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DOUBLE RAPALA KNOT & PIANO WIRE FOR TIGERFISH

Leonard Flemming 0

DOUBLE RAPALA KNOT & PIANO WIRE FOR TIGERFISH

As explained in the original post (Terminal Tricks for Tigers) this piano wire trace setup (or single stranded stainless steel trace) was still regularly used when the Tanzanian tigerfish played ‘hard-to-get’ and it is also very useful for Zambezi tigerfish. Orange Dacron was used to demonstrate the double Rapala knot (which will be tied at the end of your fluorocarbon or nylon tippet):

1 – Tie an open over-hand knot in the line, leaving a fair bit of tag end to work with;

 

2- Pass the tag end back through the over-hand knot, the same side that it came out, to form a loop;

 

3 – And start wrapping the tag end through the loop that was formed (try to keep the loop small at this stage);

 

4 – Continue to wrap the tag end through the loop until it is ‘filled’ with wraps – the more wraps you can get in there the better;

 

5 – And pass the tag end back through the over-hand knot, the same side it previously came out;

 

6 – Complete the knot by wrapping the tag end twice over the main line and passing it back through the centre of the over-hand knot, the same side it exited previously – as you’d do with the standard Rapala knot. The knot is now completed and this knot will be at the end of your tippet.

 

7 – The fluorocarbon or nylon equivalent to the Dacron demo of the completed double Rapala knot.

 

The haywire twist:

Haywire Twist

8 – I currently use the AFW Tooth Proof 27 lb single stranded stainless steel wire (brown) for the wire trace;

 

10 – The haywire twist is performed by hand (do not use pliers for this ‘knot’ as pliers may weaken the wire) – start by folding the tag end over the main wire;

 

11 – Twist it at that initial angle (roughly 45 degree angle or slightly more, but not 90 degrees) about three times before turning the tag end at a 90 degree angle with the main wire; continue to wrap the tag end about 3 to 4 times at tight 90 degree wraps;

 

12 – Form a little handle by kinking the left-over tag end roughly in the middle and start turning the little handle until it breaks off cleanly at the base of the completed haywire twist;

 

13 – A neat wire loop is formed which could be used to attach leader or flies to the wire trace;

 

14 – Here a haywire twist was done through the double Rapala loop knot at the end of the tippet, a combination that’s surprisingly strong and which I’ve used with good success on 15 lb to 30 lb tippet material on toothy predatory fish. You want about 20 cm of wire between the tippet and fly to start with – it will get progressively shorter as you cut the wire to attach new flies and I’d guess that 15 cm would be the minimum length I’d recommend to use with this setup, before a new piece of wire trace is cut and tied on.

 

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