Which fishing knots do I actually need?

Three knots cover almost all coarse and sea fishing — one to a hook or swivel, one to join two lines, one loop — and the wetting and seating that decide whether they hold.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 20 min
Read: 6 min

Short answer

Learn the improved clinch knot for tying to a hook eye or swivel, the double overhand loop for making a loop in the end of a line, and the blood knot or double uni for joining two lines. Wet every knot with saliva before pulling it tight, tighten slowly and steadily, and trim the tag close. Dry-tightening a nylon knot burns the line and it will break at that point.

A knot is where tackle fails, and it fails at the worst possible moment. Nylon monofilament loses a proportion of its breaking strain at any knot, and a badly tied or dry-tightened knot loses far more. Three knots, tied properly, cover most freshwater and sea fishing for a lifetime.

What you'll need

Line and hooks to practise on
Nail clippers or scissors for trimming
Good light

Tying an improved clinch knot to a hook eye

Step by step

Learn the improved clinch knot first.Thread the line through the hook eye, twist the tag end around the main line five or six times, pass the tag back through the small loop next to the eye, then pass it through the large loop you have just created. Wet it, pull the main line slowly so the coils seat neatly against the eye, and trim. It is the standard hook and swivel knot and it holds well in the line strengths most anglers use.
Wet every knot before tightening.Saliva or water on the knot lets the coils slide into place instead of gripping and generating heat. Friction from dry tightening damages nylon at exactly the point that will take the load. This single habit makes more difference than which knot you choose.
Tighten slowly and evenly.Pull with steady pressure on the standing line rather than jerking, and watch the coils bed down neatly. Coils that cross over each other rather than lying side by side mean the knot will fail early — cut it off and start again.
Learn the double overhand loop for loop-to-loop joins.Double the line back on itself, tie a simple overhand knot in the doubled line — or a double overhand for more security — wet it and pull tight. This creates the loop that connects a hook length to a main line loop, which is how most shop-bought hook lengths are attached and how you change rigs in seconds.
Learn to join loop to loop correctly.Pass one loop through the other, then pass the far end of the second line through its own loop and pull. Done correctly the two loops form a neat square 'lark's head'; done wrongly they form a crossed girth hitch that cuts into itself under load.
Learn one line-to-line knot.The blood knot for lines of similar diameter, or the double uni knot which is easier and handles lines of different diameters and materials. Both are used for adding a lighter hook length to a heavier main line, which is what allows a snagged rig to break at the hook rather than losing the lot.
Add a stop knot if you float fish deep.A simple sliding stop knot or a rubber float stop on the main line sets the depth on a sliding float and passes through the rod rings. It is a five-turn knot tied with a spare piece of line around the main line.
Use the right knot for braid.Braided line is slippery and clinch knots slip on it. Use a palomar knot, or a uni knot with extra turns, and always wet it. A braid-to-mono join needs a proper leader knot such as the double uni or an FG knot for casting distance.
Trim the tag end close, but not flush.Leave a millimetre or two. Cutting absolutely flush can let the tag pull back through under load, and a long tag catches weed and tangles.
Test every knot before you cast.A firm steady pull against the reel's drag will find a bad knot on the bank, where it costs nothing. Do it every time you tie one.
Retie regularly.Line near the hook takes abrasion from gravel, weed, teeth and the rod tip. Run the last metre through your fingers and retie if you feel any roughness, and retie after every fish of any size.
Practise at home in the light.Tying a knot in the dark, in the wind, with cold wet fingers is not the moment to learn. Ten minutes at the kitchen table with a coffee is enough for each knot.

Tips

Practise with thick cord first if the knot is not making sense. The structure is much easier to see at a larger scale.
Carry nail clippers on a lanyard. Teeth and blunt scissors both leave ragged tags.
Buy pre-tied hooks to nylon while you learn, and tie your own alongside them until yours are as good.
In the cold, tie the knots you can before your hands stop working. Knot tying is the first thing to go in winter.
A knot that looks wrong is wrong. Cut it off — line is cheap and a lost fish is not.

Common mistakes

Pulling a knot tight dry — Friction heat and abrasion weaken nylon exactly where the load concentrates, and the line breaks at the knot at a fraction of its rated strength.
Learning six knots instead of three — You will use three of them and half-remember the rest. Three knots tied confidently in the dark beat six tied hesitantly in daylight.
Using a clinch knot on braid — Braid is far more slippery than nylon and a clinch knot slides undone under load. Use a palomar or add turns to a uni knot.

If it doesn't work

Line breaks at the hook every time

Cause: Dry-tightened or badly seated knot — Fix: Wet the knot, tighten slowly, and check the coils lie neatly. Also check the hook eye is not rough or split, which cuts line.

The knot slips and pulls through

Cause: Too few turns, or a knot unsuitable for braid — Fix: Add turns, or switch to a palomar knot for braid. Slippery modern lines need more turns than older nylon did.

A pigtail curl on the broken end

Cause: The knot slipped rather than broke — Fix: Retie with more turns and proper wetting. A curled end is the signature of slippage.

Loop-to-loop join cuts through

Cause: The loops were connected as a girth hitch rather than correctly — Fix: Pass the far end of the second line through its own loop, so the join forms a neat square rather than crossing.

Line keeps breaking a metre above the hook

Cause: Abrasion damage from the swim, or old degraded line — Fix: Feel the last few metres for roughness, retie, and replace line that has been on the reel and in the sun for a season.

Questions people ask

What is the strongest fishing knot?

For most nylon applications the palomar and the improved clinch both retain a high proportion of line strength when tied properly. Tying technique — wetting and seating — matters more than the choice between good knots.

Why does my line always break at the hook?

Almost always a knot tightened dry or with crossed coils, or a damaged hook eye. Both are easy to eliminate.

Do I need different knots for sea fishing?

The same three cover most shore fishing. Heavier lines and shock leaders for distance casting use specific leader knots, which are worth learning when you get to that.