Best Knot for Braided & Monofilament Fishing Line

The best knot for braided and monofilament lines is the palamer knot. I have done a ton of testing over the years and tried many knots. I have found the palamer knot is the most efficient, strongest, and best knot for both braid and mono lines.

Benefits of the Palamer Knot on Mono and Braided Line

The biggest benefit of the palamer knot is how simple and quick it is to tie. After tieing a few practice knots you will be able to tie a palamer knot in just a few seconds. The benefit of being able to tie a quick knot is it encourages you to retie more. One of the biggest issues anglers have with knots failing or line breaking is caused by their knot or line being damaged and them not cutting the damage away and retying. A quick tying knot takes away the negative of wasting time and encourages you retie as needed.

I really like the palamer knot when fishing braid and mono lines because I tend to use those in heavier lb test that is thicker in diameter. A lot of other popular knots tend to be too bulky with thicker line diameters. The palamer knot is fairly small compared to how strong it is.

It is so strong in fact that I don’t I have ever lost a fish on braid or mono due to a palamer knot failing. I’m not alone on that either, Randy Blaukat a pro angler with 50+ years of experience claims he has never had a palamer knot fail.

Negatives of the Palamer Knot

The biggest downside to the palmer knot is if you are using large lures. It is a bit more challenging feeding a larger lure through the loop but it is possible by using slightly more line to make a bigger loop. Using slightly more line leaves you with a longer tag end when your done tieing so there is slightly more waste but the benefit of the strength to size ratio more than makes up for the negative.

How to Tie a Palamer Knot

Tips for Tying a Palamer Knot on Braid

When tying a palamer knot on braid leave a little extra length on the tag end of the knot. Braid tends to slide a bit as it tightens so leaving a slightly longer tag end will ensure that the knot doesn’t slip far enough to fail.

Tips for Tying a Palamer Knot on Monofilament

When tying a palamer knot on mono be sure to wet the line before pulling it tight. The friction the line produces when tightening is enough to burn and damage monofilament line. Wetting the line with your mouth or dipping it in the water before tightening with help ensure the line isn’t damaged as you tighten the knot.

Anytime someone has issues with a palamer knot on monofilament it is almost always because they didn’t wet the line before tightening the knot.

Final Thoughts

The palamer knot is my go-to knot when fishing mono or braided line. I have fished it for years, it is super simple to tie and it has never caused me any issues.