The Best Loop Knot For Fluorocarbon Leader To Lure or Hook [Knot Contest]

It’s Loop Knot Time!

Loop knots are extremely important to anglers who use artificial lures because they allow the baits to have the most action possible.

Since loop knots are an essential part of inshore fishing, we decided to host a “fishing knot contest” that put the top 4 most popular loop knots in a head-to-head battle so we could determine the best loop knot for fluorocarbon leader line.

Given that it can’t benefit from the 360-degree friction against the hook, the breaking strength of loop knots will be lower than most of the snug knot options. However, the added action that it provides to your lure makes it worthwhile… I highly recommend using this style whenever using artificial lures.

However, the added action that it provides to your lure makes it worthwhile… I highly recommend using this style whenever using artificial lures.

Here are the top snug knots that we tested in this fishing knot analysis:

• Kreh Loop Knot (aka: Non-Slip Loop Knot)
• Perfection Loop Knot
• Rapala Loop Knot
• Canoe Man Loop

Kreh Loop Knot (Non-Slip Loop Knot)

The ‘Kreh loop knot’ has been my knot of choice for the past 5 years once I found out about it. It’s easy to tie, has good strength, and its tag end points down towards the lure allowing for it to be as weedless as possible.

See below for a video on how to tie it.

Note: Another name for this knot is the “Non-Slip Loop Knot”. Strength test results are shown below.

Perfection Loop Knot

I learned the ‘perfection loop knot’ years ago from a great flyfisherman (shout out to Dennis Aust) who is good friends with our family. It’s often used by fly fishermen for loop to loop connections, but it’s also very popular for tying on hooks and small lures to leader via a loop connection given its strength and ease of tying.

See video for details on how to tie the Perfection Loop Knot.

Note: Strength test results are shown below.

Rapala Loop Knot

The ‘Rapala loop knot’ is very similar to the Kreh loop knot, except that it has one added twist. The pro of this extra step is that it adds some strength to the knot. However, the downfall is that it leaves a weed-catching tag end that sticks straight up and is slightly more difficult to tie. Here’s a video that shows how to tie it:

However, the downfall is that it leaves a weed-catching tag end that sticks straight up and is slightly more difficult to tie.

Here’s a video that shows how to tie it:

Note: Strength test results are shown below.

Canoe Man Loop

The ‘Canoe Man Loop’ knot really impressed me when I first came across it… very easy to tie, strong, and the tag end points down.

However, its strength when doing my initial tests with standard mono line did not translate over the fluorocarbon leader. Not sure why, but it scored lowest of the 4 consistently with fluoro while being one of the best with standard mono.

Here’s how to tie it in case you’re curious though:

Note: Strength test results are shown below.

CONCLUSION

Leader to Lure Loop Knot Winner

Although not quite the strongest in the category, my preference is staying with the Kreh Loop knot (aka. Non-Slip Loop knot) given that it’s easier to tie than the Rapala and that it’s tag end points directly down making it tough for those pesky weeds to ruin a presentation in front of a hungry fish.

For these line types, it’s breaking range matches exactly to the winner of the best braided line to fluorocarbon leader connection that we found in our line-to-line knot contest, so using the Kreh knot won’t cause any harm to the strength of the overall system.

This diagram shows the head to head matches that took place as part of this analysis. The test consisted of 3 rounds where the 3rd round was the winning knot tied against itself to test its strength. The red values below the names of the knots represent the amount of pull strength that the knots were able to withstand in each round.

Note: Lines used were 10 lb PowerPro braid and 30 lb Ande Fluorocarbon.

This knot testing is continuous… we’re always seeking out better styles/methods, and we will, of course, update this page as new/better knots come to light.

If you have a great leader to hook/lure knot that is not included here, please leave a comment below or send us an email – fish@saltstrong.com

We’ll include it in our next knot testing and let you know how it compares to the others.

Go To Our Knot Testing Homepage [Full Knot Rankings]