly
woven line, slide across them when you pull. Some anglers
carry a pair of leather garden gloves with them to avoid
lines slices. The gloves can also come in handy when
landing and handling some of the spiny critter you’re likely
to catch.
Tying lures and hooks to leaders is
another activity that calls for ‘fussiness’. Leaders,
particularly fluorocarbon leaders, can be tough, somewhat
stiff, and slippery, compared to braided line or even
monofilament. Give yourself enough material to work with
comfortably when tying on your lure or hook. Pay close
attention to forming and tightening (drawing down) these
knots. Nothing is more disappointing than losing a stout
fish because your hook knot slipped, leaving you only a
little, twisty pig tail at the end of your leader were a
chunky grouper should be.
Many anglers tie a loop of heavy line
onto a cleat, a railing, or an upright support of a tee top
on their boat to use as a place to secure their hook or lure
when then draw down their knots. Again, be careful not to
let the line slide through your hand. And be sure that the
loop or structure you are tied to is sound so the hook or
lure won’t come flying at you at warp speed and embed a barb
in you.
What Knots to Use and How to Tie Them
Hey, it’s a great title, even though
there is no way I can tell you how to tie any kind of knot
using just lines of text running across your PC screen.
There are only a few ways to learn knot tying. First, and
best, is latching on to an experienced angler and having him
or her show you the ropes. Second is buying a book like
Bob McNally’s Compete Book of Fishermen’s Knots, Fishing
Rigs, and How to Use Them, picking out 5 to 8 knots
listed therein, and studying the instructions and drawings
of each. Either way, you will be instructed on the tying and
drawing process. The key to success (and to getting to
Carnegie Hall) is, and will always be, …. practice,
practice, practice ….. until you can tie each knot easily
and, almost, without looking at it.
What knots should you learn to tie?
Good question, since there are hundreds from which to
choose. Consider what tasks you need to perform as an
angler, and then make your choices.
A job that comes to mind immediately is
one of tying lines together or line and leader together.
Consider picking two or three knots that can handle this
task. Some that come to mind that have proven to perform
well are the Blood Knot, the Uni-Uni Knot, and the Albright
Special. Like most knots, you will likely find variations
of each. Pick a style that you feel comfortable working
with and learn to tie it well.
The Improved Clinch Knot and the
Palomar Knot are popular and proven knots for tying leader
directly to hooks or lures. Since most lures attract fish
by the action imparted to them by movement through the
water, consider using a knot that doesn’t restrict the lures
ability to ‘flop around’. Loop knots are best suited to
this job. The Buffer Loop Knot is an easy loop to tie. For
your former Boy and Girl Scouts, the Bowline Hitch also is a
solid and relatively easy loop knot to tie.
In some situations, like fishing for
large, powerful fish, it may be wise to create a section of
three to four feet of doubled line that ties to a section of
very heavy leader. A couple of better known knots for
making this long, double line section are the Bimini Twist
and the Spider Hitch. The Spider Hitch is by far the easier
and faster of the two to tie.
Summing It Up
Hook up with
an old salt and pick his or her brain for ‘knotsmanship’
and/or buy a book. Select a few knots that will do what you
need to get done and practice tying and tightening these
until you’re both comfortable with the procedure and
confident with the end products. Then get out there use
them without concern that your trophy fish are going to get
away because your knots slipped or broke easily.
As always,
if you have questions, visit one of our local bait and
tackle shops. They will be glad to help. We also invite you
to join us, the members of the Coastal Conservation
Association (CCA), at our next monthly general membership
meeting. The CCA FL Charlotte Chapter membership meetings
are on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM at the
Port Charlotte Cultural Center on Aaron Street in Port
Charlotte. Meetings are open to the public. The next
meeting will be on May 24, 2005. Our guest speakers are
professional fishing guides and tackle experts who will
explain and show you methods and techniques to improve your
fishing. We also encourage you to join the CCA to help
protect our marine resources. You can sign up at our next
meeting, or pick up a membership form at any of several Port
Charlotte and Punta Gorda bait and tackle shops, or by
calling CCA Florida at (407) 854-7002 or by e-mail at
www.ccaflorida.org.
For
additional information on Florida fish and wildlife, check
www.marinefisheries.org, the website of the Florida Fish
and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 
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fishing. When you are
fishing, however, the ‘link’ analogy best compares to the
only part of the fishing rig that you actually produce.
That is the knot. Okay, some may tie their own flies or make
your own lures, but everyone of us make our own knots.
