Braided fishing line is known for being super strict. It is resistant to various forms of damage and does not stretch.
It’s not known for its ease of knot tying or knot strength, which we will discuss in this article.
Braided Fishing Line Knots
You probably already know that braided fishing line knots can be very hard to tie. The braided line has a coating that makes it much smoother for more effortless casting and retrieval.
The braided fishing line often suffers from knot-tying issues. The knots often open up, and you can lose your lures, bait, and fish.
We have to rethink the knots we use with braided fishing lines. This does not mean you cannot tie a decent knot with it. It all depends on the type of knot you use with a braided line.
Best Knots for Braided Fishing Line
So, now we have discovered that a braided fishing line can be difficult to tie a secure knot in. There are 5 good knots that are ideal for use with a braided fishing line. Let’s take a look at the 5 best to use with braided fishing lines.
Uni Knot
First, we have the uni knot, which is often considered the best if you tie a hook, lure, or swivel directly to a braided line. This type of knot is like a noose, and it slides down the main line and will cinch tight against the eye of the hook. It’s also a good option if you want to make a line-to-line connection between braided and monofilament or fluorocarbon fishing lines.
Run the line through the eye of the hook or swivel. Double back parallel to the standing line. Make a loop by laying the tag end over the doubled line.
Make 5 turns with the tag end around the double line and through the loop.
Moisten the lines and pull the tag end to snug up the turns.
Slide the knot down to the eye or leave a small loop if desired.
It’s not an hard knot to tie, but it does take some practice. One tip here is to run the line through the hook eyelet 2 times. Then wrap it 10 times instead of 5, both which will help to greatly increase knot strength.
Trilene Knot
The Trilene knot is another great option for braided fishing line. It is more or less an improved version of the time-tested and trusted clinch knot. This is, in fact, a very simple knot to tie for braided line, and it is ideal for beginners who are just starting out.
Pass the end of the line through the eye of the hook or lure two times creating a loop behind the eye.
Make five or six wraps around the standing line with the tag end.
Feed the tag end through both loops.
Moisten the knot and pull it tight with steady pressure.
With mono line, you would only use 5 or 6 wraps, but due to the issues associated with braided line, you probably want to use 10 or even 12.
Palomar Knot
If you need a simple knot that you can easily tie. The Palomar knot is a prime option. If you want to tie a hook, swivel, or lure directly to braided line, this is a fine fishing line knot. There are only 3 steps, making it very easy to accomplish.
Pass one end of the line through the hook eye once. Then double back and pass the end of the line through the hook eye again from the opposite direction. Leave about six inches of double line outside of the hook eye.
Tie a loose overhand knot, with the hook hanging from the bottom.
Holding the overhand knot between your thumb and forefinger, pass the loop of line over the hook. Slide the loop above the eye of the hook.
Pull on both the standing line and tag end to tighten the knot down onto the eye. Clip the tag end of the line close to the eyelet.
What is also nice about the Palomar knot is that this knot is a standard knot and it works fine for braided line without alterations. It features 2 loops through the eyelets and tons of friction points for a solid knot all around.
Albright Knot
If your main goal is to join braided line to a length of monofilament or fluorocarbon line, you might want to go with the Albright knot. The main thing when attempting to tie the Albright knot is that you always want to put the first initial bend in the thicker of the two fishing lines being connected. This will usually be a fluorocarbon or monofilament leader.
Make a loop in the heavier line and run about 10″ of the lighter line through the loop.
Hold the three lines between your thumb and index finger. Wrap the light line back over itself and both strands of the loop.
Make 10 tightly wrapped turns. Feed the tag end back through the loop and exit the loop the same side as it entered. Make sure the lines exit on the same side of the loop.
Hold both ends of the heavy line and slide the wraps to the end of the loop. Pull the line to tighten the knot. Clip the tag end close to the knot.
This knot can easily slide through the line guides of the rod without much issue. This is not the easiest type of knot to tie, and it will take some practice to get it right.
Double Uni Knot
Another great knot to master if you are looking to tie braided line to monofilament or fluorocarbon line is the double uni knot. Now, what is nice here is that you just start off by tying a normal uni knot, then just double it up. What is also beneficial about the double uni knot is that it can be used to connect 2 fishing lines that have vast differences in diameter. This may be difficult with other types of fishing line knots.
Overlap the ends of the lines to be joined. Take the end of the line from the left and double back and make 3 to 4 wraps around both lines and through the loop that was formed. Pull the tag end to tighten.
Repeat with the end of the line on the left making the same number of wraps unless tying with braided line. If using braided line the double the number of loops.
You have tied two uni knots. Pull the standing lines in opposite direction to slide the two knots together.
Clip the ends close to the knot.
Conclusion
There you have the 5 best knots to use with braided fishing line, and how to tie them. Remember, braided fishing line can be hard to work with. Using the right types of knots is essential if you don’t want to lose your tackle or what you’ve caught.