The Best Fishing Knots Of All Time [Ranked Strongest To Weakest]

It seems to me like one could get by in many situations with just the easy-to-tie Palomar and surgeon’s knot/loop and not sacrifice much knot strength. As a result, I’d like to see a discussion about the limits of such versatile knots and the situations which absolutely require knowing some of the less versatile, more specialized (and usually more-difficult-to-tie) knots.

I suggest one more knot to test (Double Zeppelin Bend) for line-to-line connection of similar diameters, then I’ll stop. I tied two pieces of #6 mono together. At one junction I tied a 3 Turn Surgeon’s. At the other I tied a Zeppelin Bend or a Double Zeppelin Bend (2-wrap collars). I placed hammer handles in the mono circle at 3 and 9 o’clock with the knots at 12 and 6 o’clock, then pulled the two handles apart until a knot broke. The Double Zeppelin Bend was stronger than the 3 Turn Surgeon’s (3 out of 3 tries), but the Zeppelin Bend was weaker (1 out of 1 try). The single Zeppelin Bend may do better with larger diameter line. FWIW, on the International Guild of Knot Tyers Forum a guy wrote that he tested the Zeppelin Bend against the Albright Special with #10 mono and the Zeppelin Bend (single not double) won 5 out of 5 tries. That said, it is my understanding that the Albright Special works will with dissimilar lines both in material and diameter and the Zeppelin Bend probably doesn’t.

For a loop knot did you test the Double Dragon? By the way, there are ways to tie the Perfection Loop to a lure/hook without passing the lure/hook through the knot.

Im surprised Sandiego jam was not close to the top of mono/flouro to hook connections.
Can you add the chain knot to you future tests. This is very popular with japanese jiggers to connect their leader to jigs.

Been using improved locking figure eight knot for 50 years. Easy to tie , very strong, dose in my belief everything from line joining to tackle construction.

have you tested the J knot against the surgeon 3 turn knot?

Hey Luke thanks for testing these knots accurately this page is great.
Im interested in finding the strongest setup to make paternoster rigs, up until now I have just been tieing them very simply like this,

https://youtu.be/zlAen8jUc3c

But then I watched this video where he tieing what he calls the “T Knot” for creating paternoster droppers;

https://youtu.be/_KL8ej_8jMs

Could you please test the difference in these setups?

Also when once you have a dropper do you think that it would be stronger to tie a hook onto it with the palamot knot or just putting the hook through the loop and back onto itself like in the video.

Thanks

Check out YouTube at the SOLIS knot. It starts as an Albright but it finishes with a locking half hitch which allows it to be tied with only a few wraps. It’s tying all materials together for me. Works great,very nice.

What about the double palomar knot “snug” with mono? Was that attempted since it was way up there in the braided line testing?

I found a knot once in a fly fishing pamphlet, no idea what it’s called, it uses two simple overhand knots pulling against each other, and I’ve never seen it break. I got back a “curly end” once, because I didn’t tie it well enough. Every other time I’ve gotten my lure back, the line broke above the knot, the knot and loop still attached to the hook. It makes a small loop and allows a fly or lure to have more natural action rather than following the line.

I don’t have pictures, I’ll try to describe it.

Start just like Rapala knot, simple overhand knot then put the tag end through the hook eye. Pull snug against hook eye but not tight. Tie a 2nd overhand knot above that one and around original line. Pull that one snug, close to the other overhand knot, by pulling the tag end. Both knots will separate. Then pull the main line to tighten, which will pull both against each other, and cut off a short tag end. Fast and strong, and according to the fly fishing pamphlet, also stronger than the line. I trust it on weightless worms to pull in any bass. Caught a 5.6lb bass on 6 lb line using this knot. In a brushy area.

My results have been excellent, I’ve used it for over 30 years exclusively as a knot for lures and hooks, both fresh and salt water, and it stood up to a redfish longer than the 48 quart ice chest. Numerous bass in the 3 to 6lb range.

One good tip, always cut off about 3 or 4 feet of line and retie after catching a fish or after about an hour of not catching a thing. Fish always drag your line against anything they come near, which abrades the line and creates weak spots. I think 80% of all broken lines are because of abrasions in the line caused by either catching a fish or from dragging the line across all sorts of weeds, rocks and tree trunks for an hour

EDIT – Just found Homer Rhode Loop, looks quite similar. I don’t use the double wrap for the 2nd knot, just a second simple overhand knot.

