SOS Starting Out Series Pumicestone Rules: Get Knotted! by Mangrove Jack
- brucedawes
- Jul 24, 2024
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 6, 2025
The next time you pull in your line and there's no hook on the end won't be the first or certainly the last time this happens when fishing. Sure there's some toothy critters in the passage like tailor, mangrove jacks and pike that are more than capable of removing a hook with their teeth, but in general most fish are fairly forgiving on your line and hooks. They are not however forgiving to poorly tied knots especially when dealing with light lines.
Pumicstione Rule 4: Tie good knots : Learn to obey the 3 T's. Tie the knot patiently and carefully, test the knot and trim the tag not too close to the end. If you bring in a pig tailed end of line and the hook is missing due to a poorly tied knot it is time for you to walk the plank being a Pumicestone Pirate! I might even have to get Mr Fixter to make this a rule and you have to send in a photo!
The Locked Blood Knot
My son has learnt the value of tying good knots in light line and produced this fine silver bream on 6lb line and was patient during the fight allowing the fish to run when it wanted to and used a nice light tipped rod to cushion the surges during the fight. He likes the locked blood knot and now appreciates the value of a good knot if you don't want to walk the plank!! Don't forget to lubricate the knot before you tighten with saliva as well to reduce friction as long as it doesn't personally offend!
I'm certainly not Geoff Wilson the old master of knots but I have always liked the locked blood knot for attaching my estuary hooks and swivels. It is an easy knot to tie even in low light conditions and when you eyes aren't great now like mine. On that point I've found that the cheap magnification glasses available from chemists and some have a floating case for those like me with dodgy eyes these days.
Ask yourself this. How do you know that the next fish you hook won't be the fish of a lifetime? You don't and a poorly tied knot will lead to various things in fishing ranging from that one fish getting away that you have been fishing years for, horrified looks from your kids that their fish got away, copious amounts of swearing and even a walking of the plank hopefully not in the middle of July. But if the effort was poor enough.........
The uni knot is also an extremely versatile and easy to tie knot for attaching all leaders and hooks in the passage. The double uni knot is excellent for joining different strengths of monofilament line and supposedley braid to monofilament leader but I use another knot for that.
The Uni Knot
The Double Uni Knot
This tailor was caught in Pelican waters canal and I used a double uni knot to connect to a 1m length of 12lb flurocarbon leader to my 6lb monofilament line. To be honest I was lucky to land this fish as it ate a small live herring (deadly in the passage by the way but was mouth hooked on a single light gauge wide gape hook like a Mustad Big Mouth hook - an excellent hook so you don't drown your small live baits and they swim well). The 12lb leader offerred me some but not much bite protection and also hopefully preventing fish like flathead from wearing through your thin main line with their sandpaper mouth. The leader without a swivel using the double uni is fished unweighted and will also offer some protection from being dragged into the rocks. It's a balancing act though. Go too heavy with your leader and you reduce your strikes. Go too light and you might get blown away. In general I'd rather go for hook ups and worry about landing them later but all within reason. That discussion is for another time.
I use a perfection loop if I'm trolling hard bodies and need a loop knot so I don't restrict their action. In general the rule is if the hard bodied lure has a bib it is best to allow it to move to its' fullest potential on a loop. Over the years I'm happy to believe that theory and will continue to do so unless proven otherwise. That's fishing and I'll stick with things that work.
The Perfection Loop
This lizard managed to inhale a 5cm pink Tilsan minnow lure (one of my faves in the Pumicestone by the way). I connected my 6lb braid main line to a 12 lb flurobarbon leader with an albright knot and then connected the hard bodied lure onto the leader using my perfection loop to allow maximum lure action. This technique has not failed me over the years and provides a versatile, neat, low visibilty set up that is quite easy to learn to tie. This connection is not as easy as it sounds. Tie the connection of braid to mono slowly and well. They have a habit of slipping and should be always tested well when braid is used. Braid is great to set the hooks well being low stretch with lures but can be quite slippery compared to mono.
Albright Special
FG Knot
Back in the days (mid 80's) when we started offshore fishing and I had hair we quickly learnt the value of tying good solid knots. There aren't too many fish on the sunshine coast that will test your knots better than a longtail tuna. They have power and endurance and will work you over if your knots are poor. These two were taken on quite light gear 8kg on Caloundra 5 Mile and in those days we tied locked blood knots and uni knots, but made sure they were tied well. They have stood the test of time. Certainly not flash or trendy knots but when approaching an hour fight any poorly tie knot will result in dissapointment for the angler.
I tie a Albright Special to join braid main line to leader but a few mates now tie the FG
knot and yes I'll admit it's better and neater but I'm being lazy and need to learn. There are so many knots out there but keep it simple though, learn just a few good ones but tie them slowly and accurately even when you've just been busted off by a monster and your hands are shaking full of adrenaline and want to get back in there. That's the real test!
Until next time everyone. May you knot have to walk that plank!!!
Tight Lines.
Mangrove Jack
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