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Three Fishing Knots That Hold
Fishing

Three Fishing Knots That Hold

Palomar, improved clinch, and a loop — wet, seated, tagged short

45 min5 photographed stepsBeginner

You will tie a Palomar for braid-to-hook, an improved clinch for mono to a lure, and a simple surgeon's or loop for a leader. Wet the knot, seat it, trim the tag. Practice 10 of each at the table before they matter in the wind.

What you'll learn

  • Wet, then pull both sides
  • Palomar is the braid knot most people should start with
  • Improved clinch: five turns, back through the loop, then the big loop
  • A long tag is not 'safer' — it snags weed

Inside this course

  • Rules for every knotDry nylon plus a hard yank is how you invent a heat-cut.
  • PalomarDouble the line, through the eye, overhand, hook through the loop, pull.
  • Improved clinchMono to a lure. Five or six turns. The 'improved' is the extra tuck.
  • A loop for leadersSurgeon's knot: overlap, two overhands, pull four ends.

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First steps from Rules for every knot

See how every step looks — photo, checklist, and pro tips included.

Wet. Seat. Clip. Pull test.
01Lick it, pull the standing line and the tag

Water lubricates. Seat the wraps so they stack, not a bird pile. Then clip the tag to 2–3 mm. A 5 cm tag is a weed magnet.

Test: a firm pull against the hook eye. If it slips, cut and retie. Never 'just cinch harder' on a slipped clinch.

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Lick it, pull the standing line and the tag

Step 1

Lick it, pull the standing line and the tag

Double six inches, through the eye

Step 2

Double six inches, through the eye

When Palomar is the wrong tool

Step 3

When Palomar is the wrong tool

Through the eye, wrap, back through the small loop, then the big loop

Step 4

Through the eye, wrap, back through the small loop, then the big loop

Overlap 10 cm, double overhand twice

Step 5

Overlap 10 cm, double overhand twice

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