The macro lens: for when you want to be absolutely certain your blood knot seated correctly.

OPEN WATER

Blood Knot

I couldn’t tell you how many wraps I make. Tie a knot enough, the process becomes part of you. When I started fishing, most cursed it, settling for the simpler triple surgeon. The challenge drew me in, but the final product kept me. Two clean ends that mash together in a smooth union, tag ends spilling out either side perfectly perpendicular. I remember the look on clients’ faces when I answered the all-too-common inquiry: What knot is that? Mostly it was confusion, some disgust. Best were the slight nods of approval, which always came from older anglers who knew the value of a good blood knot.

Last spring, my wife, Heather, found a two-piece Heddon Pal #55 at a garage sale. Naturally I dug deep into the mysterious archives of old glass rods to find a comparable line weight. They recommended a six, so I went with seven and set off with a small popper to harass the local panfish. To say it was a noodle would be an understatement. It was a floppy dream of a rod that required me to break the confines of modern graphite casting strokes…


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