Page 106 - Peter Randall "The Craft of the Knot.."

Chapter 7

FISHING KNOTS

The history of fishing has been the history of a continuous evolution
and improvement of lines and the knots tied in those lines. Fishing dates
back to at least the Paleolithic period; hooks have been found from the
Stone Age, so our ancestors clearly had some form of cord and a method

of tying the hooks into it. (Fishermen also used various types of spears,
which is possibly one reason why Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, is
depicted holding a trident.) Ancient fishing lines were made from
shredded papyrus leaves, leather, or animal hair, and must have been
clumsy and difficult to knot properly.

In the fifteenth century an English abbess, Juliana Berners, wrote a
book, A Treatyse of Fysshynge wyth an Angle, which included some advice
about tying knots. (Lest you think it weird that the head of a religious
establishment would write a book about fishing, remember that convents

and monasteries depended on fish for a good deal of their food.) Back
then, fishing lines were largely made of braided horsehair, which was
clumsy and often broke.

Since then, fishermen have refined their lines to be thinner and
stronger and their knots, whether for rod-and-reel fishing or net fishing,
to be sturdier and more effective. The invention of nylon in the 1930s
initiated the modern era of fishing.

For the enthusiastic pliers of the art and craft of fishing, here is a
selection of popular knots.

ANGLER’S LOOP

Both strong and secure, the Angler’s Loop is a great general-purpose
knot. Because it is difficult to untie, this knot is meant to be permanent,
usually tied in small cordage or fishing line. When tightened down