Fishing knots: learn one connection first

• Eye: the small hole or loop on a hook or lure where line attaches.
• Tag end: the loose end you're working with.
• Standing line: the longer line leading back toward the reel.
• Leader: a separate section of line near the hook or lure, when the setup uses one.

Joining line to an eye and joining two lines aren't the same job. A knot demonstrated for attaching a hook isn't automatically the right way to connect a leader or fill a reel. Before practising, point to both things being joined: for this lesson, one line and an attachment eye. Name the actual material and product when asking whether the connection suits your fishing setup.

The Palomar is one common way to join line to an attachment eye. Doubling the line means folding a section back on itself so you have two strands side by side and a folded loop at one end. That loop must be large enough to pass over the whole item you're attaching.

Use the retained Berkley illustrations and video beside the words so you can see the line's path. Check the manufacturer's suitability and tightening instructions for your actual line. First identify the folded loop, eye and whole item the loop must pass over, with enough room to complete the path. The basic sequence is:

1. Fold a section of line back on itself and pass the folded loop through the eye. Keep track of the short tag end and the longer standing line.
2. Above the eye, tie a loose overhand knot with the doubled line: make a circle, then pass the folded loop through that circle once. Don't tighten it yet; keep the folded loop open for the next step.
3. Pass that open loop over the whole item you're attaching. For your practice ring, the ring goes through the loop.
4. Bring the loop back toward the eye. Check that the strands lie neatly together rather than being twisted into a bundle or caught around another part of the item. Follow the line maker's moistening instructions.
5. Pull the standing line and tag end steadily so the loose knot closes and settles against the eye. This final tightening into position is called seating the knot.
6. Inspect the line's path and the tightened connection, then trim the tag end as the line maker instructs. Don't cut it before you've finished tightening.

If you can't pass the loop over an attached lure, or the line won't fit through the eye doubled, stop and ask about an appropriate alternative. Don't improvise a different line path and assume it makes the same knot.

Use the same practice ring and cord for several attempts. Before each one, point out the tag end, standing line and folded loop. Tie the whole sequence again rather than copying only the final shape of a knot.

If the loop catches on the item or the strands bunch up before tightening, stop and trace the path again. For an illustrative error, the loop has caught around part of the item instead of passing over it fully. Ask the instructor to show the missed step and compare it with the reference. Remake the practice knot if its path is unclear rather than pull harder to make the bundle look finished. A tidy-looking knot isn't proof that the line took the right path.

To check the connection under a pull, use the maker's method or an instructor's help with no hooks in the practice version. Don't wrap fishing line around fingers; keep people clear of the line and attached parts in case the connection lets go. Practice cord teaches the path; the actual fishing line still needs its own suitability and tightening checks.

Complete the whole job before calling it ready: correct connection for the job, traceable path, instructed moistening and seating, inspection and instructed pull check, then trimming as directed. Keep the trimmed pieces contained. If you change material or the attached item, revisit suitability and the instructions rather than assume the practice version transfers unchanged.

Look at the line beside the knot and the edge of the eye as well as the knot itself. Frayed line or a rough, chipped eye can damage a connection even when the tying sequence was correct. The line guide explains main line, leader and the material names.

When using a guide's supplied equipment, ask before changing knots. With your own outfit, carry suitable line-cutting tools and collect the trimmed pieces. A short learning note can name the job, actual material, attachment, reference and step that needed another demonstration. Distinguish a knot you practised from a connection inspected on the actual outfit.

Learn another knot when you have a new connection to make; one understood connection is a better start than three names you can't use.