Palomar knot
Knot · Last reviewed 2026-08-10
A doubled-line knot to a hook or lure that is simple, exceptionally strong, and one of the few that holds reliably in braid.
The Palomar's strength comes from the fact that it is tied in doubled line throughout. Two strands pass through the eye and two strands take the load, which means the knot starts with a substantial advantage over anything tied in a single strand.
It is also very short and has few steps, which matters more than it sounds: a knot with fewer operations is a knot with fewer opportunities to get it wrong in the cold, in the dark, or in a hurry.
Its one practical limitation is that the loop must pass over the hook or lure. That is trivial with a hook and awkward with a large lure carrying several trebles, which is why it is a first-choice knot for hooks and a second choice for big multi-hook lures.
- Used for
- Line to hook or lure
- Holds in
- Monofilament, Fluorocarbon, Braid
How to tie it
These written steps are the instruction. The diagram supports them.
- Double about 15 cm of line back on itself to form a bight, and pass that bight through the hook eye.
- Tie a loose overhand knot in the doubled line, leaving the bight free and the hook hanging in the middle of the resulting loop. Do not tighten it.
- Pass the free bight down over the entire hook or lure, so it passes the point and the bend.
- Wet the knot thoroughly.
- Draw it up by pulling the standing line and the tag end together, easing the knot down so it seats neatly against the eye rather than tightening in a tangle.
- Check the knot has seated square against the eye, then trim the tag end close.
- 1. Double about 15 cm of line and pass the doubled loop through the hook eye.
- 2. Tie a loose overhand knot in the doubled line, leaving the hook hanging.
- 3. Pass the loop right over the hook, so it goes past the bend and the point.
- 4. Wet it, draw both ends to seat the knot against the eye, and trim the tag.
Tying a Palomar knot
Knot · Verified — every stage checked against a canonical reference — reference: Learn to fish: tying the knot; Knots Every Angler Should Know · signed off by AI editorial review (Sprint 54) — every stage checked against the reference's numbered steps, rendered and inspected on 2026-08-18
Describe this diagram in words
Four panels read left to right, top to bottom. Panel one: a line doubled back on itself, the resulting loop passed through the eye of a hook that hangs below. Panel two: a loose overhand knot tied in the doubled line, with the doubled loop still open beyond it. Panel three: that open loop being carried down and passed over the entire hook — over the bend and past the point — with an arrow showing the direction of travel; the loop is drawn passing in front of the shank. Panel four: the finished knot drawn tight against the eye, a short trimmed tag beyond it, the hook held below.
How this drawing was produced
Redrawn in Sprint 54 as four panels. The previous figure superimposed all four stages on one drawing, printed STANDING LINE and EYE on top of each other, and contained no hook at all — on a knot whose third stage is passing the loop over the hook. Geometry is generated from shared helpers so a turn count cannot disagree with the crossings declared.
Finishing it properly
- Wet the knot before tightening — friction heat from drawing a dry knot damages line permanently.
- Draw it up steadily and evenly rather than with a snap, so the turns bed down together.
- Trim the tag close but not flush; leaving one or two millimetres allows for a small amount of slip without the knot failing.
How it fails
The Palomar fails when it is drawn up untidily — if the loop crosses over itself as it is pulled down, the knot seats crooked and one strand takes the whole load instead of two. That is visible on inspection: a correctly seated Palomar is a compact, symmetrical knot sitting square against the eye, and a crooked one is obvious. It also fails if the loop was not passed fully over the lure, leaving it trapped on a hook point.
When the Palomar is the right choice, and the one case where it is not
The Palomar is the knot to reach for whenever the line is braid and the terminal item will pass through a loop, and understanding why tells you exactly when to use something else.
THE MECHANISM IS THAT IT LOADS TWO STRANDS. The line is doubled before the knot is formed, so the finished knot carries the load on a doubled section rather than on a single one. Every other common terminal knot pinches a single strand against itself or against the eye. That difference is why the Palomar is unusually tolerant of the thing that defeats most knots on braid.
