The Palomar Knot is easy to tie and retains maximum strength of your fishing line. This guide shows you how to tie it (plus other important details).
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There's a lot of clutter out there on the Internet, and all you want to do is learn how to tie a Palomar knot, so let's go ahead and get down to brass tacks.
Afterward we'll cover the finer details of tying this knot, when to use it and more about catching fish in Louisiana.
Palomar Knot Tying Instructions
These instructions work for any kind of fishing line, whether it is braid, monofilament or fluorocarbon.
Step One
Thread your line through eye of the swivel (hook, lure or whatever) then back through, forming a bight. With braided line you can simply bend the line in half and pass that through instead.
Be sure to leave plenty of slack to finish the rest of the knot. Six to eight inches is great.
Step Two To Tying The Palomar Knot
Tie an overhand knot with the doubled line, being sure to leave it loose. Do not tighten the Palomar knot yet!
Step Three
Take the loop you made with the overhand knot and pass it over the swivel.
Step Four
Moisten the line and tighten the Palomar knot down by pulling on the tag end and main line, being sure that the knot tightens on the eye and not the body of the swivel so it can spin freely.
If you are tying onto a hook, then ensure that the Palomar knot tightens on the hook's eye and not the shank.
Step Five
Trim away any excess line on the tag end, leaving about 1/8 of an inch.
Congratulations!
You've just successfully tied a Palomar Knot, but we're not finished yet!
Keep reading to learn those small – yet important – details learned from years of fishing with this knot.
Extra Tips For Tying The Palomar Knot
These are the finer details you want to pay attention to as well as some interesting facts.
What lures and tackle is this knot good for?
It is best used for terminal tackle like hooks and jigheads.
It is better to use an Improved Clinch Knot for larger lures such as spinnerbaits and topwater lures because it is clumsy passing such a large lure through the loop of a Palomar knot.
Line Cannot Be Crossed When Tying
When tying your palomar knot you will want to pay attention to how it dresses down as it is tightened, or how the line falls into place.
You don't want it crossed over itself!
If so, it can cut itself and break the knot.
To get the most out of a palomar knot you need to be sure that it is not crossed over itself.
How much of the fishing line's strength does a Palomar knot retain?
This knot does an excellent job of retaining nearly 100% of the fishing line's strength.
This has been tested for braided, monofilament and fluorocarbon fishing line and the International Game Fish Association rates the Palomar knot as the strongest knot you can use.
Furthermore, Bob Rackley (the man who was once in charge of fishing line research for the inventor of monofilament fishing line, Dupont) insisted that the Palomar knot be the only knot any angler use for any hook or lure.
Always Moisten Before Tightening Down
Lubrication is key when tying a Palomar knot, so dip it in water or use your mouth to moisten the knot.
This way it won't abrade itself as it is tightened, keeping the fishing line's strength instead of weakening it.
Who invented the Palomar knot?
This knot was invented by Chet Palomar, a Scoutmaster of the Boy Scouts of America.
How is Palomar pronounced?
It is pronounced PAHL-oh-mahr, or watch the video above.
Practice Makes Perfect
As always, the only way you will become proficient at tying the Palomar Knot is to constantly practice doing so.
Your time on water is precious, and you don't want to spend that time trying to remember what you saw here, so make a point of practicing at home before you go on your next fishing trip.
There's more to catching specks and reds than tying knots...
I'm not exactly what you'd call a "knot nerd" because I feel that it doesn't matter if a Palomar (or whatever knot) breaks at 95% or 75% of the line's strength.
What matters is finding fish. A lot of fish.
So many that the water is boiling in a feeding frenzy and you're catching keepers on every cast.
Doing exactly that is the focus of this website.
That's why you really need to sign up for my newsletter so you can get good fishing tips and advice for catching specks and reds.
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Tell Us What's On Your Mind
While this guide has a lot of detail, it cannot possibly have everything.
That's why I am asking you to speak up in the comments section below if you have a question, comment or something to add.
Tight lines!
