Why Your Knots Matter More Than Your Rod

You can spend a fortune on a carbon rod, a smooth centrepin and a box of hand-tied floats, but the whole lot comes down to a few inches of line and a knot the size of a grain of rice. A well-tied knot holds somewhere between 80 and 95 per cent of your line's stated breaking strain. A rushed one can lose you a third of it, and on a weedy river with a decent chub or barbel on the end, that third is the difference between a photograph and a story about the one that got away.

The knots below cover everything a coarse or game angler needs on rivers, streams and stillwaters. Learn four of them properly and you will rarely be caught out.

The Grinner: Your Everyday Hook Knot

If you only ever master one knot, make it the grinner. Known in some circles as the half blood knot, it is quick, works with monofilament and fluorocarbon alike, and takes eyed hooks, spade ends, swivels and beads without complaint. It is the knot I tie most often on the bank, usually with cold fingers and a head torch on.

Pass the line through the eye, then take the tag end around the standing line five or six times. Pass the tag back through the small loop you have created beside the eye, moisten it, and draw it down steadily. Five turns is right for 3lb to 6lb hooklength; drop to four for heavier 10lb-plus line, and go to seven on very fine diameters where the coils bite into each other.

For anything above 8lb, or whenever you are targeting fish that pull hard in snaggy water, tie the double grinner instead. It follows the same principle but doubles the line before tying, which spreads the load and resists slipping under sustained pressure. It is bulkier, so keep it for hooklinks and swivels rather than delicate float rigs.

The Palomar: Brilliant With Braid

The palomar is the knot to reach for when you are using braid, and it is superb with heavy mono too. It is stronger than a grinner in braid because it does not rely on coils gripping a slippery, low-stretch line, and it is almost impossible to tie badly once you have the sequence in your head.

• Double about six inches of line and pass the loop through the eye of the hook or swivel.
• Tie a loose overhand knot with the doubled line, keeping the hook hanging free.
• Pass the loop over the hook and back through the big loop you have made.
• Moisten and pull the standing line and the hook in opposite directions until it seats neatly against the eye.

The finished knot sits flush and tidy against the eye, which makes it a fine choice for lure fishing on rivers where you are casting a lot and want no weed-catching tag. Trim the tag close — a millimetre or two is plenty with braid.

Joining Two Lines: The Double Grinner and the Blood Knot

Joining mainline to hooklength is where most anglers come unstuck. For lines of similar diameter, the blood knot is a classic and still takes some beating. Overlap the two ends, wrap each around the other five times, then tuck both tag ends back through the central gap in opposite directions, moisten, and draw it up slowly. It forms a slim, symmetrical join that runs through rod rings nicely.

When diameters differ markedly — say 12lb mainline to a 3lb hooklength — use the double grinner, also called the double uni. Tie a grinner with one line, a grinner with the other, then pull the two knots together until they lock. It handles mismatched diameters far more gracefully than a blood knot and is far more forgiving of a slightly sloppy tie.

Loop Knots and Loop-to-Loop Rigs

Loops earn their place on any river rig. A hooklength attached loop-to-loop can be swapped in seconds, and the free-swinging loop lets a bait behave more naturally than a rigid connection ever will.

The figure-of-eight loop is the one to learn. Double the line, form a loop, then bring the doubled line over and through in a figure of eight, passing the loop through the lower opening twice. Wet it, draw it down, and you have a strong loop of a size you control simply by how much line you double.

Use a small loop on the end of your hooklength and a larger one on the mainline so the smaller can pass through for a loop-to-loop connection. For feeder rigs, a loop tied at the end of the mainline lets the feeder run freely; for lure fishing, a loop knot at the lure gives the plug or spinner far more action than a clamped-down knot.

Habits That Keep Knots Strong

• Always wet the knot before tightening. Dry friction frays the line and can halve its strength.
• Draw it up steadily, not with a jerk. A smooth pull seats the coils evenly.
• Trim tags to a millimetre or two. Long tags catch weed and collect debris.
• Test every knot with a firm, steady pull before you cast. Better to find a weakness in your hand than in a fish's mouth.
• Retie after a hard fight or a snag. Even a knot that held has been stressed.
• Replace hooklengths regularly. A fresh 4lb hooklength tied this morning beats a tired one tied last month.

Practise these knots at home with a length of old line and a hook, until your fingers know the sequence without you thinking about it. Then, when the light is going and a big chub is nudging your bait along a crease in the current, you will tie a knot you trust — and that quiet confidence is worth more than any piece of tackle in your bag.