I see you recommend the FG when leader is stronger than the mainline, but what do you recommend when the main line is stronger than the leader? I’m working on my FG knots but do well with the double uni and wondering if that test stronger with a weaker leader than the FG

I’d be careful about your physics bit… Some knots like the fish-n-fool isolate the hard turns above the stressed points, doubles the most stressed point after that and creates a cushion like the rubber bit that holds the cord coming out of a power tool. The friction of the Duncan loop over the main line reduces its force over a (relatively) long chunk of line and the extra turn through the eye provides friction that keeps the stability of the knot from collapsing or allowing the line to slip around the eye and stretch at its weakest point. And this creates a knot that almost never breaks before the line when tied with care. Physics.

I learned a knot from a tackle shop in Newport Oregon….We call it the Newport Knot…Randy the inventor has been challenged for 20 years by guides commercial fishermen….and never lost. Something this knot does, is the line breaks above the knot every time ,never seen another knot do this, I have 2 books on fishing knots this knots beats ever single one of them with all type of line….I’ll try to make a video……

I think this page is excellent – I make commercial dropper rigs for recreational fishermen and women and I learned a new and useful knot today when looking through the site. What I didn’t find was a reasonably reliable knot for joining a single strand of mono to a mono backbone. I sometimes use a T knot which I form from a modified Albright and dropper loop combo. However, when testing this in various ways I found the dropper loop failed before the modified Albright part. I was getting better strength when I made a dropper rig using just the modified Albright knot. The problem then became the look of the rig – the branches no longer stand at right angles to the backbone. Do you have any suggestions that could be explored?

I would like to see the worlds fair knot included, especially for braid line

What knot would you use for tying braid to a lighter mono line but same diameter, say for example you want to fill half the spool with mono and half with braid. I like to match the diameters to prevent bulges from a big knot? You say the FG knot should only used if tying a braided line to a stronger mono/fluoro leader why?

how good is the hook nail knot? Strength of knot to hook direct?

Trilene knot!
For mono to lure (snug) i would rate the Trilene on first place, then Palomar.

Seagaur knot

Hi Luke, Interesting thread. I got a little bleary eyed reading all the comments and responses. One knot I did not see mentioned was the Slim Beauty knot. I have been using this knot for braid to flouro leader and found it to be reliable and small profile so it does not pick up grass etc. It may be known by a another name, which case, I am not familiar with it. It is easy to tie and makes a nice connection.

I just found this tool called the Tie-Fast Knot Tool, I ties a Nail Knot; really easy for my 8 year old to learn. Would you be able to compare this knot to some of the others like the Palomar and Trilene Knots? You can also use the Nail Knot to attach line to line.

I would very much like to see the Trilene knot tested. Thank you for all the information.

Thanks for these knots, Im going to put some of these vids on my phone if that’s ok.

Wow this is great information thanks for sharing this. Have you tested the Miller knot? It was created by Joe Miller

Hi have you tired the knotless knot I use it a lot and it has never failed on me. I never tested it. It’s one of the easiest knot to tie thanks

Hey will you test the worlds fair knot? For snug terminal tackle?

Hi guys…I need advice. Im using as SL mono 0.33, and its connected to main line 0.28. Which knot is the thinnest one?Cos of easier gliding through the glides for long cast.

tnx a lot.

Please could you repeat the test series with small diameter flourocarbon lines? (ie 4-6lb)?

Particularly regarding terminal tackle knots…

Thanks!

I didn’t see the J-knot for braid to mono/flouro. I tested against the blood knot I have been using and the J knot won 3 out of 3 for me. Reminds you of a 4turn surgeons knot but you make the loop and pass the braid tag and entire leader thru the loop alternating top and then around bottom. Hard to explain.

I don’t see that you have a braid to braid knot?

