Welcome to the shack's knot guide. We're a family bait and tackle shop in Homestead, and we tie these knots for customers every single day. A good knot is the cheapest insurance you can buy: tie the wrong one, or tie the right one sloppy, and that fish of a lifetime swims off with your hook.
New to fishing? Start here with the Beginner knots and work your way up. Every knot has a numbered picture for each step, and the gear we'd reach for. Still stuck? Swing by the shack and we'll show you in person.
Five knots that cover almost everything: tying on hooks, lures and swivels, making a loop, and loading a reel.
Use it for: line to hook, lure or swivel.
Push about 6 inches of tag end through the eye of the hook, lure or swivel.
Wrap the tag around the main line 5 to 7 times (fewer for heavy line).
Bring the tag back and push it through the small loop that formed just above the eye.
Now tuck the tag back through the big loop you just made. That is the "improved" part.
Wet the knot, pull the main line so the wraps slide down snug against the eye, and trim the tag.
Use it for: line to hook or lure, great with braid.
Double about 6 inches of line and push the loop end through the eye.
With the doubled line, tie a loose overhand knot. Leave the hook hanging below it.
Pass the loop all the way over the hook (or lure) so it sits above the eye.
Wet it, pull the main line and tag together to tighten, then trim the tag.
Use it for: line to hook or lure, do-it-all.
Run about 6 inches of tag through the eye and lay it back along the main line.
Bring the tag back toward the eye to form a loop over both lines.
Wrap the tag through the loop and around both lines, 5 to 7 times.
Wet it and pull the tag to snug the wraps into a neat barrel.
Pull the main line to slide the knot down to the eye, then trim the tag.
Use it for: quick loop at end of line for clipping on rigs.
Double the end of the line to make a loop the size you want.
Tie an overhand knot with the doubled line.
Pass the loop through the overhand a second time.
Wet it, hold the loop and pull both strands of line to tighten, then trim the tag.
Use it for: ties line to reel spool.
Pass the line around the reel spool (arbor) and bring the tag back out.
Tie an overhand knot with the tag around the main line.
Tie a second overhand in the tag end only, about 1 inch past the first, as a stopper.
Wet it, pull the main line so the knot slides down tight on the spool, and trim close.
Joining lines, open loops for lures, snelled hooks and bottom-rig droppers.
Use it for: joins two lines like braid to mono.
Overlap the braid and the leader by 6 to 8 inches, tag ends pointing opposite ways.
With the braid tag, make a loop over both lines and wrap through it 6 to 8 times (3 to 4 for mono).
Pull the braid tag to snug that first uni knot around the leader.
Repeat with the leader tag going the other way: a uni knot with 3 to 4 wraps around the braid.
Wet it, pull the two main lines apart so the knots slide together, and trim both tags close.
Use it for: line to lure with open loop for jigs and swimbaits.
Tie a loose overhand knot about 8 to 10 inches from the end of the line.
Pass the tag through the lure eye, then back through the overhand on the same side it came out.
Wrap the tag around the main line about 5 times (fewer for heavy line).
Bring the tag back through the overhand, leaving the knot the same way it came out.
Wet it, pull the tag to snug the wraps, then pull the main line and lure apart. Trim, and the lure swings on an open loop.
Use it for: line to hook, wraps around shank, great for circle hooks and live bait.
Push the tag through the front of the hook eye and lay it along the shank toward the bend.
Leave a few inches of tag and bring it back toward the eye, making a loop along the shank.
Wrap the tag around the shank and both lines, working toward the bend, 5 to 7 times.
Hold the wraps in place and pull the tag to draw them snug.
Wet it, pull the main line and tag to tighten, slide the wraps up against the eye, and trim.
Use it for: joins two lines of similar size.
Overlap the two line ends by about 6 inches, crossing them in the middle.
Wrap one tag around the other line 5 times, then bring it back between the two lines at the crossing.
Wrap the other tag 5 times around the first line, going the opposite direction.
Push the second tag through the same gap from the other side, so the two tags point opposite ways.
