Knots

Knots are a critical part of sea fishing. A well-tied knot can be the difference between landing a fish or losing your rig. Saltwater fishing puts extra stress on connections due to heavier tackle, larger fish, and stronger tides. The knots you use must be strong, reliable, and suited to specific tasks like tying hooks, joining lines, or attaching rigs. Mastering a few essential knots is all you need to fish confidently in most sea conditions.

Hook Knots

These are used to tie the hook directly to your mainline, leader, or rig body.

Improved Clinch Knot

  • Simple, strong, and widely used.

  • Best for monofilament and light tackle.

  • Not ideal for thick mono or braid.

How to tie:

  1. Pass the line through the hook eye and make 5–7 turns around the standing line.

  2. Thread the tag end back through the first loop.

  3. Then pass it through the big loop just created.

  4. Moisten and pull tight.

Snell Knot

  • Ties the hook so it remains in-line with the leader.

  • Very strong and commonly used in sea rigs.

  • Ideal for circle hooks.

How to tie:

  1. Run the line through the hook eye from front to back.

  2. Wrap the tag end around the hook shank 5–7 times.

  3. Hold wraps in place and pull the standing line to tighten.

The Snell Knot gives excellent hook alignment and is ideal for bait presentation.

Line-to-Line Knots

Use these knots when attaching a leader to your mainline, especially when mixing mono and braid.

Uni-to-Uni Knot

  • Reliable and versatile.

  • Great for joining mono to mono or mono to braid.

  • Strong, slim profile.

How to tie:

  1. Overlap the two lines.

  2. Tie a uni knot with the first line around the second.

  3. Repeat with the second line around the first.

  4. Pull both tag ends to tighten, then pull main lines to seat the knots.

FG Knot

  • Excellent for braid-to-fluoro connections.

  • Slim profile passes through guides smoothly.

  • More difficult to learn but extremely strong.

How to tie (summary):

  1. Wrap the braid around the mono multiple times in a weave pattern.

  2. Lock it in with half hitches.

  3. Finish with several tight locking knots.

The FG knot is popular with lure anglers due to its strength and casting performance.

Loop Knots

Loop knots are useful when you want to allow natural bait or lures to move more freely.

Dropper Loop

  • Creates a loop in the middle of the line.

  • Common in multi-hook rigs (like flappers).

  • Holds a hook on a side loop for better bait presentation.

How to tie:

  1. Make a loop in the line and twist it several times.

  2. Pull the loop through the center of the twists.

  3. Tighten to lock it in place.

Used in many ready-made rigs and easy to tie by hand.

Perfection Loop

  • Makes a neat, strong loop at the end of the line.

  • Great for attaching leaders to clips or swivels.

  • Lies flat and doesn’t twist.

How to tie:

  1. Form a small loop at the end of the line.

  2. Make a second loop behind the first.

  3. Pull the first loop through the second.

  4. Hold the tag end and pull the mainline to tighten.

Rig and Terminal Knots

These knots are for attaching leads, swivels, and terminal tackle.

Palomar Knot

  • Very strong and easy to tie.

  • Ideal for braid or mono.

  • Good for tying to hooks, swivels, or lures.

How to tie:

  1. Double the line and pass it through the hook eye.

  2. Tie a loose overhand knot in the doubled line.

  3. Pass the hook through the loop.

  4. Moisten and pull all parts tight.

Excellent for high-pressure points like clip links or terminal swivels.

Blood Knot

  • Used for joining two lines of similar diameter.

  • Common in making rig bodies from mono.

How to tie:

  1. Overlap two line ends.

  2. Twist each end around the other 5–6 times.

  3. Pass both ends through the center in opposite directions.

  4. Moisten and pull slowly to tighten.

The blood knot provides a strong connection with a slim profile.

Bait Presentation Knots

These knots focus on securing bait in the most natural or effective way.

Bait Loop Knot (Snell Variant)

  • Lets you create a loop above the hook to secure bait like worms or squid.

  • Commonly used with bait elastic for added security.

How to tie:

  1. Start like a snell knot.

  2. After wrapping, leave a loop of line to wrap bait elastic around.

  3. Tighten as normal and use the loop for extra bait hold.

Keeps soft baits in place without masking the hook point.

Knotless Knot

  • Quick and easy way to attach hooks to hair rigs or use in a semi-fixed setup.

  • Popular in carp fishing, but adaptable for sea rigs with hard baits or peeler crab.

How to tie:

  1. Pass the line down through the eye and create a loop below the hook.

  2. Hold the loop and wrap the line up the shank 6–8 times.

  3. Thread the end back up through the eye.

The knotless knot is strong and lets you add bait on a hair loop away from the hook.

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