Fishing Knots

***This document is Chapter 1 of "Grant's Guide - Fishing Knots & Rigs" by Ern Grant, and is available from Herron
Publications Pty Ltd, Fortitude Valley, Queensland. Ph: (07) 3257 1711 Fax: (07) 3257 1686

Loop, Clinch, Jansik Special, Palomar, Hangman, Scaffold, Snelling, Uni-Knot, Surgeon, Spider Hitch, End Loop,
Off-Shore Swivel, Blood Bight, Dropper Loop, Float Stop, Tuck Sheet Bend, Turle Knot, Double Turle Knot\

The Loop Knot can be tied readily in the dark, and equally readily attached to swivel and hook. If fishing for
flathead, you may have more confidence in your gear if the loop to the hook is made about 12.5cm long, thus
taking the fish on a doubled trace.

As experience is gained, you may wish to move on from the Loop Knot to knots that lie closer to hook and swivel.

One of these is the Half Blood Knot, which is more correctly half of the Barrel Knot. THIS
KNOT WILL SLIP. It has cost me more fish than I want to remember.

If you must use it, then you have two choices:

a) Stop the end of the line with a simple Overhand Knot, and draw it against the turns of
the knot.

b) or make the Half Blood Knot into a Clinch Knot.

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Clinch Knot

Pass the line through the eye of the hook, or swivel.
Double back. make five turns around the line.
Pass the end of the line through the first loop, above the eye,

and then through the large loop. Draw

the knot into shape.

Slide the coils down tight against the eye.

Jansik Special

Another beautifully simple knot that can be tied in the dark,
The Jansik Special is a high strength knot tied as follows:

Put 15cm of line through the eye of the hook.
Bring it around in a circle and put the end through again.
Making a second circle, pass then end through a third time.
Holding the three circles of line against each other, wrap the

end

three times around the circles.

Either hold the hook steady with pliers, or make it fast to boat's

rigging or safety lines.

Holding strain on the hook, pull on both ends of the line to tighten.

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Palomar Knot

The Palomar Knot is another very simple knot for terminal tackle.
It is regarded by the International Game Fish Association
consistently as the strongest knot known. It's great virtue is that
it can safely be tied at night with a minimum of practice.

Double about 12.5cm of line, and pass through the eye.
Tie a simple Overhand Knot in the doubled line, letting the hook

hang loose. Avoid twisting the lines.

Pull the end of loop down, passing it completely over the hook.
Pull both ends of the line to draw up the knot.

Hangman's Knot

There are at least 6 variations of the Hangman's Knot, - all of them
excellent for terminal tackle, swivels and hooks. The "standard"
Hangman's Knot holds only five turns when tied in monofilament
nylon. If tied in rope, and used for its stated purpose, it takes eight
turns.

Pass a 15cm loop of line through the eye.
Bring the end back on itself, passing it under the doubled part.
Make five loops over the doubled part.
The formed knot is worked into shape.
The knot is sent down the line, against the eye of the hook or swivel.

Scaffold Knot

This is a much simpler variant. In all likelihood, this Grant's Uni-Knot.
I have used it for more than fifty years and it has never failed me,
whether tied in 1kg or 50kg monofilament. It was taught to me by the
late Wally Kerr, a top flathead fisherman.

Pass a 15cm loop of line through the eye.
Lock the upper part between thumb and forefinger, making a loop.
Make two more loops over the double part, holding them too,

between thumb and forefinger.

Pass the end through the two loops just made, plus the first loop

made in step

The formed knot can now be drawn into shape, and worked

down against the eye of the hook or swivel.

Snelling A Hook

One small problem is the variety of names that mey be applied to the
one knot, for examle, a Granny is a False Knot, a Clove Hitch is a
Waterman's Knot, an Overhand Knot is a Thumb Knot. But when we
come to snelling a hook, the length of nylon attached to the hook may
be a snell or a snood.

I now find that the actual job of tying the snood may be called snoozing,
while snelling is often jealously thought of as an art restricted to the fly
fisherman. I have fished with bottom-fisherman on the Great Barrier
Reef who routinely snell their hooks.

