Pete's Knot Picker

by Pete Lilja
(Iowa)

Occasionally, I get a knot in my Tenkara fluorocarbon level line. It seems it usually happens when I try to check up my cast to make it shorter and mis-time my backcast making a knot in my line. Sometimes they are simple tangles easily removed but other times they're a mess. And the messy tangles often include loops of knot that aren't easy to pick with just fingers. For those a tool is needed...

Since I don't like to use the serrated jaws of my forceps to grab the line another tool was needed. The first tool I made is a piece of aluminum with a knurled handle, a hole to add a chain and a smooth, pointed tip for picking at loops and poking through knots. It works well but is overly complicated to make for such a simple device. It then popped into my head that a nail would be a good substitute.

The next generation of Pete's Knot Picker is simply an 8D duplex nail tightened into a 1/2" drill chuck which is then filed, sanded (to 320 g) and polished as shown in the photo. It works and is easy and inexpensive to make in a few minutes. Of course, any nail will work but the duplex (double headed) nail makes it a little easier to hold and gives a place to attach some kind of lanyard.

I just thought I'd share the idea as I can't be the only tenkara angler that muffs casts!

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.

We've all had situations where seriously chewed up flies kept catching fish after fish after fish. It is no sin to tie flies that come off the vise looking seriously chewed up.

Seriously, all the hooks sold on TenkaraBum.com, whether packaged as loose hooks or incorporated into flies, are dangerously sharp. Some have barbs, which make removal from skin, eyes or clothing difficult. Wear eye protection. Wear a broad-brimmed hat. If you fish with or around children, bend down all hook barbs and make sure the children wear eye protection and broad-brimmed hats. Be aware of your back cast so no one gets hooked.

Also, all the rods sold on TenkaraBum.com will conduct electricity. Do not, under any circumstances, fish during a thunder storm. Consider any fishing rod to be a lightning rod! Fishing rods can and do get hit by lightning!