5 Carp Fishing Knots You Need to Know
By Debbie Hanson
Sep 18, 2018
Find out which carp fishing knots you need to know to start carp fishing today. Learn which simple carp fishing knots and rigs are best in which situations
Photo credit to Colin Scott
Now is the perfect time to start brushing up on your carp fishing knots. While this particular fish species was once considered a nuisance, anglers around the world have grown to appreciate the challenging fight that carp are capable of providing.
Learning a handful of good carp fishing knots and rigs won't take you very long. In fact, you may already be familiar with a few of the best fishing knots to use when targeting carp. Before you learn how to tie each of these knots; however, you should know which situations require each type of knot.
1. Figure of Eight Knot
This is a strong knot that will give your swivel connections more freedom of movement, but is also a good knot to tie if you want to be able to quickly change out your terminal tackle. Use the Figure of Eight Knot with monofilament or fluorocarbon lines.
2. Grinner Knot
Don't let the name of this knot throw you off. The Uni Knot is referred to as the Grinner Knot in the United Kingdom. The Grinner Knot (UK) or Uni Knot (US) is one of the best knots to use when attaching hooks or swivels to your monofilament mainline.
3. Knotless Knot
If you plan to fish carp baits on hair rigs (one of the simplest carp fishing knots and rigs which allows a bait to be presented without sitting directly on the hook), this is the knot to use. Use this knot with baits like boilies (dough balls), large pellets and sweet corn. You'll also find that this knot cleverly aligns your hook on your leader, increasing the chances of a solid hookset.
4. Palomar Knot
The Palomar Knot is an easy knot to tie when you want to attach swivels to your braided or monofilament main line. When tied correctly, it also maintains about 95% of the line's original strength. Strong and easy to tie -- that's a winning combination!
5. Blood Knot
You may want to use this knot instead of a Grinner Knot (also known as a Uni Knot) when attaching fluorocarbon line to loops on leaders and swivels. The Blood Knot is known to work well with fluorocarbon line, whereas the Grinner Knot works better with monofilament line.
Here's one last tip: Don't forget to moisten each of your carp fishing knots before pulling them tight so that your line doesn't weaken or break from the friction.
