The Palomar knot
The Palomar is a strong, simple knot for tying a hook, swivel, jighead or trace to your line. It is at its best in braid, where it is one of the most reliable knots you can tie, and it holds just as well in fluorocarbon. You tie it doubled, so it grips slippery braid well. Learn this one and you can build almost every rig here.
Double the line and pass it through the eye. Take about 15 cm of line and double it back to make a loop. Pass that doubled loop through the eye of the hook, swivel or jighead.
Tie a loose overhand knot with the doubled line, but leave it loose. The hook or swivel hangs in the open loop at the bottom. Do not tighten yet.
Take the open loop and pass it right over the hook, swivel or jighead, so the whole thing passes through the loop. This is the step that locks the knot.
Wet the knot. Pull the standing line and the tag end together to draw the wraps down evenly onto the eye, easing the loop closed. Pull it firm, check it, then trim the tag close.
Four steps. Each one is a panel in the diagram above. Wet it before you pull it tight.
What it ties
Almost everything with an eye. The hook, a swivel, a jighead, the pike trace, the top of a sabiki onto the main line. Because you tie it with the line doubled, it bites down well on braid, which is slippery and defeats some simpler knots, and it is just as strong in fluorocarbon. This is the one knot I would learn if I were learning one, because every rig on this site uses it somewhere.
When to use it
Reach for the Palomar whenever you are tying a hook, swivel, jighead or trace to braid or fluorocarbon and want a knot you can trust. It is the first-choice knot on every rig here. The one thing to watch is that you tie it doubled, so for an awkward, bulky lure you may prefer a non-slip loop, which also frees the lure to swing.
Strength and tips
The Palomar is one of the strongest knots you can tie, in braid and fluorocarbon alike. Wet it every time, because the doubled line can nip and weaken if it closes dry. As you cinch it, make sure the loop seats evenly and does not cross over itself. Trim the tag to a short stub, not flush, so it cannot creep back through.
1Wet it
Wet every knot before you pull it tight. A dry knot drags against itself as it closes and the friction heat weakens the line.
2Seat it slowly
Draw it down slowly and evenly, then trim the tag end close, leaving a stub of a millimetre or two so it cannot slip back through.
3Test it
Pull the finished knot firmly against your hand or the rod before you fish it. Better it fails now than on the take.
Rigs that use it
The Palomar is the workhorse, so almost every rig here uses it somewhere. It ties the hook on the drop shot, the swivels on the lure rigs, the jighead on the vertical jig, the pike trace, and the join at the top of the gambe. Learn this one knot and you have most of the box covered.
Palomar questions
Yes. It is one of the strongest and most reliable knots for braided line, because you tie it doubled so it grips the slippery braid well. It holds just as well in fluorocarbon. It is the knot I use for the drop-shot hook and most other joins. Just wet it before you tighten and seat it slowly so the doubled line does not nip.
Double the line and pass the loop through the eye. Tie a loose overhand knot with the doubled line, leaving the hook in the open loop. Pass the hook right through that loop. Then wet it, pull the line and tag together to seat it evenly, and trim the tag close.
Yes. Wet every knot with water or saliva before you pull it tight. A dry knot generates friction heat as it cinches, which weakens the line and can cost you the fish. Wet it, draw it down slowly and evenly, then trim the tag end close.