How To Tie Fishing Knots

Even if you’re just starting out as a novice fisherman, it’s essential to learn how to tie a fishing hook knot.

There are also different styles of fishing knots you need for different situations, so it’s a good idea to start to build a repertoire.

As you get to know the various types of knots you’ll discover which ones are your favorites and how to choose the right knot for the situation. Start with the basics and you can then develop your skills.

Here are a few of the easy fishing knots you should know as an angler.

How To Tie a Fishing Knot

Who wants to use a weak fishing knot? No one does, of course!

After all, the point of fishing in the first place is to actually catch fish. And nothing is worse that hooking a nice fish only to have your line break and lose your trophy.

One of the most important aspects of fishing knots is their strength. And it’s important to realize that any knot will weaken the overall strength of your fishing line to some degree. The question is: how much?

Below is a list of our very favorite fishing knots that preserve the strength of your fishing line as much as possible.

1. Arbor knot

A simple arbor knot will keep your fishing line attached to the spool of various kinds of fishing reel including fly reel, spinning reel, or bait casting reel.

To tie an arbor knot, wrap your line around the arbor of the spool with the tag end of the line then tie an overhand knot in the tag end. Pull the line so the first knot comes down to the spool and the second knot follows down to secure it.

2. Improved clinch knot

An improved clinch knot is used for tying a fishing line to a hook.

Thread the fishing line through the eye of the hook, then wrap the loose end around the line at least five times. To secure, thread the loose end through the loop of the line closest to the hook and then back around the line. If you have excess line that’s bothering you can trim it off as long as it’s pulled tight and secured.

3. Palomar Knot

The palomar knot is also used to attach a hook to a line.

You need to make a loop in the fishing line and then thread this through the eye of the hook. Then tie an overhand knot and pass the hook through the loop. This will help to secure the look as you’re using a double line.

4. Blood Knot

A blood knot is a different type of knot which is mainly used for tying two pieces of line together.

Ensure the two lines are lined up for a few inches, then you can wrap them around each other to secure. Wrap the first line around the second a few times, then repeat with the second around the first. Bring the loose ends of both lines into the middle and pull tight from the other ends.

5. Snell Knot

Creating a snell knot, or snelling the hook, is another important method if you want to learn how to tie a loop knot for fishing. Pass the line through the hook twice, leaving a loop hanging loose. Then wrap the loop tightly around the hook five to ten times and pull the line until the loop is secured underneath the coils.

Conclusion

Once you learn how to tie a fishing hook knot, you’ll find there are several easy fishing knots you can use depending on the situation. It gets easier with practice, so begin to experiment with the more complex knots.