An Aid For Tying Knots
Helping out as an instructor at the Fishing 101 for Women seminars has not only been a rewarding experience, it has also been a fantastic learning experience. While I have enough knowledge to help introduce women to the sport of fishing, I am always striving to learn more. At the recent seminars at the Barrie Cabela’s, I was introduced to some tools for practicing knot tying: an eye hook and some rope.
It can be very frustrating to learn knots when you’re working with thin, difficult-to-see fishing line, and trying to get it through the small eye of a hook. The beauty of using the rope and eye hook, is that it’s easy to see and work with, allowing you to perfect your technique before scaling it down to fishing line. It really works. Participants learned the knots faster than ever, as it was easier for them to visualize the technique.
Fair warning: this is rather addicting. I found myself tying knots over and over, for at least 15 minutes.
If you don’t already have the necessary hardware at home, it costs very little to pick it up from your local hardware store or dollar store. Just test out your rope first to make sure it will slide down easy enough to cinch the knot.
All you need is some rope and an eye hook. I took this hook out of the horse shed for this demonstration. Let’s tie a palomar knot.
Step 1: Feed the tag end (the very end of the line) through the eye.
Step 2: Feed the tag end back through the eye, keeping a loop on the one side.
Step 3: Tie an overhand knot.
Step 4: Pull the loop end over the hook (or lure).
Step 5: Pull the loop to the top.
Step 6: Snug the knot down to the eye. You’re done! With the rope it’s easy to loosen the knot and start again. When you start tying this on mono or fluorocarbon line, you should wet the line with saliva before snugging it down. This reduces friction and prevents damage to your line.
Give this method a try and you will be pleased at how easily you pick up new knots and practice old ones.
This is just one more example of how Fishing 101 for Women simplifies things, making it easier to get into fishing, and how it teaches more experienced anglers new techniques.
For more information on Fishing 101 for Women, check out the website at fishing101forwomen.ca.
There are many great knot tying resources online. Our favorite resource is the Fishing Knot Guide from Wired2Fish.
argosgirl
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