|
To Be Or ‘Knot’ To Be? Tie The Right Line Correctly To Prevent Lost Fish
Fish of a lifetime or the one that got away — to be, or not to be? That is the question. A knot’s the answer. The right knot with the right line.
“A knot is your last line of defense when fighting a fish,” explains Rapala bass pro Jacob Wheeler. “Tying the right knot — with the right line — gives you the upper hand in the battle.”
Wheeler, winner of a Forrest Wood Cup and Bassmaster’s inaugural BASSFest, relies solely on Sufix fishing line to fight and land lunkers. So too does Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame Legendary Guide Tom Neustrom, who mainly targets walleyes. Here, they explain what knots they tie with which Sufix line, and why.
Palomar Knot
Both Wheeler and Neustrom rely on the Palomar Knot when fishing with Sufix Castable Invisiline™100% Fluorocarbon.
“We fishermen debate this all the time, but still my favorite knot for fluorocarbon is the Palomar,” Wheeler says. “I very seldom have had an issue with breaking my knot.”
He’ll get no argument from Neustrom. “Trendy knots come and go, but I still think the Palomar the best knot going,” Neustrom says.
A simple, easy-to-tie knot for attaching a line to a hook or lure, or a fly to a leader or tippet, the Palomar knot is regarded as one of the strongest and most reliable fishing knots. “And its as good for beginners as it is for people who fish professionally,” Wheeler adds.
Follow the steps in the Recommended Fishing Line Knots illustration to tie your Sufix fluorocarbon line to your bait.
To avoid heartbreak, pay particular attention to one detail in that last step, Wheeler says.
“Making sure you wet your line prior to cinching your knot down is super key to keeping your knot in tip-top shape,” he explains. “So you’re not going to break any knots; you’re not going to lose any fish.”
Sufix Castable Invisiline™100% Fluorocarbon casts like mono and is virtually invisible. Resistant to ultraviolet rays that can damage lines, it’s incredibly strong, abrasion resistant and sensitive. What’s more, it sinks four times faster than traditional nylon lines, getting your bait to the strike zone faster. Wheeler spools it up to fish about 90 percent of his baits – everything from Rapala crankbaits, to jigs with Trigger X Goo Bug trailers, to swim baits rigged on a VMC Swimbait Jig.
Double Uni Knot
While Neustrom favors Sufix 832 Advanced Superline braid for its strength and sensitivity, he almost always tips it with a long fluorocarbon leader. Especially when fishing for spooky walleyes in clear water. He connects the two lines with a Double-Uni Knot.
“That’s the best knot to attach fluorocarbon to braid,” Neustrom says. “It’s a very simple to tie and works great.”
Because it’s virtually invisible underwater, Sufix Invisiline 100% Fluorocarbon makes a great leader line to attach to braid, which can sometimes spook line-shy fish. Neustrom ties his fluoro leader to his lure with a Palomar Knot. “Day in and day out, the Palomar and the Uni-Knot are the best two knots,” he says.
Follow the steps in the Recommended Fishing Line Knots illustration to tie Sufix 832 line to your bait with a Palomar knot.
In situations where spooking fish is not a concern – in stained to dirty water and/or low-light situations – Neustrom will tie his Sufix 832 braid directly to his lure with a Palomar Knot. “With a Palomar and braid, you don’t want to pull it tight, you want to keep it kind of loose when you pull it,” he advises.
Sufix 832 Advanced Superline is the strongest, most durable small-diameter braid line available. GORE® Performance Fibers improve abrasion resistance, increase casting distance and accuracy and reduce line vibration. Dyneema® fibers provide high strength, sensitivity, hydrophobic water-repellent protection.
Snell Knot
When Wheeler flips thick vegetation mats and snaggy laydowns, he spools up heavy Sufix 832, connecting to a VMC Heavy Duty Flipping Hook with a “simple and easy” snell knot.
“Whether you’re flipping vegetation or wood, your hook-up ratio is really good.” he explains. “And it holds braid really well. Your line won’t slip or anything like that.”
Rapala Knot
For throwing a topwater bait, “I still like to go old-school and throw monofilament,” Wheeler says. To impart as much action as possible to a Rapala Skitter Walk or Skitter Pop, he connects Sufix Tritanium Plus mono with a loop knot.
A great option is the Rapala Knot. A non-slip loop knot intended to be tied directly to the lure, it provides a loop which allows the lure to move freely and naturally.
“A loop knot helps me walk my topwater a little bit more,” he explains. “And the Tritanium prevents the nose of that bait from pulling down, which is essential to its action. It’s all about having line that floats, so your options are monofilament or braid. Because fluoro sinks.”
Wheeler favors mono, he says, because it stretches – “gives you a little bit of give.” Braid does not.
“When fishing topwater baits, you tend to set the hook a little early,” Wheeler explains. “Mono gives me a split-second give where maybe I’m going to hook those fish a little better than I would with braid. I don’t snatch it out of their mouths, I just pull into them and I hook them really well.”
An advanced copolymer line, Sufix Tritanium Plus™ is incredibly strong, but surprisingly supple. Featuring an advanced anti-abrasion copolymer formula for maximum durability, it boasts high tensile and knot strength as well as special anti-friction agents to reduce abrasion and improve casting.
Follow the steps in the Recommended Fishing Line Knots illustration to tie Sufix Tritanium Plus line to your bait with a Rapala Knot.
|
