Best Fishing Knots That Every Angler Should Know

Trying knots in fishing line can be frustrating for new anglers. It seems the easy to tie knots arnt very strong and often lead to losing fish due to knot failure. The stronger knots can be complicated and take awhile to tie. This makes it tempting for beginners to turn to using clips or not changing lures much to avoid retying. Knots don’t have to be as complicated as they seem. Below you will find a select few knots that anglers should learn.

Easy Knots for Tying on Lures, Hooks, & Swivels

Palomar Knot

A palomar knot is my favorite knot for tying on lures. It is fairly easy to tie and can be quickly learned.

How to Tie a Palomar Knot

Improved Clinch Knot

The improved clinch knot is one of the most used knots in fishing. It is quick to tie and strong enough for securing on hooks, lures, and swivels. This knot works well with braid, fluorocarbon, and monofilament lines. Although this knot works with all line types it starts to struggle as you move up to larger diameters. Anything line under 25lb rating should be fine for this knot.

How to Tie an Improved Clinch Knot

1. Thread about 6 inches of fishing line through the eyelet of the hook.
2. Bring the tag end of line parallel to the rest of your line from your rod.
3. Wrap the tag end 5 to 6 times around your main line.
4. Slip the tag end of the line through the first wrap you made. The first wrap is the one closest to the hook eyelet. The tag end will be on the outside of the hook eyelet.
5. Tuck the tag end of line through the line coming from your last wrap in step 3 that now goes over your wraps and through your first wrap in step 4.
6. Pull tight and cut the remaining length of tag line.

Uni Knot

The Uni Knot is another simple to learn knot that is good for tying lures, hooks, and swivels. It works on braid, fluorocarbon, and monofilament lines. It is very similar to the Improved Clinch Knot.

How to Tie a Uni Knot

Surgeons Knot

The surgeons knot, also known as double surgeons Knot the can be used when joining two lines together. This is typically needed when using a leader. It is a simple knot to tie and works with braid, fluorocarbon, and monofilament lines. The benefit of a surgeons knot is it can be used to join lines whether they have the same diameter or not. A surgeon knot is basically two overhand knots with the leader pulled through each knot.

How to Tie a Surgeons Knot

Knots for Tying on Leaders

FG Knot

The FG Knot a very popular fishing knot for tying on leaders. It is extremely strong and very low profile making it the best knot for joining two lines together in my opinion. It works great with braid, fluorocarbon, and monofilament lines of equal or differing diameters. The downside? It can be difficult to tie and a poorly tied FG Knot is a weak knot. This is a knot that will take practice to tie effectively and in a timely manner. It is definitely worth it to learn though!

The key to tying this knot is maintaining tension on the lines at all times.

How to Tie a FG Knot

Double Uni Knot

The double Uni Knot is also known as the Uni to Uni Knot. This knot is used to join two lines together. As you might have guessed by its name this is done by tying two Uni Knots. Like the standard Uni Knot it works well with braid, fluorocarbon, and monofilament lines of any diameter.

How to Tie a Double Uni Knot

Albright Knot

The Albright Knot is used for connecting a leader to main line.

How to Tie a Albright Knot

Best Knot for Tying Fishing Line to Reel

• Uni Knot
• Improved Clinch Knot

Additional Resources

• Best Knot for Braided & Monofilament Line
  
• Best Knot for Fluorocarbon Line

Fishing Knot FAQs

What is the strongest fishing line knot?

The palomar knot is the strongest knot for tying on lures, hooks, and swivels. The FG knot is the strongest knot for tying two fishing lines together.

Can you tie fishing line together?

Yes, you can tie fishing line together. It is common to use a mainline and tying on a leader to better match the style of fishing you are doing.

Can you use super glue on fishing knots?

Yes, you can use super glue to help hold your fishing line knots. Super glue won’t weaken your line and is environmentally safe once it dries. Although it safe to use super glue on fishing knots, I don’t recommend it. When using the correct knot that is properly tied you wont need to add any glue to your fishing knots.

Can you hot glue fishing line?

Hot glue is safe for braid but should be avoided when using monofilament or fluorocarbon lines. The heat can damage mono and fluoro lines and will cause more damage than you will gain from gluing the knot. By using the right knot that is properly tied you wont need to add any glue to your fishing knots.