Knots for Setnetting

A good knot is a powerful thing. As setnetters, we put our faith in well-tied knots to do everything from keeping our precious skiffs safely moored in the stormiest of weather to holding our nets securely in place. A typical day harvesting salmon calls for four or five knots tied repeatedly, to keep lines secure and out of the way, to tie up to our holding barges where we offload fish, to tie up the skiff in various configurations when we go to shore for our breaks. Some knots are used specifically because they can be untied after enduring great pressure of boats heaving against them, and here it is important to tie the right knot (not a clove hitch). Every couple of hours we are in and out of the skiffs, running the gear, picking fish, and offloading them. The knots we use become second nature, ones we can tie in the dark without a headlamp, in a raging storm, and always with at least one layer of gloves on.

We offer here a little slow-paced run through of the most basic knots we use many times a day. While this is intended for crew, we though it might be useful to share on our blog since many crew members have commented that one of the things they appreciated coming away with after a season fishing with us was a great confidence in their ability to tie knots in any situation. They don’t have to wonder if they have tied something down right.

For crew, we would emphasize that it is critical to get these knots ingrained in your head, to get them right. Also, though you may know some of these from other applications such as climbing, be aware that for our needs, they must be tied as shown, in the orientation depicted, which might be opposite from how you have learned them. Practice makes perfect. Practicing with gloves on is great! Speed is an important secondary goal, much needed when it’s nasty weather and we’re bouncing around or when we’re slammed with fish and every minute counts - the faster we go the more time we might have to have a little bite to eat and a breather on shore. We thought it could relieve some stress for new crew members to get a head start on learning knots we use in our application.