I fish the Sea of Cortez for billfish. Here, marlin bigger than 250# are rare; we generally catch more stripes and sails. My biggest is a 650# black but we catch so few big fish that we do not gear up for fish that big day to day. I am a “knot freak” and have spent years of testing the breaking strength of knots both on the water and on a jig which I built for that purpose. My issue is that, although I read every “knot test” I can find, those tests never test the braid-to-leader connection we use. First, I use 80# braid for mainline–300 yds. on most reels. After using 50# and 65#, I settled on 80# because the breaking strength of braid is much more inconsistent than mono. This gives me a bit more margin for error when those rare big fish come along and, as you will see below, the braid rarely gets in the water anyway and only then when there’s a lot of line out and line friction through the water adds to the needed increase in breaking strength. I then splice on a 50# mono top shot about 150 yds. long–the actual length varies by reel depending on how much the reel will hold on top of the braid. Since the splice knot will usually be the weakest point, I want to avoid the splice altogether when possible and this combination means that the splice does not come off the reel most of the time. But when it does with a bigger fish, I have 300 yds. of braid mainline as backup. This also results in a stretchy mono section which serves as a “shock” leader which helps prevent hook pulls. I know other fishermen who use this set up also, or variations thereof, and do not think it is all that unusual. But all the splice knot tests which I have read involve lighter braid to heavier leader which is the reverse of what we use. I have evolved over the years from Albrights, Improved Albrights, Bristols and Improved Bristols–now I’m using a 13 wrap FG knot finished with a Rizzuto. I would love to see a knot test for such a setup using the IGFA testing machine which, I’m sure, would be more accurate than my home-made rig which incorporates a spring scale. Thanks.

I have used the Red Phillips knot now for several years for both light and heavy braided lines joined to fluorocarbon leaders. I do modify the original knot by finishing it with 4 alternating half hitches in the braided line. I don’t think you have ever tested this knot.

trilene knot for whatever

Check out the stren knot for braid-to-mono/fluoro.

A suggestion the Mahseer Knot. Mahseer Knot

Mahseer knot

This knot orginated in India by fishermen trying to catch the Mahseer. This fish is reowned as the ultimate freshwater fish. It is said to be the hardest pound for pound fighting species on the planet. For this reason the knot that takes its name is one of the strongest knot around and if tied right will not let you when you need it.

Will the FG and PR work with braid to mono leader when going from heavier braid 50-65 lb to lighter mono 20-30 lbs. The articles I’ve read about these knots seem to indicate these knots only work when going from lighter braid to heavier mono?

Maybe you will test is future the following:
– braid to hook : palomar with double passes through first knot
– fluoro to hook: clinch knot with doubled line, uni with doubled line, your improved uni, the knot that shaw grigsby uses.

North Shore of Massachusetts…
Uni knoutes brought me fish in excess of 40lbs

Luke, thank you for your work & presentations on knots. When I learned to fly fish in Colorado 50 some odd years ago I was taught the needle knot for connecting the leader to the fly line. This is similar to a nail knot but the leader exits the core of the fly line rather than coming off the outside edge of the fly line. This is an advantage when pulling the leader & fly line through the rod guides.

Also, I was taught to tie a fly onto the leader (or tippet) using a knot for which I don’t know the name. You pass the leader through the eye of the hook and tie a loose overhand slip knot in the tag end. You reach through the loop of the slip knot and pull out one side of the overhand knot to form a loop. This loop is then passed over the fly and the knot is cinched down on the head of the fly with the standing part of the leader going through the eye of the hook. We were fishing for pan sized trout using fairly light gear, probably #10 or #12 flies on 4 or 6 lb test leaders and involved a lot of finesse and sneaking up on the trout.

Both of these knots worked for us, but I wonder how they would fare in your tests.

I have tried every knot listed here trying to join braid to a mono leader. All of them slip. I can’t pull with my teeth and both hands so a few are more difficult than others. I can cinch down using both hands and pull as tight as possible. Then if I pull on the mono and braid after trimming the mono has pulled out in 100% of these. Closest to staying was a double double uni knot.
I have been experimenting with:

Power Pro 20,25, 40 and 65 lb
KastKing braid – 20, 25, 40 and 65lb
KastKing 20, 30, 40, 80lb mono
Zebco 20, 25, 40 lb mono
Berkley 20lb Fluorocarbon

I improvised a bit. For lack of a defined name, I will call this the JR knot.
1: tie a spyder hitch loop on the braid
2: tie a spyder hitch loop on the mono.
3: Using the mono, I feed it through the loop in the braid and tie an improvised Bristol knot, but, before completely cinching up the knot
4: Feed the mono leader (if still on the spool make sure mono loop is large enough) through the mono loop (that is now sticking out of the knot back towards the direction of the mono)
5: cinch everything down tight.
Note: There is no mono tag and the braid tag has already been trimmed from the spyder hitch loop.

