Improved clinch knot
Ties line to a hook, lure or swivel. A knot for light to medium monofilament and fluorocarbon.
- Use
- Line to hook or lure
- Lines
- Monofilament, Fluorocarbon
- Difficulty
- Easy
White: the line to your reel. Orange: the tag end, the part you move. Mirror flips the drawing for tying left-handed.
Steps
Pass about 15 cm of line through the eye of the hook.
Wrap the tag end around the standing line 4 to 6 times, working away from the eye: more turns in thin line, fewer in heavy line.
Bring the tag end back and pass it through the small loop next to the eye.
Pass the tag end through the big loop you have just made.
Wet the knot, hold the tag end, and pull the standing line until the wraps close up against the eye. Trim the tag end.
Tips
- Wet the knot before you pull it tight.
- Use fewer turns as the line gets heavier: about 6 in light line, 4 in line around 20 lb (9 kg).
- Trim the tag end, but not flush against the knot.
Sources
Each step was checked against these written guides:
- Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Knot-Tying Guide
- Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission, Knotes on Knots (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension)
- New York State DEC, I FISH NY knot-tying lesson
- Field & Stream, How to tie a hook to fishing line
Drawings and animation by Fishwake. We give no breaking-strength figures: published numbers differ with the line and the test.
