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Fishing Guide

Fishing Knots — When to Use Each One

Seven knots cover nearly everything a South Florida angler needs. The question isn't just how to tie each one — it's which one the situation calls for. Text steps only, no diagrams; each links to a tested source with photos and video if you want to see it tied.

Improved Clinch Knot

Use it for: Attaching line to a hook, lure, or swivel. Especially good for small-diameter tippet to a heavy-wire hook, as on a fly leader. Not recommended above roughly 30 lb test — it loses reliability on heavier line.

  1. Pass the tag end through the eye.
  2. Wrap the tag end around the standing line about 5 times (4 turns for heavier line).
  3. Pass the tag end back through the loop formed next to the eye.
  4. Pass the tag end under the last wrap you made — this tuck is what makes it "improved" over a basic clinch.
  5. Moisten the knot and cinch it down firmly and evenly.
  6. Trim the tag end close.
Source

Palomar Knot

Use it for: Attaching line — especially braid — to a hook or lure. One of the strongest, most reliable knots for that connection, and it leaves the hook hanging and rotating freely.

  1. Double about 6 inches of line to form a loop, and pass the loop through the eye.
  2. Tie a simple overhand knot in the doubled line, but don’t tighten it yet.
  3. Pass the loop over the hook or lure and down past the bend.
  4. Moisten the knot.
  5. Pull the standing line and tag end together to cinch it down.
  6. Trim the tag end.
Source

Uni Knot

Use it for: Snelling a hook, forming loops, or joining two lines end-to-end. Works on both braid and mono, and retains roughly 82% of line strength when tied to a hook eye — a solid all-purpose choice when you’re not sure which knot the situation calls for.

  1. Thread the tag end through the eye and lay it back alongside the standing line to form a loop.
  2. Inside that loop, wrap the tag end around both strands about 5 times.
  3. Moisten the wraps.
  4. Pull the standing line to draw the wraps down into a compact coil against the eye.
  5. Slide the coil to the eye and cinch it fully by pulling the tag end.
  6. Trim the tag end.
Source

FG Knot (braid-to-leader)

Use it for: Joining braided main line to a fluorocarbon leader with minimal bulk, so the connection runs cleanly through rod guides. The top choice for spinning and casting setups where a slim connection matters — sight casting the flats or working a bait through structure.

  1. Hold the braid under tension — pinned under a foot, thumb, or clamped in place.
  2. Weave the leader alternately under and over each side of the braid, forming a tight chain.
  3. Repeat for 12–15 double wraps, compressing every 5–6 pairs to keep the weave snug.
  4. Finish with several half hitches around both lines, then a few more around the braid alone.
  5. Pull hard on both ends — the final strong pull is what actually sets the knot’s strength, not the wrapping itself.
Source

Double Uni Knot (braid-to-leader alternative)

Use it for: Joining two lines of similar or different diameter and strength — the easier-to-tie alternative to the FG knot for braid-to-mono or braid-to-fluoro. Pick this over the FG knot when you want a knot you can tie reliably in a moving boat, at the cost of a slightly bulkier connection.

  1. Overlap the two line ends.
  2. Tie a Uni knot with the left line around both strands (6–8 turns for braid, 5+ for mono), and pull its tag end to snug it down.
  3. Repeat with the right line’s tag end wrapped around both strands.
  4. Pull both standing lines apart so the two Uni knots slide together and lock against each other.
  5. Trim both tag ends.
Source

Non-Slip Mono Loop (loop knot for lures)

Use it for: A fixed loop at a lure that doesn’t cinch down on the lure’s eye, so the lure swings freely for more natural action — the right call for topwater plugs, jerkbaits, and flies where movement sells the strike. Also called the Kreh Loop.

  1. Tie a loose overhand knot in the line, well back from the end.
  2. Pass the tag end through the lure’s eye, then back through the overhand knot from the same side it exited.
  3. Wrap the tag end around the standing line about 5 times.
  4. Pass the tag end back through the overhand knot a second time.
  5. Moisten the knot and pull the wraps down evenly, sizing the loop before it fully seats.
  6. Cinch tight and trim the tag end.
Source

Bimini Twist

Use it for: Building a doubled-line loop at the end of your main line for a shock leader or class-tippet connection on big-game rigs — a loop-to-loop connection point, not a terminal knot. The right choice when a single strand of line isn’t enough insurance against a hard-fighting fish like a tarpon or sailfish; a well-tied Bimini can retain close to 100% of straight line strength.

  1. Form a loop and twist it at least 20 full turns (30+ for mono, more for braid).
  2. Pinch and compress the twists so the tag end winds tightly down the twisted section.
  3. Lock it off with a half hitch, then a multi-loop hitch tucking the tag end between the two strands.
  4. Cinch down gradually, transferring strain evenly across the twists.
  5. Trim the tag end.
Source