On a blood knot tying 15-pound to 12-pound fluorocarbon, strength climbed steadily with more turns up to a sweet spot around seven, where it broke right in the knot, while two turns was weakest at 6.86 pounds and twelve turns actually dropped back to 10.31. In this How 2 Tuesday I keep Knot Wars going by testing how many turns make the strongest blood knot, a connection I lean on for trout and saltwater leaders.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Tying 15-pound to 12-pound fluorocarbon, the strongest blood knot was around seven turns, which broke right in the knot where it should. Strength climbed steadily from two turns up through the middle: two turns was weakest at 6.86 pounds, three was 7.66, four was 8.14, five was 8.81, and the mid-range six and seven turns were the strongest. So unlike the uni and improved clinch, on the blood knot more turns really did add strength, up to that sweet spot.
No. Strength rose with turns up to about seven, but jumping to twelve turns actually dropped back to 10.31 pounds. Twelve was still stronger than two, but it was not as strong as seven, and I would never really tie one with twelve turns anyway. So there is a peak: too few turns is weak, the mid-range is strongest, and piling on excessive turns starts to cost you strength again.
The blood knot joins two similar-diameter lines, which makes it ideal for building tapered leaders. I use it a lot trout fishing and also in saltwater for bonefish and permit leaders, connecting similar pound tests together in a strong, smooth knot. Tied properly it is a nice slim connection that runs well, which is why it is a staple for leader construction rather than for tying directly to a hook.
Right in the knot. When a blood knot breaks in the knot itself, that reading is its true strength. Several of mine were so strong they broke at the connection to the scale instead, which means I had to re-tie with a stronger testing loop, like a non-slip mono loop, to get a real number. A knot failing at the scale loop is telling you the knot is stronger than the gauge captured that pull.
Yes. The number of turns that makes the strongest blood knot can be different for 20-to-30-pound than it is for the 12-to-15-pound I tested. That is exactly why I tell people to test the specific monofilament or fluorocarbon they actually fish, with a scale, rather than assume one turn count is universal. Dial it in for your line and you will tie the strongest version of the knot for your setup.
Because knots are one of the few things you fully control. If your knots break at four pounds instead of twelve, you lose a lot more fish, so taking the time to test, or even just to listen and learn what a stronger version looks like, pays off. Often it is as simple as adding a turn or two. Control the controllable, and your landing rate goes up without anything else changing on the water.
After the uni knot episode, I got a number of messages asking me to test other knots the same way, so we are back on knots. The blood knot works exactly like the uni test, just with a couple more turns to consider. It is a knot I use a lot trout fishing and in saltwater for bonefish and permit leaders, joining similar pound tests in a strong, smooth connection. We already know the blood knot is strong; what I wanted to find is how many turns gives the maximum.
I pre-tied blood knots from two turns all the way up to twelve, every one joining 15-pound to 12-pound Daiwa J-Fluoro, then pulled each on the Next Tech force tester. My theory going in was that two turns would be weak, the middle would be the sweet spot, and twelve might fall off. A few of the stronger ones broke at the scale connection, so I re-tied with a non-slip mono loop to get them to break in the blood knot and capture the real number.
The results matched the theory. Two turns was weakest at 6.86, and strength climbed: 7.66, 8.14, 8.81, into the strong mid-range at six and seven turns, with seven the winner breaking right in the knot. Then twelve turns dropped back to 10.31, stronger than two but well off seven. So on this line, aim for about seven. Test your own material, because the ideal count shifts with pound test. Control the controllable, and you will lose fewer fish. The full test is in the episode above.
Watch or listen above to get the full breakdown in my own words.
How 2 Tuesday is my weekly series where I break down one fishing skill at a time, from knots and casting to gear, tactics, and the habits that make you a better angler. Watch and listen to every How 2 Tuesday episode from Tom Rowland.
I'm Tom Rowland, a lifelong fishing guide, tournament angler, and the host of the Tom Rowland Podcast. I spent decades guiding in the Florida Keys and competing at the highest levels of saltwater fishing, and I've fished everywhere from the Seychelles to Louisiana. How 2 Tuesday is my weekly tutorial series where I pass along the skills, gear choices, and small refinements that have made the biggest difference in my own fishing.
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