Hi all,
I love talking knots. I wouldnt call myself a knotologist (can't believe they made a knot tyer an ologist of some description - funny stuff)but i would refer myself as an anal knot tyer. I enjoy tying good knots and get a degree of satisfaction out of tying a good looking knot.
There are some knots that i reckon are unsurpassable i certain situations and reckon that, if you dont alredy use them, you should try and learn. So i will try and lay it all out for you. Now knots are a personal preference so if your more comfortable tying other knots and feel more confident, chances are you will tie them more successfully anyway...so stick with em. These are purely my personal observations and if they help...all the better.
1) Main Line to Leader - Usually in lure fishing the main line is usually braid and the leader usually fluro or mono. The diameter differences make tying good slim knots that dont get caught on the guides problematic. There are 2 knots that are mainly used, the double uni or the improved albright. I use the improved albright 100% of the time. The double uni is harder to tie, takes longer and is a bulkier knot. Admittedly the knot strength is better with the double uni but i feel it still is a second choice. The albright can be tied in low light, is extremely slim and can be tied with lines of vastly different diameters. As i said the knot strength is not as good but with a light drags on spider web braids it makes little difference. In the heavier line classes the knots bites well and knot strength is improved. However really thin braid can cut into the leader at times.
2) Leader to Lure - In most situations the leader knot to a lure is usually a loop knot. A loop knot allows the lure maximum movement without being restricted by a direct knot. Lures that benefit from a loop are soft plastics and diving hard bodies. This makes up about 95% of the fishing i do. My favourite loop knots are lefty's loop knot or the perfection loop. Either are great knots and are nearly similar. Both have great knot strength too.
As i suggested, there are some leader to lure scenarios where a direct knot is preferable. These include using top water lures like poppers and walkers. Other lures include spinnerbaits and techniques like dropshotting. The best direct knot is either a blood knot or a uni knot. Both are easy to tie and retain nearly 100% strength.
3) Doubles - When fishing for the big stuff connecting single strands of line will not provide enuf security. This may be cause of shock to the line from a surge of a powerful fish or for abrasion resistence as two strands gives that extra security to land a fish in tiger country like fishing for big barra in the sticks. Normally folding over the last foot of main line creates a double strand of line. This is then connected to a single strand of normally very heavy leader. There a few double knots that can be used but my preference is the famous bimini twist. Once the twist is completed and the double is created in the main line, i attach this double to the heavy leader using a standard albright knot not the improved version.
There are literally hundrerds of variations to the knots i suggested. And trying to describe how these knots are tied would be difficult in print. So i suggest if you are interested to learn these knots either ask your local tackle store of buy Geoff wilson's book of knots. Geoff is a master of tying knots and his illustrated books are well written and easy to follow.
Hope tis helps a little.
ALBRIGHT KNOT
BIMINI TWIST
Friday, November 28, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Popper Time
Hi All,
The summer sun is starting to rear its head...blue currents are feeding into our estuaries... and the fish are looking to spawn. This only means one thing..... crack out the poppers.
I just love these topwater lures. The visual aspect is exciting, the vicious takes as well as the gentle slurps off the surface as the fish nails the lure. Wicked stuff. As with any current craze there are some myths that need to be dispelled as well as some techniques that need to be elaborated on... Lets look at some of these now in readiness for summer.
1) Use heavy leader - Typically a heavy mono leader will aid in the popper staying on top of the water. Flurocarbon naturally sinks and will pull the nose of the popper down restricting the action. As mono floats, using a heavier line class will help the popper track straight and stay on top of the water. Also use a short trace too. Long traces are not neccessary and will also restrict the action of the lure.
2) Fish Shallow Flats - Now contrary to belief, you dont actually have to fish water super shallow. I have caught bream and whiting in water over 5ft on poppers last summer. The craze to go super shallow is fine but dont think the depper drop offs are out of bounds either. Fish patrol these areas and will willingly hit a lures 3 ft off the bottom.
3) Fish Broken Ground - I have had my best sessions flicking poppers over a mixture of sand and weed. Pure sand flats dont seem to produce quite as well. I get a lot of follows over pure sand but the fish seem more timid. Add in some patchy weed ans see what happens. It turns lookers into takers. The skittering popper resembles a fleeing prawn and prawns live in weed.. so the reason is quite simple. Even flick poppers over the top of dense weed beds too.
4) Walk the Dog - If things are tough and the fish are ignoring of just following a popper try a switch to walking surface lures. Walk the dog lures dont have a cupped face, just a tow point, and sometimes arched in appearence. When twitched correctly the lure will have a zig-zagging left to right action. It doenst displace any water like a popper but still resembles a fleeing prawn or fish. It a much more sublte presentation and can turn the fish on when a popper scares the fish
5) Colours - This is a very easy one to remember. Basically dark water dark lures, clear water clear lures.
