As the old saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.  Same goes with your fishing knot strategies!  There are many many fishing knots that you should know, but today we’ll talk about just a couple of the easier, yet most important knots you will want to use.  Make sure to learn a few of these, and practice them with rope or string at home until you are able to tie them perfectly.  It is also a good idea to learn how to tie these knots either with your eyes closed or in the dark.  This will eliminate the need to turn on your headlamp or flashlight when fishing at night.

Attaching Fishing Line To Reels

Arbor Knot – The Arbor Knot is used to tie line, whether it be monofilament or backing to a reel.  The line is tied to the arbor of the reel and secured with a second knot that is pulled to a loop to secure the line to the reel.

Attaching Fishing Line To Hooks and Lures

Palomar Knot – The Palomar knot is a relatively easy knot to tie.  The knot does not put too much strain on line allowing the line to keep most of its breaking strength.  It is best suited for medium to large sized hooks and medium gauge line in the 6 to 10 pound test range.

Trilene Knot – The Trilene knot is a strong and simple knot that can be used in virtually any situation you find yourself using a bait hook or a fly.  It is suitable for heavy lines and keeps most of the lines strength when used.

Uni Knot – The Uni knot is well known everywhere and has many different names such as the Duncan Loop or the Hangmans Knot.  The name, Uni, comes from the idea that it is a universal knot and has many applications.  It is an excellent choice when attaching line to terminal tackle as it is very easy to tie and it is very strong as well.

Attaching Fishing Line To Tippet or Leader

Double Surgeons Knot – The Double Surgeons knot is named as such because it is a knot used by surgeons!  This knot is probably one of the quickest line to line knots you can learn, and it is very easy to tie!

Double Fishermens Knot – The Double Fishermens knot is a simple variation of the Fishermans Knot.  It requires two overhand knots used to join two lines together.  It is an excellent beginner knot as it is easier to tie than most of the other line to line knots.

These fishing knots are just the tip of the iceburg!  The more you learn, the more knot choices you’ll have to apply to different situations you find yourself in.  Check out these websites for some great animated knot tutorials.  They’ve helped me learn quite a few, and I’m sure they’ll help you out just the same!

Andy’s World of Knots

Animated Knots by Grog