BRAID IS THE PROBLEM IT SOLVES. Braided line is limp, slippery and has almost no stretch, and it has a very smooth surface. Knots that rely on friction between wraps — the clinch family above all — slip on it, because the wraps slide over one another instead of locking. The Palomar's security comes substantially from geometry rather than from friction, so it holds where a clinch does not. If somebody is fishing braid and losing fish at the knot, this is the first thing to change.
IT ALSO SUITS MONOFILAMENT AND FLUOROCARBON perfectly well, so there is no reason to keep two knots in your head for the same job unless you have one.
THE CASE WHERE IT IS NOT AVAILABLE is purely mechanical and it is the thing to check before starting. The knot is finished by passing a bight of doubled line over the entire hook or lure, past the point and the bend. If the item is too large for that — a big plug with two sets of trebles, a heavy jig head with a moulded body, a lure with a fixed rigid attachment — the manoeuvre cannot be done, and the knot cannot be completed. That is not a weakness of the knot; it is a constraint on where it can be used, and the uni knot is the usual answer.
AND IT IS A POOR CHOICE WHERE A LOOP IS WANTED. A Palomar seats hard against the eye and holds the lure rigidly, which is exactly right for a hook or a jig and exactly wrong for a small hard lure whose action depends on being able to swing freely. There, a loop knot is the correct selection and the Palomar's tightness is a defect.
Practitioner consensus
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Established knot practice and the selection of knots for particular line types and applications.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary knot practice in the British angling press.Background and mechanism onlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Where to go next
Where it is used
- Drop shottingThe defining knot of the technique rather than merely a compatible one: tied with a long tag and the tag passed back down through the eye, it stands the hook out from the line at right angles, which is the whole presentation. Nothing else in the catalogue does that job.
- EgingBraid to a jig with a wire crown rather than a hook, changed repeatedly as depth and colour are worked through. Doubled line through the eye, drawn down square.
- JiggingA vertical technique on braid with a heavy head below, where the connection takes repeated shock loading on the drop and the lift. Doubled line through the eye is the reason this knot is the convention here.
- Light rock fishingSmall braid diameters onto small jig heads, tied and retied constantly over ground that takes tackle. Speed and repeatability matter more here than any strength figure.
- Lure fishingBraid mainlines and constant lure changes, which is the combination this knot suits and the one the improved clinch is recorded as unsuitable for.
- SpinningThe lure is changed repeatedly through a session, so the knot that matters is the one that can be tied quickly and correctly at the water's edge. The Palomar is doubled throughout and short, and it holds in braid — which the improved clinch, on its own record, does not.
What these connections rest on (6)
Practitioner consensus — 6 connections
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
Drop shotting
Which knot a kind of fishing conventionally uses is established practitioner knowledge that converges across independent traditions and independent state agency guides, and it is labelled as consensus rather than as tested result. Nothing here ranks knots by strength: see `why-knot-strength-tables-disagree` for why that number does not exist.
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK lure and predator angling practice as reported by practitioners, including braid-to-lure connections and finesse rigging.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- How to Tie Fishing Knots — uni, blood, improved blood, surgeon's and loop knots — Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (Take Me Fishing) (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: A contemporary national angling-participation body's knot guide, covering the connections used in modern lure fishing and the materials they are tied in.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Eging
Which knot a kind of fishing conventionally uses is established practitioner knowledge that converges across independent traditions and independent state agency guides, and it is labelled as consensus rather than as tested result. Nothing here ranks knots by strength: see `why-knot-strength-tables-disagree` for why that number does not exist.
