The snell knot Flip Pallot ties and the nail knot I tie are two ways to make the same fly-line-to-leader connection, and when I tested them both they broke at about 21.75 pounds, not by breaking but by slipping off the coating of the fly line. In this How 2 Tuesday I follow Flip Pallot's snell knot method, show my faster way to tie what I believe is the very same knot, and then break them both to find the real limiting factor in this connection.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
After tying and testing both, I am convinced they are the same knot tied two different ways. Flip Pallot builds his snell knot directly on the fly line using a bodkin or piece of wire, wrapping the loop around both lines seven to nine times. I pre-form my nail knot off the line, make my wraps, then slide the fly line in. The barrels end up identical and they break at the same place, so the result is the same connection, just a different path to get there.
In my test the snell knot broke at 21.75 pounds and my nail knot came in just slightly under that. The important detail is that neither knot actually broke. They slipped off the coating of the fly line. That means the fly line coating, not the knot itself, is the limiting factor, and different fly lines can give you very different numbers.
No, I would not trust it for big tarpon. Since it tops out around 21.75 pounds, if you are running 20-pound tippet or heavier for tarpon you are likely to lose your entire leader when it fails. For big game fishing I would go to a welded loop, which broke at roughly twice the strength in my testing.
It is a perfectly acceptable fly-line-to-leader connection for lighter line work. For trout tippets of two, four, or six pound, for bonefish, and maybe even for permit, it is plenty strong and it runs smoothly through the guides. Your tippet will break long before this connection does at those sizes.
In my testing the welded loop broke way higher than either the nail knot or the snail knot, about double. The trade-off is that a welded loop forces you to add a loop knot, and that loop-to-loop connection can hang up going through your guides. So you are choosing smoother guide passage with the nail knot versus more ultimate strength with the welded loop.
Flip suggests seven to nine wraps for his snail knot. When I tied my version I made eleven and did not count too carefully. Anywhere in that seven-to-eleven range gives you enough holding power as long as you keep the barrels smooth and parallel and cinch the knot down tight on the tag end with your pliers.
I was asked to tie a snell knot for the end of a fly line, so I followed a Flip Pallot video. Flip is adamant that what he ties is a snail knot, not a nail knot, so I wanted to find out for myself whether it really is a different knot or just a different way to arrive at the same connection. I break down exactly what I saw in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Here are the steps I walk through in this How 2 Tuesday, with the full demonstration in the episode.
I unpack each of these in the episode. Press play in the player above.
Flip builds his directly on the fly line with a bodkin. I pre-form mine off the line, make eleven wraps, then slide the fly line in afterward, which I find much easier. When I finished both, the barrels looked identical and they failed the same way. You tell me whether that is a different knot or the same one tied two ways. I lay out the whole comparison in the episode, so press play in the player above.
The number that mattered was not 21.75 pounds. It was that neither knot broke. They slipped off the fly line coating. That means the coating is the weak link, so different fly lines and different cinching pressure can change your result entirely. I explain how that changes the way you should think about this connection in the episode, so press play in the player above.
For trout, bonefish, and lighter permit work, this nail knot or snail knot is a smooth, guide-friendly connection that will outlast your tippet. For big tarpon on heavy tippet, I would go to a welded loop and accept the bulkier connection.
The real lesson here is that the fly line coating sets the ceiling, not the knot. You can see how this stacks up against the nail knot with a lock and a loop-to-loop connection in the free knot guide. Press play in the player above.
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.
Flip Pallot · nail knot · snail knot · snell knot · fly line · welded loop · tippet · bonefish · permit · tarpon · Danco pliers · tie-fast knot tool · How 2 Tuesday · Saltwater Experience
I'm Tom Rowland, a professional fishing guide based in the Florida Keys, host of the Tom Rowland Podcast, and the longtime host of the Saltwater Experience television show. On the podcast's How 2 Tuesday series I break down one practical skill or lesson at a time, from fishing technique and gear to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
Tom Rowland Podcast — Episode 888: Tom Rowland (How 2 Tuesday)
In this episode: following Flip Pallot's video to tie what he calls the snail knot, a much easier way to tie what I think is the same knot, both knots slipping off the fly line coating at 21.75 pounds, why a welded loop is about twice as strong, and which tippets this connection is right for — in the exact words spoken.
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Tom Rowland: Trusted enough to go with me to The Seychelles, my Danco pliers are a staple in my kit. Check out dancopliers.com and build yours today. What's going on, everybody? It's how to Tuesday on the Tom Rowland podcast brought to you by Danco. So I was asked to do this this snail knot for the end of the fly line.
Tom Rowland: And so I'm following this video from Flip Pallot. And Flip Pallot is using not a not a tie fast knot tyer like I am. He's using just a a bodkin or a piece of wire. But he's saying that this is not a nail knot. It's a snail knot.
