Palomar Knot: How To Tie The Palomar Knot [Fluoro & Braid Adjustments]

Palomar Knot Strength Analysis

The Palomar Knot is one of the most popular fishing knots in the world.

And this post will show you the best ways to tie this very popular “Palomar Knot” based on the line type that you are using… braid vs. mono/fluoro.

Yes, even great knots like the Palomar need to be adjusted based on the line that is used.

Specifically, we’ll focus on monofilament (including Fluorocarbon) and braid because they are the most popular and have such different characteristics.

First, here’s the general 5 steps required for any Palomar knot:

5 Steps To Tie The Palomar Knot

Here are the 5 steps correctly tying a Palomar Knot.

1. Double over the tag end of the line
   • Staring with 5 to 6 inches of doubled line is easiest
2. Thread the end of the doubled line through the eye of the hook/lure
   • Pinching the end of the loop to form a point makes this step much easier
3. Make an overhand knot on the doubled line leaving the hook/lure in the middle
   • Make sure that the doubled line tag end forms a loop that is at least as wide as the hook/lure
4. Thread the hook/lure through the doubled tag line
   • This is simple for hooks, but it can be difficult with larger lures
5. Tighten the lines down until it forms the final Palomar Knot
   • Wet line with saliva or water before tightening

See below for the results and to see detailed videos showing the best way to tie a Palomar Knot for both monofilament and braid fishing lines.

Strongest Palomar Knot Analysis

For this knot analysis, I tied two different variations of the Palomar knot on a single strand of line 5 times. Then, I soaked the knots in water for ~15 minutes to resemble their state when in use.

Next, I pulled on each line with a steadily increasing tension until the weaker one broke and recorded the breaking tension using a small scale that is connected to the line.

Once the breaking points of the 5 lines were all recorded, I tied 5 more using different tying styles and repeated the steps.

Strongest Palomar Knot On Mono

Monofilament line (of course including the popular fluorocarbon type of mono) has much more friction than braid, so often requires much less turns and twists compared to braid in order to be the strongest…

And even though it seems as if more twists/turns would result in a stronger knot, that theory has been proven false many times in our earlier testing.

Note: All tests with mono were performed with 30 lb Berkley Trilene tied to a circle hook

Palomar Knot On Mono Test #1

First, I tied a slight variation of the Palomar that simply has a double overhand knot (vs. the single overhand knot) before feeding the hook through the loop. This style is referred to as a “Double Palomar” in some YouTube videos.

• Original Palomar won 4 of the 5 tests… it’s loss was at 22 lbs
• The Double Palomar knot won once… it’s 4 losses were in the 27 lb to 32 lb range

Conclusion: The original Palomar is better since it won a majority of the contests while also being quicker to tie (one less step)

Palomar Knot On Mono Test #2

This next version of the Palomar involves feeding the doubled tag end of the line through the hook eye twice and then doing a single overhand knot before feeding the hook through the loop. And I tested this against the original Palomar since it won the first test.

• Original Palomar won 3 of the 5 tests… it’s losses were at 28 lbs and 29 lbs
• The Double Palomar knot won 2 out of 5… it’s 3 losses were in the 29 lb to 31 lb range

Conclusion: The original Palomar is better since it won a majority of the contests while also being quicker to tie (one less step).

Palomar Knot On Mono Test #3

Since the original Palomar won again, I decided to see what would happen if a tied the same style that won the braid contest (2 turns through eye and then double overhand). However, the friction of the added twists were so high that it became very difficult to cinch the knot without damaging the lines. So I ended to contest there and concluded that the original style is best for mono.

How To Tie The Palomar Knot For Mono

After the testing above, the long time original Palomar knot proved to hold its own against the variations. It proved to be the stronger option while also being easier to tie.

Note: Although this knot won the contest in terms of strength, I still recommend using loop knots when fishing with artificial lures because they allow for more action which will lead to more strikes… click here to see our loop knot contest.

Strongest Palomar Knot On Braid

After including the Palomar knot in an earlier contest for tying braid to a swivel/hook, I knew that the standard Palomar knot was not going to be the best overall choice… click here to see that contest.

However, I was very curious to find out if there was some sort of an improved Palomar knot for braid, so decided to try out some variations of the Palomar and put them up against the original.

Note: All tests with braid were performed with 10 lb PowerPro tied to a circle hook

Palomar Knot On Braid – Test #1

First, I tied a slight variation of the Palomar that simply has a double overhand knot (vs. the single overhand knot) before feeding the hook through the loop… this style is referred to as a “Double Palomar” in some YouTube videos.

• Standard Palomar won 3 of the 5 tests… it’s losses were in the 14 lb to 15 lb range
• The Double Palomar knot won twice… it’s 3 losses were in the 12 lb to 17 lb range

Conclusion: The standard Palomar is better than the double Palomar since it won a majority of the contests while also being quicker to tie (one less step).

Palomar Knot On Braid – Test #2

This next version of the Palomar involves feeding the original doubled over tag end through the eye of the hook two times (vs. one in the standard style).

And then also tying the double overhand knot as done in the first test. I tested this against the original Palomar since it won the first test.

• This Improved Double Palomar knot won all five tests… the original version broke in the 13 lb to 17 lb range in all 5 tests.

Conclusion: This Improved Double Palomar consisting of two turns through the hook eye followed by a double overhand knot makes for a stronger knot.

Palomar Knot On Braid – Test #3

Since the original Palomar lost, I decided to see what would happen if a triple overhand knot was used, so I tied it 5 times and put it up against the winner of test #2.

• This new 2 x 3 Palomar won once… its 4 losses were in the 15 lb to 18 lb range
• The winner of test #2 won 4 of the 5 trials… its loss was at 17 lbs

Conclusion: Although this newer 2 x 3 Palomar included an extra twist, its inclusion actually hurt the overall strength of the knot relative to the 2 x 2 version.

How To Tie The Strongest Palomar Knot For Braid

After the tests above, I believe that the best way to tie the Palomar knot is to feed the doubled tag end through the hook eye twice, and then doing a double overhand knot before feeding the hook through the tag loop… see video below:

Note: Although this Improved Palomar Knot for braid is stronger than the traditional Palomar Knot, it still isn’t as strong as the Improved Uni Knot for Braid.

Conclusion

The Palomar Knot proved to be a very strong knot while being very easy to tie, which is what makes this knot so popular.

Best of all, the standard method of tying the Palomar Knot proved to be the strongest and best style when using monofilament line.

However, when using braided line, the best Palomar knot wasn’t the original style that most people use.

This experiment proved that it’s best double all of the turns (go through the hook eye twice and then do a double overhand knot as shown in the video above).

As always, leave a comment below if you have any questions or would like to see any other knots tested… Fish On!

P.S. – Please Share this post with any of your fishing friends because it could save them from losing a trophy fish.

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