“Honestly, I can’t think of ever being able to blame a knot for breaking my line,” said Missouri Lake of the Ozarks crappie guide Terry Blankenship. For a guy who’s fished bass and crappie tournaments for nearly 40 years, that’s a strong statement. It’s also a testament to the knot he relies on for practically every line-to-lure connection.
Blankenship qualified his comment that he has had lines break while fishing, but he felt the causes were line damage, such as abrasion, nicks and/or weak spots for whatever reasons. That is why he constantly inspects his line for potential problems, and why he always uses the knot he knows and trusts best.
Any knot is typically going to be the weakest point along the line. That’s why it is important to go with a knot that matches your preferred equipment and style of fishing and one that you can tie perfectly again and again to achieve the level of confidence Blankenship has in his.
Fishing knots run the gamut, in terms of types, versions and names, and they can be as simple or as complicated as you wish. Google the phrase “best fishing knots” and you’re going to find more than 17 million search results. That shows the attention to the topic, but also the extreme diversity among knot philosophies that exist.
So, is it necessary for crappie fishermen to know several knots to be able to employ the right ones in different situations?
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