Best Fishing Knot for Braided Line to Swivel, Hook, or Lure
- By: Luke Simonds
- on
- Found In: Fishing Knots, Fishing Tips
Wondering what the best fishing knot for braided Line to swivel, hook, or lure connection is?
Well you came to the right place.
Because the most common problem facing anglers who use braided line is that many fishing knots that are strong with mono are not nearly as good when used with braid given the vast differences in the two line types.
Since this connection is so vital, we decided to perform a test that matched the most popular knots against one another to determine which one truly is the best fishing knot for braided line to a swivel, hook, or lure.
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Here are the knots that we started out with in this analysis:
- Uni Knot (improved for braid)
- Palomar Knot
- Improved Clinch Knot
- San Diego Jam Knot
Note: This test is specific only to tying braided line to a swivel, hook, or lure. We personally recommend connecting your braided line directly to a fluorocarbon leader which then connecting to your hook/lure in most situations.
Uni Knot (Improved for Braided Line)
The ‘Uni Knot’ is one of the most popular knots for fishing, so it was a given that we’d include it in this test. The only question was how to alter the standard Uni for best results with braid. After some tests, we found that going through the eye twice and then using 10 turns (or more) generated the strongest results. Watch the video below to see exactly how to best tie the Uni Knot for braided line.
Note: Strength results are shown below.
Palomar Knot
The ‘Palomar Knot’ probably has the most fans of them all. It’s easy to understand why given its simplicity to tie and its impressive strength. However, most of the analysis of it is using mono line, so we decided to include it here to see how it does with braid.
Note: Strength results are shown below.
Improved Clinch Knot
The ‘Improved Clinch Knot’ is another very popular knot which has great online reviews. However, like the Palomar, most of the knot reviews involve using it on mono.
So we decided to test out multiple variations to see if it can be trusted with braided line.
The best we could find was a doubling of the braid through the hook eye and 10 wraps around the main line with the braid, but even that couldn’t compete with the others due to slipping out.
Given its low performance and relative difficulty to tie, I recommend not using this one so did not include a how-to video.
San Diego Jam Knot
This is a knot that I was completely unfamiliar with when starting this analysis.
It proved to be a very good option, but I found that it was tough to get consistent results with it and it took a bit longer to tie than the Braid Uni (which happens to be stronger than the Jam knot too), so I’ll stick with the Uni going forward.
Below is the best way I found to tie the San Diego Jam with braid in case you’re curious:
Note: Strength results are shown below.
Conlusion – Braid to Swivel/Hook
This analysis was very close for the Uni knot and the San Diego Jam.
Given the slightly stronger hold of the Uni knot along with the fact that it’s a bit easier to tie, I recommend the Uni for this connection.
Also, please note that adding more wraps (above 10) make it even stronger… 14 is what I now use when tying this knot.
An interesting finding from the series of fishing knot contests we preformed has been that using a direct line-to-line knot is just as strong (and sometimes stronger) than using a swivel to connect the two lines.
Previously, I always thought that using a swivel was strongest because the two lines were not digging into each other.
However, the testing proved otherwise.
For example, the breaking strength of the winning knot in the braid to mono fishing knot contest was in the 20 – 23 lb range, and the winner of this test was basically the same (within 1 pound).
For this reason, I only use swivels when using baits/lure that are prone to twist line because line twists can weaken the line and significantly increase to likelihood of getting wind knots.
This diagram shows the head to head matches that took place as part of this analysis. The test consisted on 3 rounds… 3rd round was the winning knot tied against itself to test its strength. The red values below the names of the knots represents the amount of pull strength that the knots where able to withstand in each round. Lines used were 10 lb PowerPro braid.
This knot testing is continuous… we’re always seeking out better styles/methods, and we’ll of course update this page as new/better knots come to light.
If you have a great leader to hook/lure knot that is not included here, please leave a comment below about it (or send us an email – fish@saltstrong.com). We’ll include it in our testing and let you know how it compares to the others.
Best Fishing Knots Of All Time (Ranked Strongest To Weakest)
Do You Know The STRONGEST Fishing Knot For Every Situation?
