The clinch knot

The improved clinch is a classic and a safe choice for tying on a hook, swivel or lure on monofilament and fluorocarbon. One thing is worth stating at once: always tie the improved variant, because that small extra step makes the knot noticeably safer.

How you tie an improved clinch

1. Thread the line through the hook eye.
2. Twist the tag end around the main line, five to seven turns.
3. Pass the tag end back and thread it through the small loop nearest the eye.
4. The improvement: then pass the tag end back through the large loop you just formed.
5. Wet the knot and tighten evenly by pulling on the main line.
6. Trim the tag end short.

Number of turns

Five to seven turns is about right for the lines used in put and take. Take fewer turns on thick line and more on thin, otherwise the knot becomes either clumsy or too small to seat properly. Get used to laying the turns evenly next to each other, not higgledy-piggledy, so it tightens neatly and holds better.

Common mistakes

Three things drop most clinch knots. The first is dry tightening, which burns the line from friction, so always wet. The second is forgetting the improvement step, the last pass-through, which makes the knot slide more easily under load. The third is uneven tightening, so pull calmly and firmly and let the turns seat neatly as you pull. If the knot comes undone again and again, it is almost always one of these three faults.

When palomar is better

The clinch likes mono and fluorocarbon, but on slippery braid it can slide. For braid the palomar is a simpler and safer choice. Many fish just like that: palomar on the braid out to the swivel, and an improved clinch on the fluorocarbon leader down to the bait. An overview of which knot you use for what is under tying on hook and lure, and more knots under knots.