Strongest Fishing Knot for Beginners: Palomar Knot in 4 Steps

By Debbie Hanson

Sep 26, 2017

Learn about strongest fishing knot for beginners. Find out why the Palomar Knot is a good terminal knot to start with, get easy steps to tie this knot here.

What's the strongest fishing knot you can tie? If you are learning how to catch fish and you've asked yourself this question, you're not alone. Many anglers inquire about this very topic when learning how to fish. To be more specific, this question frequently comes up after a failed fishing knot results in the dreaded experience of watching what could have been a truly amazing catch swimming off into the deep blue yonder.

After this type of experience, you might start to become obsessed with how to tie a strong fishing knot and begin to do inordinate amounts of research on which knots produce the best connections. This is all fine and good, but you should remember one very important thing -- the strongest fishing knot you can use is the knot that you know how to tie quickly with confidence. Due to its ease and strength when properly tied, the Palomar Knot is a good terminal knot to start with.

4 Steps to Tying Palomar Knot 

The Palomar Knot is one of the simplest fishing knots to tie, and the double wrap of line gives it added strength when joining your fishing line to hooks, lures or swivels. Tying fishing knots like the Palomar Knot isn't hard or complicated; it just takes some practice. Follow these steps and you can learn how to tie this knot in no time at all.
 

  1. Double your fishing line or leader and form a loop that is 3 to 4 inches in length. Pass the end of the loop through the eye of the hook, lure or swivel. 
     
  2. Hold the standing end of the line between your thumb and forefinger. Grab the loop with your free hand and form an overhand knot. 
     
  3. Pass the hook, lure, or swivel through the loop. Great work, you only have one more step after this one!
     
  4. Moisten and tighten the knot, then trim the tag end. From here, just check to be sure the two lines in the eye of the hook, lure, or swivel are parallel.

Since you know how to tie a strong fishing knot now, learn how to tie more fishing knots and rigs by watching a few step-by-step videos. These easy fishing knots don't take long to learn, so grab some fishing line and start practicing!

Debbie Hanson
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.