Which Texas Rig Knot Should You Be Tying?

While the Texas rig is a tried and true presentation that allows you to fish heavy cover without snagging up, your knots have to hold up to the added challenges that come with thick vegetation, timber, brush piles, and rocks. This may have you wondering, which truly is the best Texas rig knot to use? These fishing knots are two of the most frequently tied in conjunction with a Texas rig for good reasons.

Improved Clinch Knot

The improved clinch knot continuously tightens with pressure, making it a smart choice when Texas rigging with monofilament or fluorocarbon line. One important thing to remember is to leave a bit of line remaining when you cut the tag end. This small amount of extra line will allow some room for the knot to tighten without failing (important stuff when pulling your rig through heavy cover or when you're reeling in a big bass).

If you are looking for the best Texas knot for braid, you can either double the line when tying the improved clinch knot to avoid slippage or use the Palomar knot instead.

Palomar Knot

If you search online for "texas knot" or "texas rig knot," you'll see that the Palomar knot is often the first result. The reason for this is that the Palomar knot generally retains between 95 and 100 percent of its original breaking strength when tied correctly. The additional advantage is that if you are just learning how to fish, this is an easy knot to tie with all types of fishing line.

When sliding your line through the bullet weight, be sure to leave several inches of extra monofilament, fluorocarbon, or braid so that you can effectively tie the knot.

Practice both knots when Texas rigging your soft plastic baits and see which works best for you. Check out the step-by-step instructions on how to tie both knots in our "How to Tie Fishing Knots" section, and then get your fishing license online.

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Debbie Hanson

Debbie Hanson is an award-winning outdoor writer, women’s sport fishing advocate, IGFA world record holder, and freshwater guide living in Southwest Florida. Hanson’s written work has appeared in publications such as Florida Game & Fish Magazine, BoatUS Magazine, and USA Today Hunt & Fish. To learn more about her work, visit shefishes2.com or follow her on Instagram @shefishes2.