YOUR CRITICAL CONNECTION™ TO SUCCESS

Maxima makes the world’s strongest, most durable monofilament fishing line. Yet all of that strength and power is meaningless if you have a bad knot. It will break faster than you can shout “Hook up!” That’s why we call this page the Critical Connection™. Above you will find some practical knots appropriate for just about any angling situation — from finesse fly fishing to trolling for big game saltwater species. There certainly are a lot more fishing knots, but what you find are some of the most common and useful.

WHY DO FISHING KNOTS FAIL?
At knot connection points, the line is twisted, criss-crossed and joined with the hard surfaces of hooks, lures, swivels and other terminal tackle. Even with a good knot, this places a great deal of stress on the line. Abrasion can be a problem. Or, under enough pressure, the line may actually cut into itself. This can reduce the effective test strength and durability of your line. For example, though you may be fishing with 10-pound test line, a bad knot may test out at only five pounds — possibly less. The idea of a good knot is to maintain close to 100 percent of the test strength of the line you’re using. The first step in this process is to choose the best knot for the application. The second step is to tie the knot properly. These instructions will help you in both regards, but here are a few other tips:

KNOT TYING TIPS
Wet the knot. This is especially critical as you draw the knot tight. A little bit of water or saliva helps lubricate the line, preventing abrasion and making it easier to gather and tighten the knot. Make sure the knot is tight. A loosely gathered knot can come unraveled — or it may start to slip under pressure. Slippage can lead to rapid knot failure. Trim the knot carefully. As you trim the loose line after finishing the knot, don’t nick or scrape the actual knot or main line. Even a minor nick seriously weakens a knot. Check knots frequently. Inspect your line and knots whenever you reel in. If there’s any damage, abrasion or doubt, cut the problem off and re-tie. Learn a few knots very well. Don’t try to learn every fishing knot ever invented. There are hundreds. It’s better to be proficient with six knots than to be a “fumble-fingers” with twenty. Practice makes perfect. Spend time at home practicing your knot-tying skills. Inspect and test each knot after you finish. Your goal should be a perfectly tied knot every time.

Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your Maxima monofilament fishing line.

Store Line Properly
Store your line, either still on the package spool or on the reel, in a cool, dark dry place. Avoid storing line where it can be exposed to light or heat.

Spool Line Tight
Spool monofilament line onto the reel as tightly as possible. This helps keep the line from “digging in” to the rest of spool when you hook a strong, hard-running fish.

Keep Reel Spools Full
Keep your reels full of line. Reels that are low on line do not cast or retrieve as well as reels that are adequately filled with line. But do not overfill the reel. This can create other problems.

Change Line Often
Re-spool line frequently. Change line at least every two to three trips — more often if you’ve been catching a lot of big fish or working abrasive cover.

Prevent Line Twists
To prevent twisted line on your spinning reel, spool the line from the storage spool in spiral fashion, in the same direction as the spinning reel bail is turning.

Wet Line For Fishing
Wet your line before fishing. Boat anglers do this by letting out 50 to 75 yards of bare line (no lure or other terminal tackle) behind a moving boat, then reeling it in tightly on the reel spool. If you’re not on a boat, make a few practice casts with a lure or weight to wet the line before you start fishing.

How to tie special knots

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