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK lure and predator angling practice as reported by practitioners, including braid-to-lure connections and finesse rigging.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- How to Tie Fishing Knots — uni, blood, improved blood, surgeon's and loop knots — Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (Take Me Fishing) (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: A contemporary national angling-participation body's knot guide, covering the connections used in modern lure fishing and the materials they are tied in.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Jigging
Which knot a kind of fishing conventionally uses is established practitioner knowledge that converges across independent traditions and independent state agency guides, and it is labelled as consensus rather than as tested result. Nothing here ranks knots by strength: see `why-knot-strength-tables-disagree` for why that number does not exist.
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK lure and predator angling practice as reported by practitioners, including braid-to-lure connections and finesse rigging.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- How to Tie Fishing Knots — uni, blood, improved blood, surgeon's and loop knots — Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (Take Me Fishing) (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: A contemporary national angling-participation body's knot guide, covering the connections used in modern lure fishing and the materials they are tied in.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Light rock fishing
Which knot a kind of fishing conventionally uses is established practitioner knowledge that converges across independent traditions and independent state agency guides, and it is labelled as consensus rather than as tested result. Nothing here ranks knots by strength: see `why-knot-strength-tables-disagree` for why that number does not exist.
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK lure and predator angling practice as reported by practitioners, including braid-to-lure connections and finesse rigging.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- How to Tie Fishing Knots — uni, blood, improved blood, surgeon's and loop knots — Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (Take Me Fishing) (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: A contemporary national angling-participation body's knot guide, covering the connections used in modern lure fishing and the materials they are tied in.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Lure fishing
Which knot a kind of fishing conventionally uses is established practitioner knowledge that converges across independent traditions and independent state agency guides, and it is labelled as consensus rather than as tested result. Nothing here ranks knots by strength: see `why-knot-strength-tables-disagree` for why that number does not exist.
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK lure and predator angling practice as reported by practitioners, including braid-to-lure connections and finesse rigging.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- How to Tie Fishing Knots — uni, blood, improved blood, surgeon's and loop knots — Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (Take Me Fishing) (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: A contemporary national angling-participation body's knot guide, covering the connections used in modern lure fishing and the materials they are tied in.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Spinning
Which knot a kind of fishing conventionally uses is established practitioner knowledge that converges across independent traditions and independent state agency guides, and it is labelled as consensus rather than as tested result. Nothing here ranks knots by strength: see `why-knot-strength-tables-disagree` for why that number does not exist.
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK lure and predator angling practice as reported by practitioners, including braid-to-lure connections and finesse rigging.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- How to Tie Fishing Knots — uni, blood, improved blood, surgeon's and loop knots — Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (Take Me Fishing) (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: A contemporary national angling-participation body's knot guide, covering the connections used in modern lure fishing and the materials they are tied in.States this directlyPassage read and verified
What it joins
- Braided lineBraid is slippery and many mono knots slip in it, which is the practical reason braid users converge on the palomar.
- Drop shot rigDrop-shotting needs the hook to stand off the line at a right angle, which follows from how the palomar is tied and left long.
- Hair rigOne of several appropriate knots; the Palomar is chosen here because it is doubled throughout and holds in the coated braids hooklinks are made from.
- HooksA doubled-line knot that is quick to tie and hard to tie wrongly, which is why it displaced the clinch for many anglers.
What these connections rest on (4)
Practitioner consensus — 4 connections
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
Braided line
A material property that decides a knot choice.
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Knot selection for joining line to terminal tackle and line to line.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- IGFA International Angling Rules and World Record Requirements — International Game Fish Association (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: The role of knots and connections in terminal tackle, and the line-class conventions that depend on them.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Drop shot rig
A rig whose geometry is produced by the knot rather than by a component.
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Knot selection for joining line to terminal tackle and line to line.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- IGFA International Angling Rules and World Record Requirements — International Game Fish Association (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: The role of knots and connections in terminal tackle, and the line-class conventions that depend on them.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Hair rig
Knot selection for hooklink attachment, independently described.
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: The Palomar for attaching hooks.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: The same knot used for equivalent attachments in a separate tradition.Citation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Hooks
The alternative connection, and the reason people switch.
