Fishing knots for the surf

Which knot for which job

Five rules for every knot

• Wet every knot with water or saliva before you pull it tight. Friction heat weakens line.
• Pull it tight with one smooth, firm pull, not a jerk. A knot that is not fully seated slips.
• Leave about 1/8 inch of tag end when you trim. Trimming flush lets a knot creep loose.
• Test every knot with a hard pull before the first cast. Better it breaks in your hands than on a fish.
• Retie after a big fish, after a cut-off scare, or whenever the line near the knot feels rough.

Improved clinch knot

Mono or fluorocarbon leader to a hook, swivel or snap. Quick and reliable. Not for braid, which slips in a clinch.

1. Pass the tag end through the eye and pull through about 6 inches.
2. Wrap the tag end around the standing line 5 to 7 times (5 for 20 to 30 lb line).
3. Push the tag end through the small loop that formed right above the eye.
4. Now pass the tag end back through the big loop you just made along the wraps. That is the 'improved' part.
5. Wet the knot, hold the tag end and pull the standing line until the wraps snug down against the eye.
6. Trim the tag end, leaving about 1/8 inch.

Palomar knot

One of the strongest knots to a hook, swivel or lure, and the best simple knot for tying braid directly. Needs enough room to pass the whole lure through the loop.

1. Double about 6 inches of line into a loop and push the loop through the eye.
2. With the doubled line, tie a loose overhand knot, leaving the hook or lure hanging below it.
3. Pass the hook or lure completely through the loop.
4. Wet the knot and pull on both the standing line and the tag end so the knot slides down and seats on the eye.
5. Trim the tag end.

Uni knot

Works with mono, fluorocarbon and braid. Good for metal jigs and spoons, and the building block of the double uni.

1. Pass the tag end through the eye and pull through about 8 inches.
2. Lay the tag end back alongside the standing line, then bring it back toward the eye to form a loop over the two parallel lines.
3. Wrap the tag end around both lines, through the inside of the loop, 5 to 7 times (7 to 8 for braid).
4. Wet it and pull the tag end to snug the wraps into a neat barrel.
5. Pull the standing line to slide the knot down to the eye, then trim the tag. Stop sliding short of the eye if you want a small loop instead.

Double uni knot

Joins braid main line to a fluorocarbon leader. Easier to tie on the beach than the FG knot, a little bulkier through the guides.

1. Overlap the braid and the leader by about 10 inches, tag ends pointing in opposite directions.
2. With the leader's tag end, tie a uni knot around both lines: form a loop, wrap through it 5 times, snug it.
3. With the braid's tag end, tie a second uni knot around both lines the other way. Use 8 to 10 wraps with braid so it grips.
4. Wet both knots and pull each one snug on its own.
5. Pull the two standing lines apart so the knots slide together and lock.
6. Trim both tag ends close.

FG knot

The slimmest, strongest braid to leader connection. It passes through the rod guides on a long cast without catching. Takes practice: learn it at home.

1. Hold the braid under tension (clamp it to something or hold it in your teeth and hand) so it stays tight.
2. Lay the leader across the tight braid at an angle with about 8 inches of leader past the crossing.
3. Weave the braid around the leader: one wrap over the top, the next under the bottom, alternating. Each pair should cross and grip. Make about 20 wraps.
4. Hold the wraps and tie two or three half hitches with the braid around both lines to keep them from unwinding.
5. Wet it and pull the braid and the leader apart hard, so the weave bites into the leader and turns slightly see-through.
6. Trim the leader's tag end close, then finish with several half hitches of braid around the braid alone, and trim the braid tag.

Non-slip loop knot

Leaves a small fixed loop at the eye so a Got-Cha, swimming plug or bucktail can kick and swim freely instead of being choked by a tight knot.

1. Tie a loose overhand knot in the leader about 6 inches from the end.
2. Pass the tag end through the lure's eye, then back through the overhand knot the same way it came out.
3. Wrap the tag end around the standing line 4 to 5 times for 20 to 30 lb leader (3 times for 40 lb and up).
4. Pass the tag end back through the overhand knot, entering from the same side it left.
5. Wet it, pull the tag end to snug the wraps, then pull the standing line and the lure apart to close the knot. Trim.

Dropper loop

Makes loops that stand out from the line for the hooks on a double-drop bottom rig (whiting, spot, croaker, pompano).

1. Form a loop in the line where you want the dropper.
2. Twist one side of the loop around the other 6 to 8 times, so the twists build up evenly on both sides of a center opening.
3. Open a gap in the middle of the twists and push the bottom of the loop through that gap.
4. Hold the loop (a finger or pencil through it helps), wet it and pull both ends of the line apart until the twists tighten and the loop stands out.
5. Slip a hook onto the loop by passing the loop through the eye and over the hook, or cut one side for a single-strand dropper.

Haywire twist

Fastens single-strand wire (#4 to #5) to a hook or lure for bluefish and mackerel teeth. Wire kinks if it is bent sharply, so work it smoothly.

1. Pass about 4 inches of wire through the eye.
2. Cross the tag and the standing wire into an X and twist them around each other 3 to 4 times. Both wires should twist evenly, like a twisted rope, not one wrapping around the other.
3. Bend the tag end out at a right angle and make 4 to 5 tight barrel wraps around the standing wire, side by side.
4. Bend the remaining tag into a small crank handle and rock it back and forth until it breaks off cleanly at the last wrap. Cutting it with pliers leaves a sharp burr that can slice your hand.

Leader sizes for each fish are on its page in The fish, and the planner suggests a leader for every trip in Pack my bag.