Rapala knots

[Col. Trautman]

Hi All,

I just learned to tie a rapala knot to use on flies in the salt water because I want to up my game this year.

Would this knot also work great for throwing streamers at trout? I assume it would but am not sure if the knot which is 3-5 mm away from the eye of the hook gives it away, as trout are much more selective that stripers.

Does anyone have any experience with this?

Thanks,
The Col.

[The Fisherman]

Are you talking about a no-slip loop type of knot where the knot is NOT snugged up against the eye?

[Col. Trautman]

Yes Sir....I realized after the fact that I should have said rapala loop.

Any thoughts?

[trouter203]

i think that is why the col. is implying. i think it is called a "perfect" knot too, but i could be mistaken. i started to use this know last year for stripers after being outfished by one of the members here. depending on how you strip, it can add great action to the fly and i think it makes a difference. i am sure that in slower water the action would help entice trout as well, but in a strong current, i am not sure if the action would change. i don't think the placement of the know would affect a trouts decision to hit the streamer. it might require some field testing to find out.

[The Fisherman]

I don't have strong feelings either way. I have used the knot and caught fish on it. I have not used it (99% of the time) and caught fish.

Brief essay: this type of rigging may not be as critical if you're using flies that swim and/or look alive in the water even when you're not stripping or imparting action, or using presentations like the greased line swing. I have spoken to a few people (I would consider them experts at striper fishing) who don't like the knot because they want to have more control over their presentation. That doesn't mean they're right; it just means they know what they like and how they want to fish.

I haven't used this knot in months, but like I said, I have and have caught fish on it.

Should you try it/use it? Absolutely! I think it's great that you want to explore new techniques. :-)

[dudley]

The Rapapla loop is the non-slip-mono loop 'improved' just as you would 'improve' a clinch knot
That last step is totally unnessessery, I've never had the non-slip loop break



I have spoken to a few people (I would consider them experts at striper fishing) who don't like the knot because they want to have more control over their presentation.
I go either way on this
Sometimes you want your fly to track straight, so you'd use a knot that snugs up tight. Flats fishing would be a good example
Other times the open loop would work better as for fishing a gurglar or a Clouser
I think it's best to match the knot to the situation

[Col. Trautman]

Thanks to all....good food for thought. And a special thanks to Dudley, one less step equates to one extra cast!!!

The fish are not going to know what hit them LOL....

Jamie

[MuddlerMinnow]

Trouter, the perfection loop as I know it is best used for creating a loop in the end of a piece of leader material. I use them for loop-to-loop connections all the time. The way I tie them, at least, I don't think it's possible (or at least practical-- any time you say "possible" someone can prove you wrong :)) to get a fly onto the loop. The perfection loop is a great knot, too, but it's different.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4TWkebfAz4

[trouter203]

i thought i had the wrong name. i can only tie like 3 knots.

[Col. Trautman]

the best knot website is www.animatedknots.com (by grog)

It has step by step pictures which you can control using your cursor.

Jamie

[dudley]

I like the perfection loop myself...I can tie one in the dark
But they don't have the strength of the non-slip loop
The non-slip is nearly a 100%

When I seriously got into saltwater fishing I realized reel fast that the knots I was using for trout fishing wouldn't cut it
I got myself a knot book and a spool of mono and put them next to my recliner so that I could practice tying knots while watching TV
Well worth while

[Col. Trautman]

Dudley what other knots do you find go to know for salt applications?

Do tell.

Jamie

[dudley]

Besides your basic clinch, blood, and surgeons knots, it's good to know a few different loops.
The nonslip mono, the surgeon's loop, a whipped or nail-knot loop and maybe the Bimini Twist. The Bimini is good for making a 'doubled line', but for this purpose a multi-turn surgeons loop is nearly as good.
What I like about the Bimini is that it's fun to tie, even if you never use it on the water...Try it !
One good way to use the Bimini is if you want to pre-make yourself some tippet sections. With the doubled loop end they're very strong... your tippet knot will not break

One knot that you'll use regularly is the Albright Special
.... very useful for tying a shock tippet to your leader...I always 'lock' mine with a small Uni knot
The Huffnagle knot is another you could use for joining dissimilar sized leader pieces if you don't like the Albright

For attaching solid wire to the hook, use a Haywire twist. Coated wire works best with a Figure 8. With 'knotable' wire you can use the basic clinch and your favorite loop or the Albright

Those are the ones I can think of offhand..:rolleyes:
__________________________________________________ ___________________-

Some other things I've discovered about knots

Fishing knots are all variations of either the clinch or the nail knot
Knots where the standing line travels straight through the 'turns' are stronger than knots where the standing line is bent by the turns
The best knot to use is the one you have the most confidence it
Knots break when they slip. That happens when the knot isn't drawn tight. Reasons can include not making enough turns but more often....making too many turns.

[Col. Trautman]

Thanks....already had the albright under the belt but I just learned the uni knot. Out of interest how do you use the uni to tie down the albright.

I printed out this post and will be studying hard over the next week. LOL.

Great info, thanks again.

Tight knots,
Jamie

[dudley]

You finish your Albright the regular way....
http://www.powerpro.com/_cms/Image/albright05.jpg

Then you use the tag end thusly :) for the 'lock'
http://www.powerpro.com/_cms/Image/albright06.jpg
http://www.powerpro.com/_cms/Image/albright07.jpg