A recent discussion on the USM forum regarding reelguns vs conventional buoyline setups sparked some interesting topics, one being ‘How to attach your shooting line to your reel line’. Traditionally, clips were used in the past, but as they often snag your line and make a noise, spearfishermen in the know have progressed to using a simple Quick Release knot to secure the 2 lines.

One of the guys posted a very informative pdf showing how to tie the Quick Release knot. This was the same standard knot I had been using for some time without fail. However, just recently I discovered a different variation of the knot, which is superior.

The knot may not be as simple as the standard Quick Release knot, but it forms a neater knot and tightens up easier when tied. I can hear my grandfather’s words to me as a youngster tying fishing traces: “A neat knot is a good knot.” This saying has always stayed with me, reinforcing my 2 basic rules by which I judge the value of a knot: how easy the knot comes together when tied, and how neat the final knot is.

Many spearfisherman prefer to use dyneema for their shooting lines attached to their spears. Dynema does not have a memory like mono and does not get scuffed on the reef and bones as much as traditional mono.

Dyneema can be difficult to tie if you don't know how, so here is a simple and very effective knot. This knot can also be used for attaching clips and bungees to spearguns and 100 other uses.