Tying good knots and line breaking advice: I went fishing today and caught some fish but I had a few break my hook off. I’m not sure if it was my knot untying or snapping or the line...

FS Digest

I went fishing today and caught some fish but I had a few break my hook off. I’m not sure if it was my knot untying or snapping or the line breaking (for reference the fish that broke it looked to be about a foot and my guess is a pound or two. I have 10 pound line so I would guess it’s my knot. I use a standard clinch knot and my tying skills are not amazing but does anybody have suggestions for alternative knots and/or ways to get better at tying them?

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by MooseTDoggo

bknecht Loc: Northeast pa

Palomar knot is quite easy to tie and very strong. It’s my go to knot for most applications.

charlykilo Loc: Garden Valley Ca

bknecht wrote:

Palomar knot is quite easy to tie and very strong. It’s my go to knot for most applications.

Jer Loc: N. Illinois 🇺🇸

FS Digest wrote:

I went fishing today and caught some fish but I had a few break my hook off. I’m not sure if it was my knot untying or snapping or the line breaking (for reference the fish that broke it looked to be about a foot and my guess is a pound or two. I have 10 pound line so I would guess it’s my knot. I use a standard clinch knot and my tying skills are not amazing but does anybody have suggestions for alternative knots and/or ways to get better at tying them?

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by MooseTDoggo

I concur with bknecht, tie a Palomar.
But if you want to continue using a clinch style knot, increase the number of turns to 5 or 6 with mono (7 or 8 with flouro), or go to the improved clinch not.
Tight lines.

HenryG Loc: Falmouth Cape Cod Massachusetts

FS Digest wrote:

I went fishing today and caught some fish but I had a few break my hook off. I’m not sure if it was my knot untying or snapping or the line breaking (for reference the fish that broke it looked to be about a foot and my guess is a pound or two. I have 10 pound line so I would guess it’s my knot. I use a standard clinch knot and my tying skills are not amazing but does anybody have suggestions for alternative knots and/or ways to get better at tying them?

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by MooseTDoggo

Videos on YouTube and practice ,practice, practice

Gary Northrop Loc: Richland WA

Run your line thru the hook eye twice before doing your turns and
you will have good success. Be sure to wet your knot and draw it down
slowly, finally, push the knot up against the hook eye with your thumb and
forefinger and give it one last pull.

joat Loc: Southeast MO

It may be the line has deteriorated over time, which sunlight will do.

HenryG Loc: Falmouth Cape Cod Massachusetts

Gary Northrop wrote:

Run your line thru the hook eye twice before doing your turns and
you will have good success. Be sure to wet your knot and draw it down
slowly, finally, push the knot up against the hook eye with your thumb and
forefinger and give it one last pull.

Improved clinched

Barnacles Loc: Northern California

If it works for the rig you're using, you might snell the hook.
Just to take up some of your idle time, get out a few hooks (all the same) and tie each one with a different knot, using pieces of the same line. Then give them each a pull test. Maybe use your fish scale.
The hooks were underwater when you lost those fish, so maybe do the pull test wet?
I can't say how scientific this comparison is actually, but it should make you feel better about the knots that you tie after you've found the strongest.

runandgun Loc: East Texas

Just curious, how old is the line and/or how was it stored?

DCGravity Loc: Fairfax, VA (by way of Cleveland OH)

bknecht wrote:

Palomar knot is quite easy to tie and very strong. It’s my go to knot for most applications.

Agree with bkn and others on here on palomar! For bulky presentations where it's awkward to get everything through that last loop, I go with a fish-n-fool knot (six wraps) which is basically a uni but with 2 loops through the eye.

DCGravity Loc: Fairfax, VA (by way of Cleveland OH)

Barnacles wrote:

If it works for the rig you're using, you might sn... (show quote)

Barnacles - I've snelled straight shanks; do you also snell offsets? I can't see how it could be done past the bend.

Barnacles Loc: Northern California

I have no idea what kind of hook Moose is using. Just tossed it out there as a possibility.

Captain

I have posted this before and gotten some interesting comments but I’ll say it again. A knot easy to tie and never fails me is the Bowline. Works great for jig fishing. I’m using 1 to 9 oz jigs. Also great on a hook using live bait especially with large live bait on a50# mono leader. But works just as well with 10#. Casting spoons or other lures when not using snap swivels or a wire leader also does the job. When making heavy leaders with 50/100# mono alway add a crimp to the tag end. It will work for you on the 10# just as well. Good Luck!!

Steve Appleby Loc: Corona California

Maybe drag to tight