Knots have been used for fishing for thousands of years to secure tackle in many different ways for a variety of uses.
Throughout time, fishermen have been devising different ways to tie knots out of necessity, using ingenuity and creativity.
An incorrectly tied knot can be cause for disappointment.Just imagine if you tied a knot well enough to maintain your tackle through many casts, but it lets loose when you try to haul in that three-pound lunker.
That would be disappointing.
Knots must be tied securely and correctly if they are to be of any use.
It takes a considerable amount of practice and manual dexterity to make this happen. Tying a knot for the first time shouldn’t happen on riverbank, in the early morning light, with cold wet, hands.
It just makes sense to practice tying your knots at home while you’re watching television or sitting on the front porch. Then, when you need to tie knots out in the field, you’ll be able to do so quickly and efficiently because you’ve practiced.
A couple of knots you may find useful are the uni-knot and the double loop knot.
The uni-knot is typically used to secure a fly or your hook to a leader. The double loop knot can be used in lieu of the blood loop dropper knot — which is a little more difficult to tie — to create a Paternoster system (a weighted line with a series of hooks positioned at intervals along it).
The combination of these two knots makes a great crappie rig to drop and drift with or even to troll.
With a Paternoster system, you would use the uni-knot to secure a bell sinker to the end of your line and a couple of the double loop knots for your tackle. If you use a couple of jig heads with twister tails, you’d tie one to the end of your line with the uni-knot and another two to three feet up the line with a double loop knot.
Different weight jig heads will determine your depth in combination with your trolling speed. Take note of the associated drawings to tie each of the knots mentioned.
Be certain to use a good knot that won’t let loose when tying your anchor as well.
Just as we must secure our knots, we must also secure our souls. Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.”
Like a good knot holds our tackle and anchor firm and secure, our hope in Christ secures our safety.
Zeeland, MI —
