Line to Tackle
The improved clinch knot is best utilized to tie hooks, swivels and lures to fishing line that is less than 20 pound test. A knot in fishing line seldom is as strong as the line itself; the improved clinch knot, when tied correctly, allows the fishing line to retain as much as 95 percent of its original strength. Another excellent knot for attaching hooks and such is the Palomar knot, although it does require more line to be tied properly, because the first step is to double-up the line. However, it is worth the effort and is chosen by many anglers because it rarely fails. The hangman's knot comes has six variations, but all work to connect line to tackle. Trilene and rapala knots are fine for tying directly to fishing line, and the uni knot is an all-purpose knot that fishermen should learn. Other useful knots include the Jansik's special knot, the loop knot and the scaffold knot.
Line to Line
The blood knot is chosen most often to tie lines of the same diameter to each other. There are multiple ways to complete this knot, but it must be symmetrical in nature to be effective. An Albright knot is most useful when monofilament lines of varied diameters need to be combined, such as in a fly fishing reel. It has the added benefit of passing unhindered through the guide eyes on a fishing pole when playing a fish. The drooper loop, nail knot and perfection loop are other knots that can be employed to join fishing lines.
Knot Terms
To successfully tie knots, it helps to know some of the common terminology that applies to them. The standing end of the line is the end of the line that comes out of your fishing reel. The tag end, also referred to ask the working end, is the loose end of the line used to tie the knot with. That part of the fishing reel that the line is attached to to is known as the arbor, from which the popular arbor knot, which is used to tie line to the reel so that it can then be spooled on, gets its name.
