Complete Book of Fishing Knots, Leaders, and Lines: How to Tie The Perfect Knot for Every Fishing Situation
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About this ebook
When you’re fishing, there’s nothing more frustrating than letting a poorly tied knot cost you the catch of the day. Knot expert Lindsey Philpott has written a guide to save anglers everywhere that anguish. The Complete Book of Fishing Knots, Leaders, and Lines contains directions for fifty kinds of knots, ranging from easier knots for beginners to specialized knots for more experienced fishermen. Each knot is explained with step-by-step instructions and color photographs, all done using a thick monofilament to make them as easy to see as possible. Here are just a few of the various types of knots you’ll learn:
Arbor
Australian braid
Palomar
Japanese fisherman
Bimini twist
Paragum
And many more!
Also included is a glossary of terms to ensure that every part of the knot-tying process is easy to learn. The Complete Book of Fishing Knots, Leaders, and Lines offers clear instructions for tying winning leaders, tips for selecting lines, and up-to-date information from the field that will bring you the quickest, slickest, and best catch ever. Whether you’re trolling for huge marlin on the open seas or fishing for blue gill in your favorite fishing hole, this book is a must-have for fishermen of all abilities.
Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for fishermen. Our books for anglers include titles that focus on fly fishing, bait fishing, fly-casting, spin casting, deep sea fishing, and surf fishing. Our books offer both practical advice on tackle, techniques, knots, and more, as well as lyrical prose on fishing for bass, trout, salmon, crappie, baitfish, catfish, and more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to publishing books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked by other publishers and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.
Lindsey Philpott
Lindsey Philpott is the president of the Pacific Americas Branch of the International Guild of Knot Tyers. He has provided forensic knot analyses in criminal cases and teaches rigging and rope work. He lives in Long Beach, California.
Read more from Lindsey Philpott
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Complete Book of Fishing Knots, Leaders, and Lines - Lindsey Philpott
Chapter 1
What You Need to Know About Knots
• Knot Terminology • How Knots Work • How to Work with Line • How to Finish the Line • What Not to Do
As anglers we are the first to admit that we have favorite fishing knots for different situations, and only those knots will do—we swear by them and would not change for all the tea in China. We grow accustomed to tying a particular knot in the type of line we prefer and do not want to change our familiar methods. Because we have this history with knots and line, we have definite ideas about which knots and lines work best and where they work best, so what could there possibly be that you need to know about the subject? Read on.
Tying knots in line, particularly slick line like monofilament, has always been a challenge. All record-setting anglers agree that they had to learn their knots first, along with a thorough familiarity of lines and other equipment. It is neither staying out of the weeds and rocks, finding the perfect bait, nor even staying out of the trees or snags that presents the record seeker with the greatest challenge. At the outset, tying good, reliable knots is the greatest challenge. The line seems thin, slick, and fiddly—it seems to have a mind of its own. But it has to be mastered if you are to keep up with the recordsetters. With practice, you can certainly master the necessary skills. With practice, you can show others those skills and go on to learn, or perhaps even invent your own knots.
When you are peacefully practicing knot tying you have all the time in the world. But see a rise and you have to know which knot to tie and you have to tie it now. Having learned and practiced ahead of time will serve you well. You will have confidence that the hook and line will remain together on that 20-pounder.
Here I’ll present at least three of the secrets to tying good knots that stay tied. Practicing them before you go, seated in your comfy chair with this book at your side, will help you to gain skill and confidence.
The first secret to tying knots is no secret really—you have to pick the right knot, or the fish is lost before you make your first cast. If your knot looks ragged, it will snag before it hits the water. If your knot is lumpy, it will be visible to fish for miles—well, yards anyway. Worse yet, if your knot has to pass through small-diameter rod guides and you have tied the right knot, but in the wrong direction, you could end up spending valuable time untangling snarled line.
You should seek out advice wherever you can regarding which knots work best for what you doing. You have taken the right first step in picking up this book. Get advice from your fishing buddies, captains and guides, the storeowner where you get your tackle—they are all good sources of information. Just a friendly word though: don’t rely on their advice alone. Consider what they are saying and make up your own mind.
The second secret that I want to share is that life does not stand still. You will have to grow with it, whether you want to or not. Fishing, as part of life, is not a sport that likes to stay still: it is constantly evolving. New lines are coming out all the time, new rods, new reels, new gear—there is always something new. Your knots, however, having stood the test of time, have not changed in maybe five or ten years, maybe even since you first tied them? So, do you think that maybe there is something you could stand to learn about knots, even if you choose not to use the information? If you can gain some greater understanding of how knots work, and in which kinds of line, wouldn’t that be worth hanging onto? Before you answer, let’s consider the third big secret.
When a New York cabbie was asked by a breathless young woman running to his taxi from Grand Central Station, with a violin case gripped white-knuckle tight in her hand, What’s the best way to get to Carnegie Hall?
he laconically replied, Practice, practice, practice.
It’s not my joke, but that’s my advice, in a nutshell, the third secret. You must practice or you will get to be like that garden rake you haven’t used in years—rusty. When you do practice, try tying a new knot by first following all the directions. Then see if you can find some shortcuts or missed steps that you need to know about. Practice will help your fingers remember the moves, and once the moves are memorized, you may discover new and different ways of holding the line when tying the Blood Knot, or Bimini Twist, so that you do not let go at a crucial moment, or you do not twist something too much or too little. Remember that different line materials will affect the way a certain knot should be tied. Whether it is too many twists or too few—there is going to be something different about it, so be alert.
Before we get started in earnest, take a look at the complete Glossary of Terms toward the end of the book. Familiarity with the names for the parts of knots and line will help you get started. Here are a few critical ones.
Knot Terminology
• Line: Any piece of flexible material made of man-made (usually) or organic (not much these days) fibers, used, in our case, for catching fish. It may also be a piece of wire, but don’t let that fool you—it is still referred to as line.
• Standing End (also standing part): The main part of the line that is attached to the reel. Also, the part to which you are attempting to fix your leader or other piece of gear—it’s the part that stands alone with nothing to do other than wait for you to attach something to it.
• Wrap: A complete circle around a standing part is one turn or wrap. If your line starts the wrap on the side away from you it should finish in the same position to make a round turn or wrap. The working end, or tag end should finish the wrap in the same place it started.
• Tag End (also working end): The end of your line that you are using to make the knot. Sometimes you make the tag end by cutting away a part of the line—it is still the tag end that remains in or under the knot, while the part you throw away is just that—the part you throw away. Be nice to your environment and don’t throw it in the water—if you pack it in, pack it out.
• Loop: A loop is formed when the line crosses or meets itself. The difference