Article Tag: improved uni knot

Do you want to know the best uni knot for braid fishing line?

So did we.

That is why we decided to do our own tests on modified uni knots for braided line.

But before we reveal the results, let’s talk about the issue at hand so you know exactly why this is so critical to fishing with braid.

The most common problem facing anglers who use braided line is that they use the same fishing knots they learned when using mono.

Why is this a problem? Because many knots that are great with mono are not nearly as good when used with braid given the vast differences in the two line types.

Fortunately, the Uni Knot is one of the most popular knots that performs great with mono as well as braided line.

This is a knot that is very popular given its strength, ease of tying, and it’s ability to be used as a line-to-line knot.

The most commonly taught Uni Knot consists of going through the eye once, making a loop, and then wrapping around/through it 5 times.

However, this is the standard mono style of the Uni Knot, and it may not be quite as effective on braid because braid line does not draw as much friction as mono does… (aka – braided line often requires more wraps to create enough friction to not slip).

So we decided to do some testing to see which style of the Uni has the highest breaking strength when tying a braided line to the eye of a swivel, hook, or lure.

Note: This test is specific only to tying braided line to a swivel, hook, or lure. We personally recommend connecting your braided line directly to a fluorocarbon leader when connecting to your hook/lure in most situations.

Uni Knot Variations

Here’s a quick list of the different styles of the Uni Knot that we tested for its strength on braided line:

1. Once through the eye and then 5 twists
2. Once through the eye and then 10 twists
3. Twice through the eye and then 5 twists
4. Twice through the eye and then 10 twists
5. Three times through the eye and then 5 twists
6. Three times through the eye and then 10 twists

Uni Knot Strength Test Results

Not that surprisingly, we found that increasing the twists always increased the breaking strength of the Uni knot. In every test with the eye loop count consistent, the strength increased as more twists were included.

And although it would have seemed as if adding more loops around the eye of the hook would also increase the knot’s breaking strength, it seems as if the twice version provided the most consistently impressive results.

At times, the triple loop version was the winner, but there were times when that style would weaken itself on the final cinch and I couldn’t find a way to get them to consistently pull together in a way that always improved the knot.

Given the added strength of the second loop through the eye in addition to the extra increase in strength of the additional twists, I now believe that the best uni knot version for braided line tied to a swivel, hook, or lure is going through the eye twice and then using 10 or more twists around/through the loop (test #4 above).

How To Tie The Modified Uni Knot

Here is a quick video showing the modified Uni for braided line tied to an eye of a swivel, hook, or lure.

Note: Adding more twists above the 10 twists shown in the video will increase the knot strength. The only downfall on adding more is that it takes a bit longer to tie and can be more difficult to ensure that all of the twists are going in the same direction without wrapping over one another (I typically use anywhere from 10 to 14 twists depending on how much of a hurry I’m in).

Conclusion

Different lines require different knots in many occasions… especially when the line types in question are as diverse as monofilament compared to braid.

Even further, the amount of wraps most certainly makes a difference too… I noticed a ~10% increase in the breaking strength from the standard style to this modified style of the Uni knot when doing this test.

So be sure that you take some time to ensure that your knots are appropriate for the type of line (mono/braid), as well as the type of connection (line-to-leader/line-to-hook/etc.). And set your drag accordingly to ensure you don’t lose the biggest fish of the day due to line breakage.

Note – This test used 10 lb PowerPro braid tied to the eye of a circle hook. Other line types may very well see different results.

Let us know if you find that any other versions of the Uni Knot have better results on braid… we’re always looking for better/newer options.

Go To Our Knot Testing Homepage [Full Knot Rankings]