Basic Fishing Knots (With Video)

There are a variety of knots that can be used while fishing.  I will go over a few of the basic ones and demonstrate with some video samples.  Each type of knot that I am going to demonstrate may have some slight variation from one fisherman to the other, but in general they are all constructed similarly.  A good fishing knot is essential if you are serious about landing big fish.  I am quite sure you don’t want to loose a big fish because of a bad fishing knot.  Many beginner fisherman are eager to get there line in the water and rush through rigging up their gear properly and pay the consequence when the thrill of the catch is under way.  There are numerous types of fishing knots,  I will just highlight a few that I use most ofter.

• Clinch Knot
  This is the most common type of fishing knot that I use.  It is simple to perform and is extremely strong.  It can be used to attach hooks, swivels, leaders or any other artificial bait.Instructions:  Send the line through the eye of the hook.  Take the end of the line and wrap it around the line that you just sent through the eye of the hook.  This will create a small loop right above the eye of the hook.  Send the end of the line through this loop and hold it between your fingers.  Now pull firmly on the line closest to fishing rod.  This will tighten the knot in a nice braid.  Watch the video below for a demonstration.

• Dropper Loop
  A dropper loop is commonly used to attach a weight to a leading part of the line.  This helps to create the illusion of your bait swimming in the lower region of the water.  It can be used to attach multiple hooks to a single line.  But I would only recommend this with heavier line as it created a weak spot at the bend of the loop.Instructions: 

• Arbor Knot
  The Arbor Knot  is generally used to attach your fishing line to the reel spool, but can also be used in other applications.Instructions:  Place your fishing line around the spool such that only half of the spool is touching your fishing line.  Make an X with the line.  Take the bottom line and create a loop around the line above.  Send the loose end through the loop you just created and pull this line tight.  With the excess line create a simple prestle knot to prevent the line from slipping back through.
• Palomar Knot
  A Palomar knot is another knot you can use to attach a fishing hook the to end of your line.  It is just as strong as the clinch knot described above.  It does however require the eye of the hook to be large enough to send two lines through it.Instructions: Form a loop in your fishing line.  Send the loop through the eye of the hook.  Create a simple prestle knot with the loop of the line and the line entering the eye of the hook.  Take the loop that you created and wrap it around the neck and shank of the hook.  Pull tight and cut off and excess line.

• Albright Knot
  Albright knots are used commonly by fly fisherman to attached differenet weights of line together, but can also be used to repaire a broken line if needed.  I always prefer to just replace all of my line if I know I have a break in the line, but I have used this with success in the past.    Instructions: Create a loop with one end of the fishing line.  Send the other line through this loop.  Then twist this line up and around the loop repeatedly.  Make about 10 twists around the loop. Then send the loose end through the Loop end and pull it tight.  Cut off any excess line.

• Attaching Weights
  Attaching weights to your line does not necessarily fall into the knot tying category, but it is an essential requirement to properly rigging your line, so I feel it is worth mentioning here.  Attaching weights to your line is a requirement if you plan on fishing the bottom regions of the lake, pond or whatever you decide to fish.  I will give you instructions on how to attach a 1 once sinker weight.Instructions:  Create a loop in your line.  Send it through the eye of your weights.  Wrap the loop around the body of the weight and pull tight.  (Make sure there are no sharp edges on the eye of your weight, I have found that many of the sinker weights sometimes have sharp edges that can cut your line right at the worst possible time)