The Palomar knot is one of the strongest and simplest fishing knots you can learn, retaining over 100% of rated line strength when tied correctly. It works with monofilament, fluorocarbon, and braided line, and takes about ten seconds once you have the motion down. Here’s exactly how to tie it and when to use it.
Step-by-Step Instructions
The Palomar knot uses a loop of doubled line rather than a single strand, which is what gives it so much holding power. You only need to learn one actual knot motion, an overhand knot, to tie it.
- Double the line. Take about six inches of your line and fold it back on itself to form a loop (called a bight).
- Thread the loop through the eye. Pass the doubled loop through the eye of your hook, lure, or swivel. Both strands go through together.
- Tie an overhand knot. Using the doubled line, tie a simple overhand knot above the eye. Don’t tighten it yet. You should have a loose knot with the loop hanging below it.
- Pass the loop over the hook. Take the dangling loop and pass it completely over the hook or lure, then slide it up to sit snugly around the knot itself.
- Wet the line and tighten. Moisten the knot with saliva or water, then pull both the standing line and the tag end to cinch everything tight against the eye.
- Trim the tag end. Cut the excess line close to the knot.
The whole process becomes second nature quickly. Experienced anglers describe it as a knot you can tie in the dark, which matters when you’re retying at dawn or dusk.
Why the Palomar Is So Strong
Most fishing knots retain somewhere between 75% and 95% of a line’s rated breaking strength. The Palomar consistently tests above that range. In knot strength charts, it averages around 113% of rated line strength across line types, meaning the line itself typically breaks before the knot fails. That number comes from the doubled line passing through the eye, which distributes stress across two strands instead of one.
By comparison, the Improved Clinch knot, another popular terminal knot, retains only about 3 to 5 percentage points less strength. That’s a small gap in testing, but the Palomar’s simpler tying process means fewer opportunities for user error, which is where most knot failures actually happen.
Which Line Types Work Best
The Palomar knot performs well across all three common line types. On monofilament and fluorocarbon, it cinches cleanly and holds without slipping. On braided line, it’s considered by many anglers to be the best knot available for tying directly to lures and hooks. Braid’s slick, thin coating causes some knots to slip under load, but the Palomar’s doubled-line construction grips tightly enough to prevent that.
If you fish with braid and only want to learn one terminal knot, the Palomar is the one to pick.
The Double Palomar Variation
The Double Palomar adds one small change: instead of tying a single overhand knot with the doubled line, you wrap it through twice to create two overhand knots stacked together. Everything else stays the same.
That extra wrap adds roughly 15% more strength over the standard version. It’s a good choice when you’re targeting heavier fish or using lighter line where every bit of knot integrity matters. Like the standard version, the Double Palomar won’t slip on braided line.
Best Uses for the Palomar
The Palomar knot shines brightest in two situations: tying directly to hooks and small lures, and rigging drop shot setups. For drop shot rigs specifically, the Palomar is the standard knot because of how it positions the hook. When tied and tightened, it holds the hook pointing upward at roughly a 90-degree angle from the main line. That orientation lets your bait hover naturally in the water column, which is the entire point of a drop shot presentation.
For general use, connecting hooks, jigs, small crankbaits, swivels, and similar terminal tackle, the Palomar is hard to beat.
When to Use a Different Knot
The Palomar has one real limitation: it doesn’t work well with large lures. Because you need to pass the entire lure through the loop during the tying process, bulky crankbaits or multi-hook lures make this physically awkward or impossible. You also use more line than with single-strand knots, since you’re doubling over six or more inches of leader. If you’re working with a short leader and don’t want to waste line on a long tag end, this can be frustrating.
For larger lures, a Uni knot or Improved Clinch knot are simpler alternatives that don’t require passing anything over the lure body.
Common Mistakes That Cause Failure
When a Palomar knot breaks, it’s almost always a tying error rather than a knot design problem. The two most common mistakes are skipping lubrication and misaligning the loop.
Friction heat is the silent killer. When you cinch a dry knot tight, the line generates enough heat at the contact points to weaken the material. This is especially true with fluorocarbon, which is stiffer and more friction-prone. Always wet the knot before pulling it tight.
The second mistake involves the loop placement. When you pass the loop over the hook, it needs to seat above the knot, not get trapped underneath it. If the loop slides under the overhand knot instead of over it, the knot won’t distribute force properly and can fail under a hard hookset. Take an extra second to make sure the loop clears the knot cleanly before you cinch down.
One more thing: make sure both strands of the doubled line pass through the hook eye without crossing or twisting. Crossed lines inside the eye create a pressure point that weakens the connection.