Restricted to lines of breaking strength less than about 20kg, the
process is a simple one.

Joining Line to Line

There are two top grade knots used to join one line to another,
where these are approximately of the same thickness. These are
the Blood Knot and the Hangman's Knot - also called the Uni Knot
by the International Game Fish Association.

Where there diameters are very dissimilar, either the Surgeon's
Knot should be used, or the thinner line should be doubled where
the knot is formed.

Blood Knot

Lie the ends of the two lines against each other, overlapping about 15cm.
Take 5 turns around one line with the end of the other, and bring the end

back where it's held between

the two lines.

Repeat by taking 5 turns around the other line, bringing the end

back between the two lines. These two

ends should then project in

opposite

directions.

Work the knot up into loops, taking care that the two ends do not slip out

of position.

Draw the knot up tightly.

Uni-Knot Version Of The Hangman's Knot

A better join can be made using one of the Hangman's Knots, known to the
International Game Fish Association fisherman as the Uni-Knot.

This is a knot used for attaching the line to the spool of the reel.

Overlap the two lines for about 15cm.
Using one end, form a circle that overlies both lines.
Pass the end six times around the two lines.
Pull the end tight to draw the knot up into shape.
Repeat the process using the end of the other line.
Pull both lines to slide the two knots together.

Pass the end of the line, trace or tippet through the eye twice, leaving a loop hanging below the hook.
Hold both lines along the shank of the hook.
Use the loop to wind tight coils around the shank and both lines, from the eye upwards. Use from 5 to 10
turns.
Use the fingers to hold these tight coils in place. Pull the line (extending from the eye) until the whole loop has
passed under these tight coils.
With coils drawn up, use pliers to pull up the end of the line.

Surgeon's Knot

Earlier mention was made that if the two lines to be joined vary greatly in
their diameters, the lesser line may be doubled at the knot, or the Surgeon's
Knot may be used. In the latter case, it will probably be necessary to have
one of the lines rolled on a spool, or perhaps wrapped on a temporary card,
so that it may be passed through the loop.

Lay the two lines against each other, overlapping about 22.5 cm.
Working the two lines as one, tie an Overhand Knot. It will be necessary

to pull one line (say the

leader) completely through this loop.

Pull the leader through this loop again.
Pass the other end through the loop.
The formed knot can now be worked into shape.

Spider Hitch

The offshore fisherman often have a need to tie a double line - a long
loop of line that is obviously stronger, and easier to handle, than the line
itself. In accordance with International Game Fish Association Rules, the
double line may be up to 4.5m long in lines up to 10kg, and as much as
9m in heavier lines.

The double may be tied by means of the simple Spider Hitch with lines to
15kg. The big game boys use the Bimini Twist, a double that is normally
formed by two people who make the intitial twenty twists. The Bimini is
obviously beyond the scope of this little book. It's smaller brother, the
Spider Hitch, is a much faster and easier knot for the light tackle fisherman.

Form a loop of the desired length, say 1.25m.
Twist a section into a small loop.
This is the only tricky part - hold this loop with thumb and forefinger,

the thumb extending above the

finger, and with the loop standing up

beyond the tip of the thumb.

Wind the doubled line around the thumb and the loop 5 times.
Send the rest of the long loop through the small loop, and pull gently to

unwind the turns off the thumb.

The knot is now formed and worked into tight coils.

Offshore Swivel Knot

This is a special knot used for attaching a swivel to a double line.

Put the end of the double line through the eye of the swivel.
Rotate the end half a turn, putting a single twist between the end of the

loop and the swivel eye.

Pass the loop with the twist over the swivel. Hold the end of the loop,

together with the double, with one

hand, and allow the swivel to slide to

the

end of the double loops that have formed.

Continue holding the loop and the lines with the right hand. Use the left

hand to rotate the swivel

through both loops 6 times or more.

Keep pressure on both parts of the double line. Release the loop.

Pull on the swivel and loops of line

will start to form.