6) Fish High Tide - I have found that fishing the incoming tide has provided the best results. Perhaps even the first hour of the run out too.. the shallow flats come alive with life as fish get to prospect for food on flats exposed at low tide.
There we have it...6 tips to maximise your popper fishing this summer. The benefits of this exciting new style of fishing is simple...tasty fillets of whiting... you cant get much better than that.
The summer sun is starting to rear its head...blue currents are feeding into our estuaries... and the fish are looking to spawn. This only means one thing..... crack out the poppers.
I just love these topwater lures. The visual aspect is exciting, the vicious takes as well as the gentle slurps off the surface as the fish nails the lure. Wicked stuff. As with any current craze there are some myths that need to be dispelled as well as some techniques that need to be elaborated on... Lets look at some of these now in readiness for summer.
1) Use heavy leader - Typically a heavy mono leader will aid in the popper staying on top of the water. Flurocarbon naturally sinks and will pull the nose of the popper down restricting the action. As mono floats, using a heavier line class will help the popper track straight and stay on top of the water. Also use a short trace too. Long traces are not neccessary and will also restrict the action of the lure.
2) Fish Shallow Flats - Now contrary to belief, you dont actually have to fish water super shallow. I have caught bream and whiting in water over 5ft on poppers last summer. The craze to go super shallow is fine but dont think the depper drop offs are out of bounds either. Fish patrol these areas and will willingly hit a lures 3 ft off the bottom.
3) Fish Broken Ground - I have had my best sessions flicking poppers over a mixture of sand and weed. Pure sand flats dont seem to produce quite as well. I get a lot of follows over pure sand but the fish seem more timid. Add in some patchy weed ans see what happens. It turns lookers into takers. The skittering popper resembles a fleeing prawn and prawns live in weed.. so the reason is quite simple. Even flick poppers over the top of dense weed beds too.
4) Walk the Dog - If things are tough and the fish are ignoring of just following a popper try a switch to walking surface lures. Walk the dog lures dont have a cupped face, just a tow point, and sometimes arched in appearence. When twitched correctly the lure will have a zig-zagging left to right action. It doenst displace any water like a popper but still resembles a fleeing prawn or fish. It a much more sublte presentation and can turn the fish on when a popper scares the fish
5) Colours - This is a very easy one to remember. Basically dark water dark lures, clear water clear lures.
6) Fish High Tide - I have found that fishing the incoming tide has provided the best results. Perhaps even the first hour of the run out too.. the shallow flats come alive with life as fish get to prospect for food on flats exposed at low tide.
There we have it...6 tips to maximise your popper fishing this summer. The benefits of this exciting new style of fishing is simple...tasty fillets of whiting... you cant get much better than that.
Monday, November 24, 2008
El Nino
Hi All,
As your reading this have a quick look out your window. I bet theres no wind, not a cloud in the sky and barometers at a steady 1115... and you wanna know why??? Cause its a bloody work day and we cant get out on the bloody water. Burn!
Nothing frustrates me more than having one day a week to whet my fishing thirst and being delivered the crap we were dished up on the weekend in Sydney. The report said 18kt winds on saturday. Now i cop 18kt winds...barely but it can be done. We opted to fish a section of the hawkesbury with protection from the wind due to the high cliffs... but what we didnt cater for was the real weather report. Instead of 18kt winds try 80kt winds... just an absolute joke. How can the weather report get it sooo wrong??? Usually i wouldnt even bother going out if the report of wind is above 20kts.
Anyhow we battled on. We did manage 3 flatties before the apex of the wind storm really hit. To make matters worse i had a greenhorn on board and it wasnt really the day for tuition.
These unpredicatble patterns are set to continue i feel. The only drama is that right now, looking out my work window overlooking sydney harbour the conditions are perfect... go figure.
As your reading this have a quick look out your window. I bet theres no wind, not a cloud in the sky and barometers at a steady 1115... and you wanna know why??? Cause its a bloody work day and we cant get out on the bloody water. Burn!
Nothing frustrates me more than having one day a week to whet my fishing thirst and being delivered the crap we were dished up on the weekend in Sydney. The report said 18kt winds on saturday. Now i cop 18kt winds...barely but it can be done. We opted to fish a section of the hawkesbury with protection from the wind due to the high cliffs... but what we didnt cater for was the real weather report. Instead of 18kt winds try 80kt winds... just an absolute joke. How can the weather report get it sooo wrong??? Usually i wouldnt even bother going out if the report of wind is above 20kts.
Anyhow we battled on. We did manage 3 flatties before the apex of the wind storm really hit. To make matters worse i had a greenhorn on board and it wasnt really the day for tuition.
These unpredicatble patterns are set to continue i feel. The only drama is that right now, looking out my work window overlooking sydney harbour the conditions are perfect... go figure.
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