Catching fish is fun. The tugging of a line being bitten, the guiding hand of the fisherman bringing the fish closer and the buzz of the line jumping back in one foot at a time are all feelings that one should know at least once. But in order to catch a fish, a fisherman must be able to tie a hook to a line.

My grandpa — a salt of the earth, paint on his hands kind of fellow — was the first one to teach me to string and bait a hook, but last summer, I found myself unable to recall how to tie a Fisherman’s knot and wishing someone could help me. Here’s the help I wish I had.

Terms

Tag: The 10 of line used to make the knot.

Standing line: The rest of the line, held still and away from the tag.

Wrap: When the tag wraps/coils around the standing line.

Step one: Run 10 inches of line through the hook, this becomes your tag.

Step Two: Wrap the tag around the standing line 8-10 times.

Step Three: Bring the remaining tag back to the eye of the hook where there should now be a loop of line and pass the tag through that loop.

Step Four: Wet the loop with your mouth to allow for maximum tightening.

Step Five: Hold the tag and standing line in right hand, with hook in the left hand, and pull your hand away from one another.

Step Six: Clip the tag end so that only an inch or so remains.

Now you can catch a fish so long as you’ve got a stick, some line and a hook (granted the fish are biting and you know how to tie a line to a stick… maybe an upcoming blog post?!).

Cheers!

Will