Holding the swivel with pliers, or (better still) attaching it with a short

length of line to the rigging, push

the loop down towards the eye while

keeping pressure on the double line.

Surgeons End Loop

Loops are made for the purpose of attaching leaders, traces or other
terminal tackle. They have the advantage that they can be tied quickly
and in the dark.

The Surgeon's End Loop is an easy way to go.

Take the end of the line and double it to form a loop of the required size.
Tie an Overhand Knot at the desired point, leaving the loop open.
Bring the doubled line through the loop again.
Hold the line and the end part together, and pull the loop to form a knot.

Blood Bight Knot

Another end loop can be tied quickly and easily using the Blood Bight Knot.

Double the line back to make a loop of the size desired.
Bring the end of the loop twice over the doubled part.
Now pass the end of the loop through the first loop formed in the

doubled part.

Draw the knot up into shape, keeping pressure on both lines.

The Blood Bight Knot is often used for attaching a dropper when
fishing deep water with several hooks.

Some anglers attached the hook directly to the end of the loop, which
should be at least 30cm from the end of the line.

This is not a good practice, especially when the fish are shy. Far better
to attach a single strand of nylon to a short Blood Bight Knot, using another
Blood Bight Knot, or a Surgeon's Knot.

Dropper Loop

A better method of forming a loop, or loops, in the line above the
sinker is to use the old Dropper Loop. This draws into a knot that
stands out at right angles to the line.

If desired, the loops can be made long enough to have a hook set on
them. And once again, this is not a good practice unless the fish are
biting-mad, which they rarely are.

Form a loop in the line.
Take hold of one side of the loop, and make 6 or more turns around

the line itself.

This is the tricky part - keep open the point where the turns, or twists,

are being made.

Take hold of the other side of the loop, and pull it through the center

opening.

se a finger in this loop

so that it is not lost.

Hold this loop between the teeth. Pull gently on both ends of the line,

making the turns gather and pack

down on either side of the loop.

Draw up the knot by pulling the lines as tightly as possible. The turns

will make the loop stand at right

angles to the line.

Tucked Sheet Bend

Usually employed by the fly fisherman, the Tucked Sheet Bend is commonly used for joining the backing line to the
tapered line. It is not an especially compact knot, but has a very strong attachment which cannot be said for the more
aesthetically pleasing Perfection Loop.

Make a Blood Bight (see above) at the end of the backing line.
Take the end of the tapered line. Pass it through the Blood Bight and make a simple Sheet Bend.
Now pass the end of the tapered line back through the closed loop of the Sheet Bend.
Hold both ends of the tapered line to tighten and draw into shape.

Float Stop

The float fisherman uses a running float for casting and general
handiness, and stops the float from running up the line by using the
Float Stop. It has the advantage that the stops moves readily over the
rod guides, but grips the monofilament nylon so tightly that it will not
slide over the line.

It should be made with about 12.5cm of nylon, usually the same
diameter as the line itself.

Take 2 turns (3 if necessary) around the main line at the chosen point.
Bring both ends around to form a Surgeon's Knot.
Tighten into shape bringing the coils close together.

Turle Knot

I have included the still-used Turle Knot for old times sake. Also known
as the Turtle Knot, and Major Turle's Knot, it is simplicity itself to tie, but
is one of the weakest knots.

It should never be used for light lines, and there are better knots for
use with heavy ones.

Pass the line through the eye of the hook.
Make a simple loop.
Carry the end of the line on to make a Simple Overhand Knot upon

the loop.

Pass the loop over the hook.
Draw up into shape.

Double Turle Knot
Tied in monofilament nylon, the Turle Knot may slip unless another
Simple Overhand Knot is made at the end of the line where it leaves
the Turle Knot.

It is improved substantially by using the Double Turle Knot.

Pass the line through the eye of the hook or swivel.
Make two simple loops, and carry the line on to make a Simple

Overhand Knot around both loops.

Pass both of these loops over the hook or swivel.
Pull on both parts of the line to draw the knot up into shape against

the eye of the hook or swivel.

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Fishing Knots

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