My name is Jim Root and these are my favorite fishing knots! For those of you who might not know me, I fished professionally for The Weather Channel on B.A.S.S. and FLW, wrote a best selling book on smallmouth bass fishing (foreward by Mark Zona) and was the creator/host of the television series Reel Bragging Rights (Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel and World Fishing Network). I’ve fished with and against the greatest anglers in the world and learned a lot about knot tying along the way, and I’m going to share some simple knots and tips that will help you catch some really big fish!
The Palomar Knot
I absolutely love this knot. It’s quick, easy, and will never pull out. Another reason why it’s one of my favorite fishing knots is that I can use it on a ton of different baits! In fact it actually helps improve the action sometimes, especially when I’m fishing a swimbait (but that’s a conversation for another time). To tie this knot, simply make a loop at the end of your line about 3 inches long, push the loop end through the eye of the hook or lure, wrap your loop over the back end of your line like you’re tying your shoes, pull the loop end through, open your loop and pass it over your hook/lure, then slowly pull your tag end and line together until the knot is tight. Here’s a diagram showing the process step by step.
You can easily tie this knot with braid, monofilament or fluorocarbon. I’ll use this knot whenever I’m fishing a dropshot, plastic worm, swimbait, crankbait, jig, or jerkbait; but I will not use this knot to fish a spinnerbait, for that I’ll use the next knot I’m going to show you!
The Clinch Knot
This knot is often (and incorrectly) called the fisherman’s knot. The clinch knot is often the first knot we learn as kids. If you’re like me you’ve also probably had this knot pull out a million times when you’re fighting a fish! But there are a couple baits where you absolutely need this knot and they’re baits that you probably use often enough that you need to master it. You feed the line through the hook, pull it up to make a 3 inch loop, twist the line 7 times, feed it back through the bottom, loop it back through, wet the line, and cinch it down.
Right now you’re probably asking “But Jim, can’t I just use the palomar knot all the time?” and I wish I could tell you yes but in reality you can’t and here’s why. When you fish a palomar knot on a moving bait like a swimbait it’s going to make that bait want to roll a little bit to one side. This action is ideal for a swimbait because you want that bait to gently roll back and forth while you’re retrieving it. However if you use the palomar knot on a spinnerbait it will force your bait to tilt to the side and stay there, creating an unnatural presentation and increasing the likelihood that the fish will strike your blades and not your hook. So when you’re fishing with a spinnerbait you’ll definitely want to use the clinch knot.
The Double Uni Knot
The last of my favorite knots that I’m going to share with you is the double uni knot. This is a little bit more advanced so I’m going to include a link to a video on YouTube that I really like for those of you who have trouble following along. I use this knot to join two lines together. Either braid to fluorocarbon or, if I want to attach a leader to my fly line. I like this knot when I’m on the boat or in the field because It’s fairly easy to do once you get the hang of it. If I’m connecting two lines at home the night before a trip, I’ll use the FJ knot, but that is really difficult for me to tie in the field or on the boat and takes twice as long. For ease and time, the double uni knot is a great knot.
To start, you’re going to put the two lines side by side, pointing in opposite directions. Give yourself at least 4 inches to work with. Take one side and make a loop with the tag end back over the long end. Wrap your tag end around both your loop line and your connecting line 7 times, wet the line, and pull it tight away from the other tag end. Repeat those steps with the other line, then grab each line and pull them slowly until the two knots meet.
There you have it, my favorite fishing knots that I tie every time I’m fishing! These knots are great for any age and experience level once you practice a couple times. I want to thank Mid Atlantic Stocking for having me write this for you guys and I look forward to doing it again sometime! Until next time, tie strong knots and catch big fish!