TikTok helps fishos learn about the impact of litter

A NEW initiative aims to reduce the impact of fishing line on our marine environment.

Fishing line is one of the main forms of litter impacting The Great Barrier Reef.

FISHING line is one of the top 20 categories of litter impacting the Great Barrier Reef and waterways across Australia, according to the Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database.

Tangaroa Blue Foundation is an Australia-wide not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the removal and prevention of marine debris, a major environmental issue worldwide.

Tangaroa’s new Look After your Tackle campaign is an initiative to help educate rec fishers about the scale and impact of fishing litter.

Part of the campaign revolves around getting younger fishos to post a TikTok clip of them tying an improved clinch knot, in an effort to beat North Queensland Australian National Sportfishing Association member Adam Royle.

He does it in 9.5 seconds, albeit with a 16/0 shark hook and a length of cord, and without moistening the knot with saliva or water before cinching it tight – an essential part of almost every fishing knot.

The improved clinch is generally regarded as one of the easiest of the “80%-plus efficient” knots to join nylon monofilament line to a swivel or hook, along with its slightly weaker cousin, the uni knot.

Every fisho should know either or both to avoid embarrassing (and littering) break-offs when fishing.

US site www.saltstrong.com reckons the uni works better with braid, which has a tendency to slip under tension.

Saltstrong’s many tests also confirm what every angler who has taken the time to learn the FG knot knows: by a long way, there’s no stronger, more compact way of joining braided main line to a mono leader than the FG, which stands for f– good.

The internet shows dozens of ways to tie the FG, which simply locks the straight leader in a series of tight coils like a Chinese finger trap.

A well-tied FG will seldom break before your uni, clinch knot or even a palomar or other high-efficiency knot, meaning you get your leader back if your hook or lure gets snagged or a fish buries you in cover.

And that means less line in the ocean.

Try www.knotsforfishing.com for a list of plenty of knots and their efficiency or search “knot wars” on YouTube for showdowns between various knots.

Big tides

Sunday’s new moon brings around big night tides and plenty of run, keeping the spawning bream active in the lower estuaries and getting the mud crabs on the move again.

The ocean is still warm enough for mackerel, especially those big Spanish, and the snapper are becoming more frequent feeders inshore.

It won’t be long before spawning bass (zero bag limit until September 1), flathead, baby mulloway and whiting are inhabiting the same upper estuary areas, so it’s worth a run on the river this weekend.

The beaches also have bream, flathead and a few whiting and if the sea settles a little more, tailor should come in closer, too.

Just remember the night tide will come right up to the base of the dunes.