why not go down the spade end route for smaller hooks, better presentation I think.

Originally Posted by Rio hafren

Try looking up the uni knot. Its exactly the same as a grinner but the method of tying it is much simpler.

hi rio.the problem is you can only loop it once on a small hook.its that loop that fails. up to a few weeks ago i have always used spade ends whitch i think are good.. the problem ive been having is the spade has been to sharp and with presure its cutting though the line..so i went for eyed .. billy

Originally Posted by billyfish

hi rio.the problem is you can only loop it once on a small hook.its that loop that fails. up to a few weeks ago i have always used spade ends whitch i think are good.. the problem ive been having is the spade has been to sharp and with presure its cutting though the line..so i went for eyed .. billy

Ive not had a problem with this knot with hooks down to size 18 on 3lb line although I wouldnt use a hook that small nor a line that light for Barbel. Its really easy to tie once you get used to it and not prone to the failures associated with blood knots so long as it is tied right. I will try and find a link to a diagram.

You can of course use spade end hooks as already suggested. I spend a lot of time wading when trotting for barbel and find it easier to tie on eyed hooks whilst standing in the river if I change rigs / snag up than tying on spade ends.

well i am totally confused here (not difficult i know)lol,but i've just watched videos of the grinner knot and the half blood knot several times and theres no way he puts the line through the eye of the hook twice, so am i looking at the wrong knot oe the wrong knot tying sites?

I,ve been following this thread with some interest so i thought i would put my ideas in -- i have always used the Tucked Half Blood for tying mono filament line even though line tests have shown that the Palomar is stronger. ( i think its just a confidence thing having Never losing a fish if the not is tied right-- if you miss the last tuck the knott just becomes a Blood Knott which is highly skeptical to slipping, which i have found to my cost) which brings me to the line being passed through the eye twice this idea is only to stop the line from slipping and wont stop it breaking, most line breakages are caused by some form of fault in the line and not in any rightly tried Knott.
How many time have we all lost fish where the line as broken well away from any knott !!
I,ve used braid as a main line(when freelineing or bait rolling) and as a hook length for many years and have always found the Grinner Knot (Uni Knott--USA)As the best there is.And you can always do a Double Grinner for joining 2 lines together if required.
Coated braid Ive used for hook lenghs when the river bed is rocky and the Grinner is used here again ( one thing i have found is that you dont always have to strip the outer coating off -- believe me)
These are only my personal observations after many years of fishing but i still lose my fair share but usually through hook pulls but that another thread i think

The grinner is supposed to go through the eye twice kev and I never twist mine first either like they did in the video , I only double loop big hooks and not the small ones, the reason its such a good knot is because its not a strangulation knot , but if you twist it before hand surly that would make it one, Ill give you a teach in on sat no charge lol

hmmmm.........yes barrie i use the uni for tying my shock leaders great knot,also very good for tying/joining 2 similar diameter lines together, but surely all knots are strangling something by virtue of your sliding coils down to the line/loop that pases through the hook/swivel or whatever it goes through it must at some point have a strangle hold on that 1st loop through the eye, this does not detract from the visual fact that in the videos i've just watched the line only passes once through the eye,so the big question is .....
who's tying it the effin right way??? lol.

I am so nerrrrr!!!! If you notice on some knots when you tighten them down you can visibly see the weakening of the line where it has discoloured or looks thinner, most noticable on hi tech lines with no stretch, the grinner not does not suffer from this as the knotless knot doesnt, I may be talking rubbish but that how I understood it. Ultimate Knots - FishingMagic Online Fishing Magazine.
this is the grinner I use but 5 turns instead of 4 many adaptations but the simpliest is usually the best.

ok i just found this,

How To Tie A 5 Turn Grinner Knot | Carp Catchers Blog

its a bit clearer than your 1 saint.

hi rio... when on the float. fishing that light i am not fishing for barbel [ anything but ] i have hooked a few barbel while trotting you have no chance of landing them . when thay take of something as got to give its usualy my knot at the hook. when your using hooks that small some one mentioned about line strangulation.. i believe thats whats happening ..i have allways used maxima line and kamasan b611 hooks for many years and thay have rarely let me down.on bigger hooks no problem...but on small hooks theres nothing we can do about ??? [ unless theres another answer. watch this space???? ] billy