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Knot selection for joining line to terminal tackle and line to line.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- IGFA International Angling Rules and World Record Requirements — International Game Fish Association (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: The role of knots and connections in terminal tackle, and the line-class conventions that depend on them.States this directlyPassage read and verified
Worth understanding first
- Attaching line to a hook, swivel or lureDoubling the line through the eye distributes the load across two strands and cushions the line against the eye's edge, which is why it behaves so well on hooks and lures.
- Choosing a knot for the line you are usingThe palomar's reputation in braid is a material result rather than a general one: doubling the line through the eye is what gives a slick fibre enough to grip on.
- Why knots slip or breakWhether a knot holds in braid depends on whether it locks or relies on friction, which is the distinction this page makes.
What these connections rest on (3)
Practitioner consensus — 2 connections
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
Attaching line to a hook, swivel or lure
A mechanism edge from a record to the reasoning beneath it. How knots and rigs behave is established practitioner knowledge converging across independent angling traditions, and is labelled as consensus rather than as tested result.
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK coarse and match angling practice as reported by practitioners, including rig and knot convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including rig construction, leaders and line choice.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Choosing a knot for the line you are using
A mechanism edge from a record to the reasoning beneath it. How knots and rigs behave is established practitioner knowledge converging across independent angling traditions, and is labelled as consensus rather than as tested result.
- Angling Times — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK coarse and match angling practice as reported by practitioners, including rig and knot convention.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Contemporary UK sea angling practice as reported by practitioners, including rig construction, leaders and line choice.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Authoritative guidance — 1 connection
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Why knots slip or break
A knot record should say when its knot fails and why.
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Knot and leader practice, including material behaviour and seating.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Safety reading
What these connections rest on (1)
Authoritative guidance — 1 connection
Stated by a fisheries authority, scientific institute or recognised angling body. Authoritative, but summarising rather than demonstrating.
Hook injuries
A link from the arrangement to the substantial safety topic describing the injury it is associated with, rather than a warning restated on the record itself.
- RoSPA water safety information and UK accidental drowning statistics — Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Water-safety or diver-training authority)Relied on for: That angling injuries are dominated by hooks entering the person handling them, and the circumstances in which that happens.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- Angling Trust guidance for anglers — Angling Trust (Angling or fisheries organisation)Relied on for: Guidance to anglers on handling hooks and terminal tackle, and on what to do when a hook goes in.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
History and culture
What these connections rest on (1)
Practitioner consensus — 1 connection
Widely and independently recommended by experienced anglers and specialist sources. This is real angling knowledge, not proof: controlled evidence for it is limited, and FishingHQ records it as convention rather than as a demonstrated effect.
Nylon, and what synthetic line changed
Where a terminal arrangement came from and what it displaced, drawn from the angling literature and from widely restated practitioner accounts rather than from scholarship.
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Comprehensive angling practice including terminal arrangements, leaders and knots, and the development of each within the sport.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Still-Water Angling — MacGibbon & Kee, 1953 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: Mid-twentieth-century angling practice written across the change to synthetic line, covering terminal arrangements and the materials they depend on.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
Sources for this page
- Knots Every Angler Should Know — Iowa Department of Natural Resources, 2015 (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The tying sequence and turn count as a US state fisheries agency sets them out in numbered steps, read in full during the Sprint 41 reference search.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- Learn to fish: tying the knot — Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, 2025 (Government fisheries body)Relied on for: The same sequence stated independently by a second state wildlife agency, written years apart from the first and agreeing with it on every stage and turn count.States this directlyPassage read and verified
- Freshwater Fishing — Macdonald & Jane's, 1975 (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: The Palomar's construction and its use for attaching hooks and lures.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
- Sea Angler — Bauer Media (Specialist angling publication)Relied on for: That the Palomar is treated as a standard hook and lure knot in sea angling practice, independently of the freshwater literature.States this directlyCitation checked — the work exists and is described correctly
How FishingHQ labels evidence is explained in the evidence policy.