The Three Knots That Matter

Most knot guides list twenty. You need three, and really you need one.

The improved clinch. Ties line to a hook or lure. Pass the tag end through the eye, twist five or six times around the standing line, pass the tag back through the small loop by the eye, then back through the large loop you just made. Wet it and pull steadily.

Wet it. Every time. Dry line burns against itself as it tightens, and a burned knot can fail at half its rated strength. Wetting the line will save you more fish than anything else on this page.

The palomar. Stronger and harder to get wrong, but it needs a doubled line through the eye, which is awkward with a big lure. Double six inches of line, pass the loop through the eye, tie a loose overhand knot with the doubled line, pass the loop over the hook, wet, and pull.

The loop knot. A non-slip loop leaves a lure free to move rather than pinned rigid to a stiff knot. It matters for topwater and for anything you want to swim naturally.

Practice at home. Sit with a length of line and tie each one twenty times. On the water, in wind, with cold hands and a fish waiting, is not where you want to be learning.

Check the last two feet of line for nicks after every few fish. Run it between your fingers. If you feel any roughness, cut it back and tie on again.