• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Knots.....

M

Matt G.

Member
Joined
Oct 18, 2017
Messages
81
Location
SE LP Michigan
Hey Guys.....

New saddle hunter here, and I have a request.

One of the more intimidating things about saddle hunting for me is relying on knots. I've fished my whole life, and have a high level of confidence in knots for many different applications.

Rope on the other hand I have no experience with. Hanging 20 feet in the air with my back to the ground is reckless.....unless I'm confident not only that my knots are tied appropriately, but that I've tied the appropriate knot for my needs.

I can't tell you how many posts I've read where specific knots become a topic......and I just can't follow where or why the poster is using it.

Can anyone chime in as to what knots a new saddle hunter should learn, and where you suggest they apply them?

Thanks guys.....
 
Matt G. said:
Hey Guys.....

New saddle hunter here, and I have a request.

One of the more intimidating things about saddle hunting for me is relying on knots. I've fished my whole life, and have a high level of confidence in knots for many different applications.

Rope on the other hand I have no experience with. Hanging 20 feet in the air with my back to the ground is reckless.....unless I'm confident not only that my knots are tied appropriately, but that I've tied the appropriate knot for my needs.

I can't tell you how many posts I've read where specific knots become a topic......and I just can't follow where or why the poster is using it.

Can anyone chime in as to what knots a new saddle hunter should learn, and where you suggest they apply them?

Thanks guys.....
Click to expand...
Figure 8 on a bight. Alpine butterfly. Double fisherman. Prusik. Kliemhiest. Water knot. Go to animated knots. Good site.
 
I use an app called useful knots on my phone. It gives you a description of each knot and what it's used for. It categorizes the knots into hitches, stopper knots, jamming, non jamming, ect. It's my favorite knot app I could find. I would say the most used knots are going to be an overhand knot also known as a water knot, a Figure 8, double fisherman's knot for making Loops which are then use in some friction knots . And then an assortment of friction knots. If you look up videos on YouTube on properly tying knots there is a plethora of information. Just practice your knots and make sure they're dressed correctly. Outside of that I would just suggest testing your knots at ground level until you become fully confident in them before climbing to 20 feet. Have fun and continue to ask questions.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk
 
Other than making sure you are using the right knot for the right application and that it is tied correctly, animated knots is what I typically use to refresh blakes hitch or prusik knots. I'll check out that app @denots! I think the biggest thing most folks tend to forget or overlook is that you need to leave plenty of tag end outside of the knot, I think the rule is 3 times the rope diameter, but also I think it's critical to tie off that tag end and you can't do that if you don't leave enough rope. Big thing is to make sure you have plenty of rope to start with, you can always trim it later, what's a few cents in the long run. Also some ropes don't tie as well, so if you can get your hands on it before you buy it that would be recommended. Good luck!
 
I was highly intimidated by the knots as well. Got my saddle a few weeks ago and the knots are no big deal. Like mentioned you can follow along on youtube when you do need to tie a knot. But if you get a kestral, all of the knots you need to start are tied already. If you go Mantis, they use ropeman and carabiners to replace the knot on the linesman belt. I did this on my kestral as well. Go for it, it is fun and a learning experience. And you will learn as you go
 
Check out Educated Climber on YouTube for his demos of the various friction hitches, double fisherman's loop, and basic jobsite skills for proper rope care in the field.
 
donnieballgame said:
I think the biggest thing most folks tend to forget or overlook is that you need to leave plenty of tag end outside of the knot, I think the rule is 3 times the rope diameter, but also I think it's critical to tie off that tag end
Click to expand...

Agreed

Guys should check out Knots 3D. My favorite knot app. It has animations that you can rewind and fast forward so you can get all the details.
 
IMO if there is 1 knot to learn it is a figure 8 on a bight. You could get by doing everything we do with only this knot if you used an ascender to hang on.

You could eliminate knots completely by buying a rope with a spliced loop.
 
redsquirrel said:
IMO if there is 1 knot to learn it is a figure 8 on a bight. You could get by doing everything we do with only this knot if you used an ascender to hang on.

You could eliminate knots completely by buying a rope with a spliced loop.
Click to expand...

Nice thing about the figure 8 is that you can actually untie it later if you want, it does use a lot more rope than the water knot though.
 
redsquirrel said:
IMO if there is 1 knot to learn it is a figure 8 on a bight. You could get by doing everything we do with only this knot if you used an ascender to hang on.

You could eliminate knots completely by buying a rope with a spliced loop.
Click to expand...

Been screwing around with the figure 8 on a bight. Super easy.

When you say that you can get by with no knots.....is that referring to splicing Amsteel for the bridge?
 
You can get setups that require no knot toeing of your own. But it's fun to learn how to tie knots.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Matt G. said:
Been screwing around with the figure 8 on a bight. Super easy.

When you say that you can get by with no knots.....is that referring to splicing Amsteel for the bridge?
Click to expand...
That's not what I meant. You could buy all rope with spliced eyes. For the bridge you could buy an eye 2 eye and use carabiners to hook it up. The figure 8 on a bight is an easy knot though and worth it to learn. The figure 8 on a bight retrace is a little trickier but it is nice for tying a bridge to your saddle.
 
I tie alot of knots at work so I'm use to working with rope. If you go on Youtube there's alot of videos on every knot you will need to saddlehunt.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top