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Home > Take Me Fishing Blog > May 2014 > Fishing Knots
Knots are our direct link to a fish. There is a direct connection between the quality of the fishing knots we tie and the number of fish we put in the net. Here are some general points to consider while you rig up and a few videos to show how to tie three of the most popular fishing knots.
Improved Cinch Knot Also known as the Improved Fisherman’s Knot, the Improved Cinch takes one extra turn through the loop and the extra second is well worth the effort. This knot isn’t prone to unraveling, particularly if you fight a fish for a long time and works best on thinner diameter lines. Breaking strength: 95%.
Uni Knot Movement is important when fishing streamers and nymphs and this knot allows your subsurface patterns to move naturally with the current. It also snugs up when a fish hits and is a combination of a loop and a fixed knot. The Uni Knot is also used for spoons, spinners and live bait as well as for tying line or backing to a reel’s arbor. Breaking strength: 95%
Surgeon’s Knot The Surgeon’s Knot is the fastest way to attach a line to a leader. It’s a tactile knot and is so easy that it can be tied at night without using a flashlight. Breaking strength: 100%.
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Tom Keer is an award-winning writer who lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He is a columnist for the Upland Almanac, a Contributing Writer for Covey Rise magazine, a Contributing Editor for both Fly Rod and Reel and Fly Fish America, and a blogger for the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation’s Take Me Fishing program. Keer writes regularly for over a dozen outdoor magazines on topics related to fishing, hunting, boating, and other outdoor pursuits. When they are not fishing, Keer and his family hunt upland birds over their three English setters. His first book, a Fly Fishers Guide to the New England Coast was released in January 2011. Visit him at www.tomkeer.com or at www.thekeergroup.com.
The largemouth bass is the most popular freshwater game fish in the U.S. Learn more about how you can identify a largemouth bass, where to catch it and what bait and lures to use.
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