An – as yet unfulfilled – objective of mine is to catch a
13.5-kilo (30 lb.) snapper. I have come close a few
times but never actually landed the really big one. Just off the Hen and Chicken Islands
a couple of years ago I thought I had finally cracked it.
We were fishing in the kind of hot bite that happens very rarely. Very
big snapper, many well over 10 kilo were being landed, and mostly released. It seemed
that every drop of the bait resulted in a hook-up. Not that all the hook-ups resulted
in landing fish. The bottom was the definition of foulness, craggy rocks and thick weed.
Frustrated with losing fish I moved up to 15-kilo gear, tied on some 30-kilo
trace and a 10/0 hook. I baited up with a whole skipjack tuna head and dropped it over
the side. The bait had only just drifted out of sight when it was picked up and slowly
moved away. As the fish gathered speed I reeled in the slack line and lifted the rod
in an arc to set the hook.
The rod bucked and bent as the fish headed down toward the kelp and rocks
below. The fish was big, I could feel that – and a snapper – the nodding rod tip proved
it.
The fight that followed was a brutish affair. I gained some line – the
fish took some back. This little play went on for some time but eventually I began to
gain more line than the fish could take. Finally we spotted ‘colour’ as the fish spiralled
into view in the clear water below the boat. As it neared the boat we realised it was
a very big snapper indeed. It was, and still is, the biggest snapper I have ever seen.
We readied the gaff.
The fish was coming easily now, and in the tradition of just about every
fisherman who preceded me I began to see the fish in the boat. But the fish also saw
the boat and decided my view of proceedings was not his.
The big snapper rolled its head downward – that was all. Not a hard lunge
– no vicious pull – just a roll away and down. It kept on going down, slowly but purposely.
I stood there watching my rod that was now straight, and saw the line lying slack in
the water.
Slowly I reeled in till the line-end lifted off the water. At the end of
the trace was a little curl of line where the hook had been. That little curl irrefutable
evidence that my knot had failed.
No amount of yelling, “Bother, golly, gosh, and darn it” could bring that
fish back. No amount of “If only” could disguise the fact that my knot failed.
Undertaking a personal debrief afterwards I realised the mistakes I made.
In my excitement and rush to get my new rig into the water I hurried tying
on the hook. I neglected to test the knot. I did not wipe the slime and grime from bait
and fish off my hands before I tied the knot. All these factors contributed to the lost
fish.
“But why didn’t the knot come undone during the early part of the fight,” you
ask?
Very often under hard-fight conditions the tension on the line is enough
to hold the knot from slipping. However once the tension comes off, as in this case when
the fish began to drift up toward the boat, the nylon line begins to recover its original
non-stretched shape. The coils and twists that formed the knot become loose and the knot
just quietly slips apart.
It is my guess that more fish are lost to poorly tied knots, than from
any other single factor.
So what makes a good knot?
The Du Pont Company, the world’s largest manufacturer of fishing line,
has done an enormous amount of research into knots for monofilament fishing line. As
a result of this research they established a set of guidelines that they use to determine
whether a knot is suitable for them to recommend for their lines. It should be noted
that these guidelines are for ‘every day’ knots.
The guidelines are:
A knot should be able to be tied by a novice with minimal practice in less
than 30 seconds.
The knot should not reduce the overall strength of the line to less than
80% of its breaking strain.
The knot should be easy to tie in low light conditions, with wet, or slippery,
hands.
So what is the best knot?
There are books full of knots, but amongst the best are the Uni knot and
the cinch knot (sometimes called the blood knot). Both the Uni and the blood knots are
quick and easy to tie, and both maintain overall line to over 85% of the lines breaking
strength.
But no matter which knot you choose there is one factor that remain true.
If you do not practice tying the chosen knot so that you can tie it easily and securely,
you will lose fish to knots coming undone.
To Wet The Knot Or Not?
One of the more enduring myths, sadly perpetuated in the fishing books,
magazines and videos – still being published – is the ‘wet your knot’ myth.
When mono lines were first introduced, they were thick and stiff. The line
surface was, by today’s standards, very rough. Pulling up a knot built up friction and
hence heat. Heat is a line killer. It reduces line strength markedly. Saliva proved to
be an ideal lubricant.
Modern lines are more supple and thinner for similar breaking strains.
They form into knots much more easily. The surface modern line is very smooth, and has
very little friction quotient.
It is because modern lines are thinner and suppler that you should not
wet your knot.
The best method of tying a knot is to tie the knot carefully, ensuring
there are no hidden line cross-overs. Then pull the knot up slowly but firmly, allowing
the twists to form-up properly. If you wet a knot there is a distinct danger of forming
what is called a ‘liar’ knot.
A liar knot is a knot that has not formed properly. It looks the part,
but its appearance is deceptive. Saliva allows the twists and turns to slide over themselves.
Deep within the knot a piece of line has crossed over another piece. This will act like
a scythe when the knot is jerked tight.
An end to the ‘wet or not’ dilemma may be at hand. There is a rapidly expanding
range of knot glues coming onto the market. These glues lubricate and coat the line within
the knot – then sets – to produce a knot that achieves very close to 100% of the line
breaking strain.
Tie And Re-Tie
A knot, any knot, is the weak link in the fishing system chain. Any knot
reduces the breaking strain of the line, when it is first tied. Hook into a couple of
good fish and the knot reduces the breaking strain further.
Fishing line is designed to achieve maximum strength in a straight pull.
A knot by its very nature changes the direction of the pull. Each pull on the line reduces
line strength at the knot.
It is a pain, especially in the midst of a good bite, but it is good practice
to re-tie knots after landing, or losing a good fish. This is especially true when fishing
lines of less than 10 kilo breaking strain. It is imperative to re-tie a knot that has
secured any part of your terminal tackle to a snag to line breaking point.
Just as important is to re-tie all knots before starting fishing. A knot
left tied from the last fishing trip is a time bomb waiting to lose you the fish of a
lifetime.