The results of these knot strength tests might surprise you!
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How about the double palomar knot where the line is doubled up a second time. According to a fishing magazine this is stronger than the uni. Have you tested it?
The palomar knot is never going to be the strongest option because it doesn’t spread the tension load around as much as other knots like the trilene can. It’s only good in relation to the ease in tying just like the uni is highly recognized by its ability to be a good knot for all connection types (it’s just never the strongest either).
For braided line, the Trilene knot with 5 turns around the eye and 15 around the line beats all these.
Thanks for the info. I use braid and I have been using the uni know. Works very well for me.
Good videos
Hi Luke,
Firstly thanks for the time and effort.
Secondly just some questions about the testing, how many times did you test these knots per round, just the once each round or best of three/five etc? And where did the knots break, did they all break in the same place relative to each knot and line, as in the eye of the hook, the wraps or the beginning of the standing line? As this can all go to letting you know why the knot is failing.
If you tested to one snap each round then that could well be a weak point in the line or a badly tied knot like friction stress caused by pulling up the slack too quick. Repeat tests and mean results are far sounder test methods. If the knots break in the same place then your tying technique is consistent if nothing else.
Thanks
I typically test them 3 times, and the break will pretty much always happen inside the knot where the line going into the knot makes its first turn.
Hi Luke,
Thanks for the quick reply and your answer is really very interesting. If I have got this right then the line generally gives and leaves almost a complete knot on the hook and then what most people call the ‘standing’ line has maybe a tiny pigtail on it? Or did I get that wrong and is it the line parts company at the hook taking the whole knot away leaving the hook clean?
I thinking of the Uni knot in this instance.
You’re right about the first part in that the knot is typically still standing on the lure/hook (or it falls off onto the ground).
But there will most often not be a pigtail as long as it was a good knot… a pigtail is a sign of a bad knot where the line slips out before it breaks (or slips altogether).
Right so the line is failing at the first turns through the eye of the hook and not in the knot itself?
I’m curious as I do not use the eye of the hook to tie from I much prefer to wrap the line down the shank.
So are you using a snell knot? I just started using it, and was wondering what’s your preference on wraps?
Sorry I forgot to leave a name on my post about the double clinch knot. I’m John.
Thanks for all of your hard work. You are a great source for me in learning how to fish inshore/near shore salt water species. I make two trips to Florida each year to visit/fish with my son. Did some at- home testing today on 10 lb braid to see how strong it is(about 15 lbs). I noticed braid tied directly to an eyelet was a bit weaker than mono. So I tried a double clinch knot my brother showed me years ago. This knot was stronger than the braid line each time. And is simple to tie. I hope this is helpful. Thanks again
Hi. I find the figure 8 knot making 4 turns instead of 2 , easy to tie on the beach and quite strong.Had my main line part or cut of every time before the figure 8 parted. Of course I have never run comparison test. If you have a chance to try. Thanks.
You say the double uni knot goes back to 1990 – well my father taught it to me (I am over 70), and his father taught it to him, so it goes back a long way before 1990.
Hey Tim, I assume you’re referring to one of the comments that came in on this knot post because I do not recall ever specifying a date that the uni knot was created. It is one of the oldest and most trusted of all fishing knots, so I’m not at all surprised to see that it was been passed down from multiple generations in your family.
Yep, you are so right, Sir!
Curious. Did any of the break tests include a loop knot looped around the top eye of the swivel? I was curious if looping it would result in a break at the loop or break at a weaker level than the original expectations of the base knot.
Hey Bill, sorry for taking so long to respond to your question… I somehow missed it when it was posted.
If you’re referring to the loop knot being wrapped around the top eye of the swivel for the main braid line, then I’m not sure what the proper knot would be so please send me an example or walk me through how that is tied and I’ll be happy to test it out.
If you’re referring to the loop knot being tied to the other line that’s attached to the other end of the swivel, then the result is mostly driven by the difference in strength of the other line compared to the braid. If the braid is equivalent or stronger, then the snug knot on the braid will be stronger. Otherwise, it depends on the relative strengths of the lines and the loop knot that is used.