[ad_1]
In fishing, as in life, your actions have consequences. If you are constantly finding that your fishing knot is coming undone, you may be causing this to happen by cutting the tag end of your fishing knot too short. How short should it be? That’s exactly what you’re going to find out in this article.
Let’s back up a bit and give some definitions first.
When tying a fishing knot, the “main line” is the end of the line that attaches to your fishing reel. So this is the bulk of your fishing line. You obviously won’t cut this end of the line, or you’ll have cut the knot that tied your line clear.
The “tag end” is the short end of the fishing line that remains after you tie a knot.
Now you can leave the end of the tag after tying your knot and forget to trim it perfectly to avoid mistakes. But unfortunately a tag end that is too long can cause a whole new set of problems. Extra line adds extra weight to your knot, as well as causes unnecessary drag in the water that can alert fish to your presence.
So as you can see, leaving the end of the tag untrimmed is not recommended.
Then my suggestion for the tag end goes back to the basics of tying a fishing knot:
Tie your knot with the appropriate number of wraps required for the type and weight of fishing line you use.
Make sure you lubricate the knot well before tightening it. It is recommended to use soap instead of saliva, as it will not remove your line. You should keep a small squeeze bottle of dish soap in your tackle box for this purpose.
Tighten your knot properly. Using a small pair of pliers can help you tighten the knot evenly and securely. I keep a pair on a retractable cord on my fishing vest for this purpose.
If you tighten your knot securely it won’t slip and you can leave a short tag. A 1/16″ to 1/8″ tag on a securely tied knot is sufficient.
So as you can see, you may have a problem with your knot tying technique rather than the length of your tag end, causing your knots to come undone. Tighten it properly and your fishing knots will never slip again.
[ad_2]