On a non-slip mono loop in 12-pound fluorocarbon, the sweet spot is three to four turns: two turns held 10.63 pounds, three held 10.11, four dropped to 9.02, five was 9.42, and six was 9.75, so more turns does not mean stronger. In this How 2 Tuesday I close out the loop-knot testing by finding how many turns make the strongest non-slip mono loop, one of my favorite loop knots for light tippet.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
On 12-pound fluorocarbon, three turns was the strongest in this test, with the sweet spot sitting between two and four turns. The numbers were 10.63 pounds at two turns, 10.11 at three, 9.02 at four, 9.42 at five, and 9.75 at six. The takeaway is that piling on more turns does not make the non-slip mono loop stronger; the lower turn counts held best, and three was the winner for this line.
No, and that surprises a lot of people. In this test strength was highest in the two-to-four-turn range and tended to fall off at five and six turns. So unlike a knot where you might assume more wraps equal more strength, the non-slip mono loop has a clear sweet spot at the lower end. Adding extra turns past three or four gave back strength rather than gaining it.
Close. Lefty Kreh popularized the non-slip mono loop and claimed it tests near one hundred percent, and at three turns on 12-pound line my strongest result was only about a pound off the line's rating, which is very good. It has also beaten other loop knots in my earlier tests on light fluorocarbon. So it lives up to its reputation as one of the strongest loop knots for light tippet.
Light fluorocarbon tippet. I tested it in 12-pound Daiwa J-Fluoro, which is my favorite leader and tippet line, and I use it on both fly and spin. The non-slip mono loop has proven stronger than many other loop knots when you are dealing with lighter fluorocarbon, so it is my go-to whenever I want a loop knot on light tippet for species like bonefish, permit, and redfish.
Because different manufacturers, diameters, and finishes can all affect breaking strength. The three-turn sweet spot I found on Daiwa J-Fluoro might not be identical in another brand, where four or five turns could test a little stronger. That is why I tell people to run the test in the specific tippet they fish, with a scale, so they know the strongest version of the knot for their exact setup.
Tie several versions in the same line, lubricate and seat each the same way, and pull them on a scale or force tester, recording where each breaks. Change only one variable at a time, like the number of turns, so your comparison is fair. Doing this with your own tippet is the easiest way to find the strongest version of a knot and to gain real confidence in the connections you fish.
Today is about one of my favorite loop knots, the non-slip mono loop. In all the knot testing we have done, whenever a loop knot comes up, this one keeps proving itself, especially on lighter fluorocarbon. Lefty Kreh popularized it and claimed it was near one hundred percent strength, and I agree it is very strong. We have already shown it beats other loop knots on light line, so now the question is whether tying it differently changes the strength.
I tied the non-slip mono loop with two, three, four, five, and six turns, all in 12-pound Daiwa J-Fluoro, my favorite leader and tippet that I fish on both fly and spin. Then I pulled each on the Next Tech digital force tester. My usual assumption would be that more turns means more strength, but I have learned not to assume anything before the scale tells me the truth.
The results were genuinely interesting: 10.63, 10.11, 9.02, 9.42, and 9.75 pounds for two through six turns. More turns did not mean stronger. The sweet spot sat between two and four turns, with three the strongest, only about a pound off the line's full rating. Luckily, three turns is what I had already been tying. As always, test this in your own tippet, since a different brand might favor four or five turns. The full breakdown 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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