Wet it, pull the two main lines firmly apart until the wraps bed down, and trim both tags.
Use it for: line to hook or lure, saltwater favorite for fluoro and mono.
Pass 8 to 10 inches of tag through the eye.
Lay the tag back along the main line and wrap it around both lines toward the eye, about 7 times (6 to 8).
Pass the tag through the small loop just above the eye.
Then pass the tag through the larger loop that runs alongside the wraps.
Wet it, hold the tag, pull the main line tight to seat the knot, and trim.
Use it for: loop in middle of line for bottom rigs.
Make a loop in the line where you want the dropper.
Twist the two sides of the loop around each other 5 to 7 times, keeping a small gap in the middle.
Push the bottom of the loop up through that center gap.
Hold the loop (teeth or a finger), wet it, and pull both ends so the loop stands straight out.
Offshore and toothy-fish connections: braid to leader, double lines, wire and crimps.
Use it for: braid to leader, thinnest strongest connection, slides through guides.
Keep the braid tight (tie it off or hold it in your teeth), and cross the leader over it.
Wrap the braid around the leader, alternating over then under, for about 20 wraps (10 crisscross pairs).
Hold the wraps and lock them with one half hitch around the leader.
Wet it and pull hard on the braid and the leader to bed the wraps so they grip.
Tie 2 to 3 half hitches over both lines and trim the leader tag close.
Finish with a few half hitches on the braid alone, then trim. The knot stays slim enough to pass through guides.
Use it for: long double-line loop, offshore standard, keeps nearly full strength.
Double 2 to 4 feet of line into a long loop.
Spin the loop end 20 times to put 20 twists in the doubled line.
Spread the loop (over your knee or feet) and hold the tag at a right angle so it rolls back down over the twists.
When the wraps reach the end, tie a half hitch around one leg of the loop.
Tie a locking hitch around both legs with 3 to 5 turns, back through itself, snug it down and trim.
Use it for: joins lines of very different sizes or line to wire.
Bend the heavy line or wire back on itself to make a narrow loop, about 3 inches long.
Push about 10 inches of the light line into the loop.
Wrap the light line back over itself and both legs of the loop, 10 to 12 turns, working toward the loop end.
Pass the tag out through the loop on the same side it went in.
Slide the wraps snug toward the loop end, wet it, pull all four ends tight and trim.
Use it for: wire leader to hook or swivel, for toothy fish like kingfish.
Pass the wire through the hook or swivel eye and bend the tag back, leaving a small loop and about 4 inches of tag.
Cross the wires and twist them together evenly, 3 to 5 times. Both wires must twist around each other.
Bend the tag straight out at a right angle to the main wire.
Make 4 to 5 tight barrel wraps, close together, around the main wire.
Bend the tag into a small crank handle and rock it back and forth until it snaps off clean at the wrap. No sharp end.
Use it for: doubled line to heavy leader, for bigger game fish.
Double the end of your main line with a Bimini twist.
Tie a loose figure-8 knot in the heavy leader, near its end.
Pass the doubled line through the figure-8 alongside the leader tag and snug the figure-8 partway.
Wrap the doubled line around the leader about 4 times, then about 4 times back over those wraps.
Pass the doubled line back through the figure-8 the same way it came out.
Tighten the figure-8 on the leader first, then pull the main line to seat the wraps, and trim.
Use it for: heavy mono or wire leader with sleeves, not a tied knot but expert saltwater standard.
Slide a sleeve sized for your leader onto the line (check the sleeve chart).
Pass the tag through the eye of the hook or swivel and back through the same sleeve. Add a chafe tube for heavy mono if you like.
Slide the sleeve up to leave a small loop, with the tag just past the end of the sleeve.
Crimp the sleeve with a crimping tool in the matching die. On double-barrel sleeves, crimp in more than one spot.
Pull-test hard. If it slips, cut it off and redo it. Trim or cover the tag end.
Practice each knot at home before you hit the water, always wet knots before tightening, and test every connection with a hard pull. Questions? Stop by the shack: we tie these every day.
