Knots


Always choose the correct and suitable knot for the job in hand. Tie it correctly and if in doubt about its strength or appearance, cut it off and re-tie it. Don't ever gamble on a bad knot. It may prevent you from landing the fish of a lifetime.

Always draw the knot together gently. There is no knot that works well when tightened with a jerk or abruptly. Abrupt jerks distort and weaken the line structure and always tighten knots unevenly.

Adhere strictly to the recommended number of turns or twists in a knot pattern. It is always better to put in more turns than fewer turns. Trim all knot ends with good sharp scissors or a scalpel and be careful never to damage the knot structure.

Always lubricate monofilament or nylon lines before tightening down. Saliva is very effective and always available, failing which a good silicone solution will suffice. Never use blunt instruments teeth and especially lighted cigarettes or naked flame for cutting or severing the ends of a knot. Heat destroys the quality of both knot and line and should be avoided at all costs.

Practice tying knots, especially new ones as often as possible until they become second nature. A little practice with an old piece of line at home pays dividends in the long run. Ensure your rig looks neat and professionally tied and remember to pay attention to detail.

Using Braid to attach to wire trace swivel, pass loop through the swivel eye, then pass the clip end of the wire trace through the braided loop. When tightened, you will have a nice neat attachment between main line and wire trace. Use the loop knot for lure fishing, but it can be used for bait fishing too. It is possible to remove your trace without having to cut your braided line. Take end of braided line and loop in back on itself- as in Fig.1 - Take doubled up end and loop it back on itself again - as in Fig.2 - Form a loop - as in Fig.3 - Pass end through loop 2 times - as in Fig.4 - When pulled tight you will end up with a nice neat loop knot - as in Fig.5,


Method of Knot Tying Method to tie a four or five turn grinner knot, ensure you wet the line before pulling the knot together.


The Palomar Knot This is one of my best tried and tested knots, called the Palomar which has a very high knot strength particularly with Berkley Big Game line. Ensure you wet the knot prior to pulling together.


Image of four turn water knot 4 Turn Water Knot. This knot is used to connect two lengths of line, it is usually used for a paternoster rig. The two lines are formed into a loop, the ends are passed through the loop four times then tightened.


Image of half blood knot Half Blood Knot for attaching hooks, swivels and leads. This is a practical knot if the gauge of the hook, swivel or lead is similar in diameter to the line being used. If the gauge is thicker than the line, then a tucked half-blood should be used, use 5-7 turns for strength.


Image of Tuck half blood knot Tucked Half Blood Knot a more efficient knot than the basic half-blood, and one that should be used when large fish are the quarry, use 5-7 turns for strength.


Image of the knotless knot The Knotless Knot or No Knot used widely for hair rigs, the bait can be placed on the hair before tying the knot. A very good knot which will not let you down, again ensure you wet the line before pulling together.


Image of stop knot Stop Knot a very useful knot to us for sliding float rigs, the knot can be tied with line or powergum. Leave a long end on the knot of at least 1cm, to stop floats from slipping over the knot.