Using this combination, I can pull as hard as I want and haven’t pulled the mono out yet. The line will break on one side or the other before the knot fails.

Love you videos,
Jim

I really like what you’ve done here. Ive been using the “tie-fast” tool that ties the nail knot for the last several years. I fish salmon in Lake Michigan so these knots have been tested. I have not found a weakness due to the knot. Have you tested the nail knot?

“there is no such thing as a 100% knot…” Funny that people who don’t know how to tie a 100% knot will always say this! They’ll write arcticles and preach this all over the web. A 100% fishing knot actually has to be +100% in order to ensure the line breaks before the knot does. The problem with people who don’t know how to tie a +100% knot is that they don’t really understand what it takes to do it. They only “think” they understand the “physics” but really are ignorant of what actually needs to happen with the knot. Keep it up! You’re one of the many blind people trying to lead!

A+++ GREAT article guys Now I know what knots to stick with.

line doubling knots : aussie plait or australian braid

I’ve had great success tying mono to lures/hooks with a Jansik Special knot. Any thoughts?
Thanks for the great info.

So I recently found a variation of the Orvis knot known as the Orvis Tippet knot. It’s used to join similar diameter mono lines together and I thought it might have a chance against the venerable Surgeon’s knot. I would love to see your results added here. https://news.orvis.com/fly-fishing/pro-tip-how-to-tie-the-orvis-tippet-knot

Hi Luke,
My name is Earl. l live in San Diego.
A popular knot used out here on the west coast is the RP ( Royal Polaris) knot. It is a strong knot for braid to mono or fluorocarbon line.
I would like to see the results of this knot compared to the FG knot.
THank you.

Blood knot

For tying braid, mono or fluorocarbon directly to a hook, I use the traditional Snell knot. It’s never slipped on me, what a knot!! Give it a go

For joining braid to braid could two bimini doubles be used like a wind on leader. Would like to see it tested.

for mono to hook, do you think palomar reigns supreme over snelling?

Is the San Diego jam knot strong to tie jigs using floro. I mainly fish walleye in Ontario.
Thanks.

FG knot is a pain to tie in the boat, otherwise a great knot. I’ve been tying a Bristol for braid to fluoro, but I reverse it. I double over the leader and tie the Bristol around it. 11 turns for 20# fluoro, and maybe 10 for 30. Give it a try and see how it does. Makes a knot easily as small as a Crazy Alberto.

Has the FG knot been tied in reverse, instead of mono to braid, braid to mono, and if so is it just as strong? I understand the concept, the braid cutting into the top layer of the mono, so this still should happen in reverse.

How about trying a Red Phillips knot ?

The Miller knot is a stronger knot than your Palomar knot, very small and takes seconds to tie. Instead of testing the Sandiego jam, try a double Sandiego jam. It takes a little longer to tie but much stronger than your Palomar knot.

I was using the FG, then started with a GT. Now I use double braid 4 turn nail knot. Never had one fail yet. You must double the braid or it may slip.

Thanks for all the work you put in testing the knots. Just finished testing the FG knot with a very slick braid (Tuff-Line Plus, no coating or color whatsoever) and it hold like a leech. Clearly better than my previous favorite Alberto.
Question: Why not use a Uni to lock the FG instead of multiple overhand knots?

“The only thing worse than getting skunked is having the whole world learn about it”
Anonymous
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have you try ag chain knot to tie off mono/flouro to swivel?

Hey Luke great information here – but why no mention of the pr knot ?
It is a very popular knot down here in Australasia for braid to leader but it does need a bobbin,
either a standard fly tying type or a special pr bobbin.

Keep up the good work.
Guy

Can you test the John Collins, Royal Polaris knot?

I’d like to see how an “Improved Davy” or “Double Davy” (essentially the Davy with 1 extra turn) would stack up against the Orvis. I’ve found that extra turn to add an exceptional amount of strength over the original Davy, and I suspect it would outperform the Orvis.