Sunday, 11 August 2013

The STRONGEST KNOT...

...for joining two lengths of monofilament is the figure-of-eight knot.  A postscript reference was made to it in this post about leader construction.  It is time to provide a how to tie it post.

The steps are easy:

1 - Have the two ends of the lengths to be joined, laid side-by-side for just over a hand's breadth

2 - Make a loop, with the two lengths leading away from the rod over the top

3 - Put your finger up through the loop from underneath

4- Make two anti-clockwise turns in the loop

4 - Pull the two lengths leading away from the rod through the loop

5 - Check that you have the two lengths all the way through (don't leave the short end behind)

6 - Slowly draw the knot a little tighter until you have a figure-of-eight shape in the knot

7 - Moisten the knot with spit

8 - Draw it tight, holding it tight for a couple of seconds.

9 - Suck the spare spit off the knot

10 - Trim away the waste ends

Here are the 10 steps in a word-free video!

 
 
It would seem some mysterious deprecation has been imposed on this video.  Why techies have to fiddle with stuff that is working alright is beyond me but if you cannot view the video here is the link to it on YouTube

Please do give this a try and let me know how you fare with it.  You won't regret learning how to tie this excellent knot.




Regular Rod
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11 comments:

  1. cofisher11 August 2013 at 17:29

    Oh my. Truth be told, the only knot I can tie without instruction is the improved clinch knot. I have one of those tools for tying a nail knot. I don't even wear tie shoes because I never mastered how to do that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Regular Rod11 August 2013 at 17:33

      Hopefully now you will be able to manage this knot. There is none stronger for the job of joining two lengths of monofilament. Can you try it for me please Howard and then let me know how you fared? Thank you.

      RR

      Delete
  2. Bunc11 August 2013 at 23:18

    Best knot for joining two lines without a shadow of doubt and also a very easy knot to tie. You'd be mad to use any other knot. Good clear instructions.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9 May 2014 at 18:49

    Is this a knot that could be used to tie on a dropper too?

    Regards,
    Martin.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Regular Rod9 May 2014 at 22:31

      Yes it is Martin, make sure you cut off the spare length that is nearest the reel. Use the down pointing end for your dropper.

      RR

      Delete
  4. Anonymous12 May 2014 at 09:52

    Hi RR

    I've only just discovered this article and it couldn't have come at a better time.
    Last week I had a day fishing where my dropper knot broke 3 times (I use a 4 turn water knot), this hasn't happened to me before and it really knocked my confidence in the knot, or my abilities to tie it correctly.

    I had a session yesterday and practiced this figure of eight knot a few times before heading out.
    I'm now completely converted.

    It's so simple to tie, using that video as guidance, and it's just incredibly strong.
    It's given me my confidence back in fishing with droppers.

    It even coped well with a couple of obligatory casts in to a tree, both times I got my leader and flies back intact.

    Thanks for putting this up, it's been a real revelation.

    Dan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Regular Rod12 May 2014 at 12:16

      My pleasure Dan, a repository of information (some of it next to useless) is what this blog is for. Thank you for the kind feedback.

      RR

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12 March 2015 at 09:58

      Hi RR....I use this knot exclusively for joining lines (tie my own tapered leaders) and droppers on copolymer and fluorocarbon lines - the knot has never ever let me down...now I don't even bother with the two turns in the loop - I only use one turn and it a) makes an even neater knot and b) doesn't appear to make any difference at all to the knot strength.

      Nigel aka Brit in a Bothy

      Delete
  5. Anonymous26 April 2016 at 21:36

    Great strong knot

    ReplyDelete
  6. Chris10 May 2017 at 23:16

    Hi RR

    The video for this seems to have disappeared and I don't follow your instructions, any chance of reposting it. I'm keen to try making a tapered leader following your spec..

    Thanks.

    Chris

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Regular Rod11 May 2017 at 11:08

      Thank you for the heads up Chris. I've included a link to it on the YouTube page now.

      RR

      Delete