Tom Rowland: And so what I'm doing is I first start with my butt section right here. Put the fly line parallel to it. So now we have two things here. Tag end here. Tag end here.
Tom Rowland: And then the rest of the butt section will come up here like this. And so what I'm going to do is go back the opposite direction and I want to leave a good amount on this tag end here because this is how I'm going to tighten the knot. Now, what I basically have is one big loop. Right? One piece is going out here.
Tom Rowland: There's a big loop and the other piece is going back. So back all the way around and then out that way. Then what he does is he takes the loop and he goes around both of these as many times as you want, seven to nine. I didn't even count on this. So I don't know how many that is, but it's a lot.
Tom Rowland: Okay. So now, he's saying to take the end of the line here and pull this whole loop through. I'm going to let this slip off and pinch it right there. And I'm going to let it slip off the tyer and start to form a knot right here. Okay.
Tom Rowland: What you want to do, this is why you left a piece here. You wanna wrap that with your hand or with your Danco pliers, which I'm gonna do here, and I'm gonna pull this down tight. Okay. So you wouldn't wanna put your pliers on this end because this is your butt section. This other end is your tag end, so we're gonna cut that off.
Tom Rowland: So that's what I'm gonna do now. I'm gonna take my Danco pliers, grab the line right there, make a wrap or two with my hand, and then I'm gonna pull this down real tight. Real tight. As far as I can tell, that's a nail knot. It's a different way to tie a nail knot but it's not a different knot.
Tom Rowland: I'm also going to tie what I think is this same knot in a much, much easier way. Show you a different way to tie that same, what I think is the same knot. Maybe it's a different knot. You tell me. So without the fly line, even in my hand, I'm going to go ahead and create the knot and I want extra on this end because I'm gonna end up pulling on this end.
Tom Rowland: I'm gonna now go the same number of turns. That's 11. And I'm gonna create the knot just like that. Put it back through. Now, all I have to do is take the fly line, and I guess you could put it either direction, but I think it goes this direction.
Tom Rowland: I want to put it in there far enough to where I can make sure it's not going to come off. Pinch this and I'll just let this roll right down on itself. Put that up and make sure all of these barrels are smooth and together, not overlapping one another. And when I feel like I've got it where I want it, just like that, now I'm going to tighten it down with my hand first, then I'm going to take my pliers on the tag end side, not this side. Don't want to mess up the line there.
Tom Rowland: We're going to end up cutting this off. So, pliers on the tag inside, avoiding the fly line, wrap it double around your hand here, pull that down tight. Okay. Then, take our trimmers. Nippers probably work even better.
Tom Rowland: Something you can get right on this. Just open open it up so you're not clipping any of the mono. Trim that off tight. Do the the same right here. On the one side, we have what I call a nail knot.
Tom Rowland: On the other end of this piece of fly line, we have what Flip calls the the snail knot. I don't know. You tell me. Is that a different knot or is that the same knot? Either way, we're gonna test them both.
Tom Rowland: So we tested both of these, the way that Flip ties the snail knot and the way that I tie, a nail knot, which appear to me to be exactly the same. The result was very similar. 21.75, on on this one and just slightly less on this one. The common factor was that the knots didn't actually break. They kind of slipped off of the fly line.
Tom Rowland: They the coating of the fly line is what is making this knot either strong or weak. So different fly lines could have different strengths on this knot for sure. And the way that you cinch it down could have different different strengths. The difference between this and a welded loop is about half as strong. Now a welded loop comes with challenges.
Tom Rowland: You have to then tie a loop knot. That loop knot is getting is having trouble going through the guides. So you're looking for a smoother connection and you move to a nail knot or a snail knot, this would be perfectly acceptable for anything up to a 20 pound tippet. It's breaking higher than 20 pounds. So if you're using, you know, 12 pound, then your tippet is gonna break long before this is gonna break.
Tom Rowland: If you're using, you know, trout tippets, two pound, four pound, six pound, this is a perfectly good connection. It's going to be going through the guides very well. If you're you're tarpon fishing and you're using 20 pound or more for tarpon fishing, you're likely to lose your entire leader when if this fails. So I wouldn't suggest this for big game fishing. It's a perfectly acceptable connection from your fly line to your leader for lighter line stuff, bonefish, maybe even permit.
Tom Rowland: Although, if you're looking for the strongest connection, the welded loop broke way, way more than your own nail knot or snail knot. You can see how this knot, the snail knot and the nail knot, compare to the nail knot with a lock and a loop to loop connection by going to tomrowlandpodcast.com. Download the knot guide where you'll not only see those comparisons, but you'll see knot comparisons for every single knot that we've tied on the Tom Rowland podcast. It's there for you. We get tons of questions about which knot is stronger, so we just put together this entire, guide for you.
Tom Rowland: You can go there and get it for free. Tomrowlandpodcast.com. That's your free knot guide. You can see how all these knots compare. I hope that helps.
Tom Rowland: See you.
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