The Steelhead Angler

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Common Fishing Knots

By now, you should have an idea as to what type of rod and reel you are going to
need, and how you should dress in order to fish for winter steelhead.So let us start putting our gear together and to do that successfully we will need to learn how to tie some common knots.

The correct knot is an important part of steelhead fishing.More steelhead are lost do to the fact that many angler have not taken the time to master knot tying.The knot is always going to be the weakest point in any set-up and mastering this art is as important as any other factor if not the most important part, in order to be a successful steelhead angler you need to know how to tie good knots.

Below are just a few of the more common fishing knots you will want to learn how to tie.You will find that there are a number of ways of tying these knots, and that there are hundreds if not thousand of different variations of knots out there. I believe that it is always best to keep things simple so here are a few that I use every time I go steelhead fishing.If you take, they time to master these knots for steelhead fishing, you will have learned enough ways and knots to get you fishing. You can then learn and refine these techniques as you gain experience while you are fishing.

The Arbor Knot: Used to tie your line to your reel!

Attaching the line to your fishing reel does not have to be fancy or strong.The quickest and easiest way to do this is start out by tying an over hand knot near the end of your line and pull it
tight. Then run the line around the spool hub or arbor, make an overhand knot around the standing line, and pull the knot snug. Clip off the tag end leaving about a 1/8 inch tag and pull tight onto the arbor. This will work on both a spinning reel and a casting reel.

Here is an example of another way of tying your line to the spool if you feel you need a good tight secure knot it is a little more complicated however. Tying Line to Reel

The Albright Knot Instructions

The Albright knot is a great knot for tying two different types or diameter lines together and typically, the line will break before the knot does. It is a good knot to use if you are tying braided line to monofilament line and is easy and quick to learn. 

The Albright Knot Instructions

	STEP 1.Bend a loop in the end of the heavierline and hold between thumb and forefinger of left hand. Insert the end of the lighter line through loop from the top.
	STEP 2. Slip end of lighter line under your thumb and pinch it tightly against the heavier strands of the loop. Wrap the first turn of the lighter line over itself and continue wrapping the round end of the loop. Take at least 10 turns with the lighter line around all three strands.
	STEP 3. Insert end of the lighter line through end of loop from the bottom. It is important that the smaller line enters and leaves the loop on same side.
	STEP 4. With the thumb and forefinger of the left hand, slide coils of the lighter line towards the end of the loop, stop 1/8″ from end of loop. Using pliers, pull end of lighter line tight to keep coils from slipping off loop.
	STEP 5. With your left hand still holding the heavier line, pull on the standing part of the lighter line. Pull the end of the lighter line and the standing part a second time. Pull the standing part of the heavy mono and the standing part of the light line. Trim both tag ends.
	Step 6. While some angler believe this step is necessary I have not found it to be the case. However if you are concerned about the loop pulling through you can add a couple of half hitches to the looped line which is the larger dia. or the braided lines before you trim off the tags.

Another good knot for tying two different types of line together is the Uni-Knot the following video will provide a very good demonstration showing you how to tie this knot.

Tying two Lines Together

 

Tying a snelled hook: A strong knot for tying on your hook

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Start by threading the end of the line, through the eye twice, leaving a large loop hanging below the hook. Now you need to hold both lines along the shank of the hook, just pinch them next to the eye.Use the loop to wind tight coils around the shank and both lines, from the eye upwards. Make anywhere from six to 10 turns.Using the fingers to hold these tight coils in place, pull the line (extending from the eye) until the whole loop has passed under these tight coils and tightens against them. Once the coils are drawn up, you can use pliers to hold the hook while pulling up the end of the line, making sure to pull hard so the coils are tight.

Clinch Knot: Can be used for tying on a swivel or hook!

	Start by passing the line through the eye of the hook, or swivel.
	Then double back and make five to eight turns around the line, You can either wrap the line around or turn the hook or swivel to get the wraps.
	You then pass the end of the line through the first loop, above the eye, and then through the large loop you just made, and draw the knot into shape by pulling the line.
	Keep pulling to slide the coils down tight against the eye and trim the tag and you now have a strong knot that will hold while fighting any fish.
	You can increase the strength of this knot by doubling the line.
	Thread the double line through the eye or swivel and follow the instructions above.

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As mentioned earlier there are many knots out there these are just a few of the more common knots. If you would like to learn more the following links will take you to some great sites to help you learn many more.

More fishing knots 1
More fishing knots 2
More fishing knots 3
Grog’s Fishing Knots Index

Tags: Knots

This entry was posted on Monday, December 29th, 2008 at 1:40 pm and is filed under Steelhead Fishing A to Z. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.