Most people think the most important weapon in catching big fish is good fishing line. While this may be true,ultimately everything depends on the KNOT at the end of the line. I have personally always spit on my knot before tightening it. A little lake water would suffice for the same purpose though. It keeps your knot from streching and weakening. Done improperly, the knot could be your weakest link. I will try my best to explain four knots without being able to personally show you.

The one I most often use would have to be the Improved Clinch Knot. To tie one of these knots you have to pass about three or four inches of line through the hook or lure eye. Next,take the end of the line and wrap it around the main line about four or five times. Then take the end of the line and pass it between the first wrap and the lure eye and back through the loop you just made. The final step is to moisten the knot and then pull to tighten. You can then clip the excess line with clippers. I prefer to use my teeth. All done!

The second knot is the Palomar Knot. It is a unique knot that is fairly strong. I think it’s because it doubles through the hook eye as I will explain. Step one,pass the end of the line through the eye about ten inches,turn the end around and thread it right back through the eye about halfway. You should have now created around a five inch loop on one side of the hook. Now for step two, hold the main line and the end of the line with one hand and take the loop with the other hand. Tie a regular knot by wraping the loop around the main/end lines but do not tighten it. Step three,bring the loop behind and down over your hook. For the final step of this knot, hold the hook with one of your hands and grab the end and tighten. You may also have to grab the loop end to keep it close to the hook eye. Don’t forget to clip or bite the excess line.

The third knot I will try to explain is called the Uni-Knot. It reminds me of the Improved Clinch Knot but is suppose to help make crankbaits and spinnerbaits have a better wobbling action. To start this knot, pass the end of the line through the eye of the hook about eight inches or so. Next,take the end of the line back towards the hook eye forming a loop.Then, take the end of the line and wrap it through the loop,around both other lines. Repeat this about six wraps,starting near the eye and the sixth one being away from the eye. Now you just need to pull on the end of the line,moisten,and slide the knot down to the eye to tighten. Sometimes,I actually tighten the knot but leave it a couple of inches from the eye. I do this when I fish a Rapala.

The last knot I will share is called the Worlds Fair Knot. I bet you are wondering why it is called the World’s Fair Knot. I will explain it cause it’s actually quite interesting. Du Pont,the makers of Stren fishing line,held a “great knot search”contest. A panel of outdoor writers voted this knot as the best, easy-to-tie,all-purpose fishing knot. The knots creator,Gary L. Martin, named it when he first publically introduced it at the 1982’s world fair. He was assisted by none other than Bill Dance and Roland Martin. The oddest thing about that is that I was at the Worlds Fair in Knoxville in ‘82.I don’t remember the knot or seeing Bill Dance, but I was in attendence. Did I say easy to tie? Well here we go with step one. Fold and double your line about six to eight inches and then stick the doubled loop end through the eye. Next, bring the loop next to the doubled line and take the doubled/end line through the loop. Then you have to pull the end of the line through the new loop created by the doubled line. Lastly take the end of line through the new loop you just created in the last step and pull the end of the line snug,moisten,and slide knot to the eye. I don’t know about easy but we now finished the famous Worlds Fair Knot.

Well,I hope you find this helpful when knot tying. It might take some practice at the beginning to make perfect knots. There’s nothing worse than the feeling you get after losing a big fish because of the knot. In my opinion,it is the most common cause of lost hooks. Remember to pratice,practice,practice. Spring fishing is probably the best time to catch some big fish and that is knot a joke. Great fishing to you!! ; )

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