Spade Hook Whipping

[TF_JonniTimms]

After seeing a few conflicing articles, some whipping up the shank, some whipping down, which way is correct? Or can you do either?

I have always whipped from the gape up to the spade and never had any problems.

[TF_red_hydro]

I use the Pro Hook Tie and whip from the gape off the hook towards the eye/spade of the hook

[TF_AnthonywatersParticipant]

Ive always gone down the hook from the spade to the bend of the hook

[Anonymous]

while we,re on the subject lads,how many turns do you all use.i try to do at least 6 turns but someone recently said he ties with only 4 turns as it makes the hook hang more natural.thanks,andy.

[TF_Spuds1]

@red_hydro wrote:

I use the Pro Hook Tie and whip from the gape off the hook towards the eye/spade of the hook

Same as Mr Hydro, I try and make as many turns as i can got on the shank. I have just wipped up 20 green gammas for next weekends canal scratch and with 0.7 line was mnaging 8 turns .

Oh and i have started to use the stonfo hook tyer , just seems a lot easier than teh black matchman ones.

[meat master]

i tie all my hooks by hand now and make 8 turns going down the shank.

[Anonymous]

Me and a few of the lads got in to this discussion one night at White Acres while making hook lengths.

I whip the line towards the spade and always put 11 turns on the hook. The hook sits in line to the hook shank in my way. I believe this gives me better presentation. The other lads whip towards the bend in the hook. This seems to gives a small kink so the hook is off set to the line.

I,ve read in articles in the past that im doing it wrong but cannot remember the reason why.

[TF_thedog]

take a look at this
http://www.gofishing.co.uk/Angling-Times/Section/how-to/Coarse-fishing-advice/Fishing-Knots/How-to-tie-the-Domhoff-fishing-knot/

[TF_staffie]

Tie all by hand and start from the bend going up toward the spade,never had any problems.If im doing a knot-less knot then down toward the bend and back up again. 🙂

[TF_Smed]

i allways go from the bend to the spade as well
about 10 turns depending on line dia

thing is when i was a kid i was told to finish it with the line coming off the back of the spade as it will hang naturally
but now i come from the front as a lot of hooks i use have the spade bending back……~think

[Anonymous]

Line MUST come from the inside of the spade or the hook has a habit of being dragged out of the fish. Especially bonus fish that pull much harder. If the line comes from the inside the spade. The hook tends to be pulled deeper. A basic mistake that resulted in me loosing a lot of my bonus fish in my early days of match fishing.

[TF_NW Cut Angler]

As TB says however you tie your hook the line must come from the front of the spade.

I had a spell where I added a dab of glue to my finished knot but then became paranoid it may weaken the knot / line so stopped doing it. Some of the old boys in times gone by used to add something (dobe/dope?) to their knots to make it better/neater for casters IIRC

I am a candidate for the asylum as far as hooks and hook tying goes. I know we all spend far too much on what is on the bank but I believe what goes in the water is so much more important.

[TF_JonniTimms]

So it seems i was right to say some people say up, some people say down, even several publications in different magazines show it both ways.

So is there a right and wrong?

I also have the line on the inside of the spade, if it was on the outside id feel like the spade was rubbing against the line, and it just doesnt look right.

Another question though, does anyone know how to prevent low diameter line, such as 0.07 kinking just above the hook after finishing the knot? I wet the line etc but just cant prevent it from happening no matter what i do. I dont mean where the line kind of frays from not holding the line to teh hook when pulling, i mean actually a single crease in the line, about 1cm above the spade? Its really hard to describe, maybe i will get a photo.

[TF_JonniTimms]

So it seems i was right to say some people say up, some people say down, even several publications in different magazines show it both ways.

So is there a right and wrong?

I also have the line on the inside of the spade, if it was on the outside id feel like the spade was rubbing against the line, and it just doesnt look right.

Another question though, does anyone know how to prevent low diameter line, such as 0.07 kinking just above the hook after finishing the knot? I wet the line etc but just cant prevent it from happening how hard i try.

