Growing up, I would walk down to the pond with my Dad and my Papa. We would post up on the edge of the pond with cane poles, tie on a line and use some of “Papa's Famous Catfish Bait” that had been “marinating” out behind the shed for a few months and proceed to spend the day catching sun perch, and catfish. Those were times that I wish I could relive over and over again!
Unfortunately time moves ever forward and as Robert Frost put it, “way leads on to way.”
Needless to say, I found that quite a few of my teenage years went by before I found myself out at the edge of any pond again…
And by then, I found myself staring at my fishing line and the hook… and I, for the life of me, could not remember how to tie the knot that we always used on our fishing poles.
It frustrated me to no end that I could not remember how to tie a fishing knot!
Luckily, the internet has all the answers… (insert sarcasm)
There is a lot of good information out there that can help many people, shore up their line tying skills!
Like for example, if you're interested in fly fishing and learning how to tie fly fishing knots.
In truth, there are dozens if not hundreds of knots that will work to tie fishing line, but figuring out which one is the “best” fishing knot, can be pretty hard to do.Now, I don't believe I have all the answers, but I have done a bit of research, and wanted to show you some of the knots that I have found to be the best fishing knots around.
Fly fishing not your thing?
I've got you covered, the guys over at BassPro Shops have put together the 6 best fishing knots, hand picked by their team, including the “Clinch Knot,” which is the knot that I was trying to remember in the first place!
Check this infographic (and be sure to add your own knots in the comments if you have an alternative):
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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on February 10, 2014, and has been updated for quality and relevancy.
I use the uniknot, you can also use the loop of another line instead of a hook eye and use that loop to tie a second uniknot thus tying one line to another, such as for a leader, or backing line.
I’ve used the Orvis knot for 20 years now and believe it’s the strongest knot. From 10 lb flouro to 6x tippet, I always use the Orvis. While maybe not as strong as the Trilene (90% vs 100%), I can clip the tag end completely which is a stealthy bonus.