The palomar knot

If you are going to learn one really good knot, let it be the palomar. It is strong, quick to tie and holds especially well on braid. You use it to tie on a hook, swivel or lure, and the secret behind the strength is that the line goes double through the whole knot.

How you tie a palomar

1. Double the line and thread the doubled loop through the hook eye.
2. Tie a simple overhand knot with the doubled line, but do not tighten. Now a loosely formed loop hangs.
3. Pass the loop over the whole hook, lure or swivel.
4. Wet the knot and tighten by holding both the main line and the tag end at the same time.
5. Trim the tag end short.

It sounds like many steps, but in practice it sits in a few seconds once you have done it a couple of times. A big advantage is that it has so few moves that it can be tied even in dusk or with cold fingers, without you needing to see exactly what you are doing.

Tips that make the knot stronger

The most common fault is that the loop is not passed over the whole hook before you tighten, which makes the knot seat wrong and lose strength. Check that every time. Always wet before tightening, just as for all fishing knots, and watch that the line does not cross inside the knot. A clean knot is a strong knot, and the two line parts should lie neatly next to each other, not crossed.

When you pick clinch instead

The palomar is hard to beat on braid and works well on thinner mono and fluorocarbon. On thicker, stiffer fluorocarbon it can feel clumsy, because the doubled line becomes stiff to pass over the hook. Then the improved clinch is often handier. An overview of which knot you use for what is under tying on hook and lure.