[TF_NW Cut Angler]

@JonniTimms wrote:

So it seems i was right to say some people say up, some people say down, even several publications in different magazines show it both ways.

So is there a right and wrong?

I also have the line on the inside of the spade, if it was on the outside id feel like the spade was rubbing against the line, and it just doesnt look right.

Another question though, does anyone know how to prevent low diameter line, such as 0.07 kinking just above the hook after finishing the knot? I wet the line etc but just cant prevent it from happening no matter what i do. I dont mean where the line kind of frays from not holding the line to teh hook when pulling, i mean actually a single crease in the line, about 1cm above the spade? Its really hard to describe, maybe i will get a photo.

Johnn that is the bain of all hook tying. Paranoia meant I went through a phase of tightening in a bucket of water. Bizarre but as you say it is vert frustrating when it happens.

Wetting the knot either with saliva or water and not pulling too quickly too harshly as you tighten are the only methods I know.

[TF_Man of Kent]

I use the matchman tyer and have found that not whipping too tightly as you rotate the tyer can reduce the line kinking above the knot. Also keep the line comingoff the inside of the hook to prevent line being cut by the spade, esp if the spade is slanted backwards.

[Anonymous]

does everybody tie with the hooklength coming off the back of the spade?

[TF_squatt]

No. Always from the front/inside with 6-8 turns.

[TF_Waveney One]

@loda wrote:

does everybody tie with the hooklength coming off the back of the spade?

No, it should always come off the front. As said the hook sits better and the line will not rub on the spade and cut.

To prevent low diameter lines kinking, as NW Cut Angler says, don’t put the turns on too tight and a straight slow pull to tighten everything up grabbing the line above where you are going to tie the loop for preference.

[Average-AlParticipant]

I use the Pro Hook Tie and go from the bend towards the spade. The only way I have found to stop the line from kinking and looking like you have tied on to a pubic hair, is to use 4 to 5 turns moisten the line and pull the line VERY SLOWLY as you tighten.
I know this seems a ridiculously low number of turns but it works and I can’t remember the last time I had a hook pull of the line, breakages yes but not the hook simply pulling off the line.

[Anonymous]

The kinking problem with very low diameter lines is usually solved by only tightening the line just enough to close the knot but not tightened up(wetting the knot always). I then use my thumb nail to push the knot tight to the spade. Then, im able to tighten the knot fully without kinking the line even with the finest of lines.

The line coming off the back of the hook is a massive mistake and is missed by many anglers. The amount of times i,ve seen anglers getting this wrong is incredible. The line turning on the spade is another problem and is something im always checking for. Tubertini 808 hooks being one pattern of hook where this is a consistent issue.

[Anonymous]

The kinking problem with very low diameter lines is usually solved by only tightening the line just enough to close the knot but not tightened up(wetting the knot always). I then use my thumb nail to push the knot tight to the spade. Then, im able to tighten the knot fully without kinking the line even with the finest of lines.

The line coming off the back of the hook is a massive mistake and is missed by many anglers. The amount of times i,ve seen anglers getting this wrong is incredible. The line turning on the spade is another problem and is something im always checking for. Tubertini 808 hooks being one pattern of hook where this is a consistent issue.

[TF_NW Cut Angler]

In terms of whether you whip up to the spade or down from the spade is there a definitive answer. Does doing it one way make tightening the knot / avoiding kinking less likely?

[Anonymous]

I might be wrong on this NWCA but whipping towards the bend is considered to be the correct way. The loop in the line finishes up coming though the knot with the whipping around both the hook and the line. Whipping towards the spade means that the loop ends up wrapped around the whipping once the knot is tightened up. However, the hook sits straighter on the line if whipped to the spade. Im thinking its a bigger issue with strength and the abrasion resistance with higher diameter lines than we normally use. In particular within sea fishing and very possible with fly fishing. In particular with fly fishing. There are always the issues of what materials are going to be added to the hook to create the fly. How the knot is tightened up and finished off might be critical to the look of the fly. Not that i know much about making flies.

[TF_NW Cut Angler]

Cheers TrueBlue.

As already pointed out it gets confusing when one article demonstrations says one way and another says the other etc

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