The spider hitch is an easy way to double your line, and in my test 10 turns made the strongest version, beating both 5 and 15 turns. Most tutorials say six or seven turns, but which is it, and do more turns help or hurt? In this How 2 Tuesday I tied the spider hitch at 5, 10, and 15 turns in 12 pound Daiwa J-Fluoro and pulled each on the scale to find the sweet spot.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
In my test, 10 turns was the strongest. The 5 turn broke at 11.33 pounds, the 10 turn at 13.40, and the 15 turn at 12.35, all on 12 pound line. So somewhere in the middle won. Five was a little weak, fifteen fell back off, and ten landed right in the sweet spot above the stated pound test.
The spider hitch is a knot used to double the line, the same job as the Bimini twist, and a lot of anglers like it because it is generally considered easier to tie. You make a loop, roll it around your finger several times, then pass it back through the loop. It is a very effective, very strong way to double the line, often as strong as a Bimini.
Many people think so, and that is a big reason it is popular. Personally I have tied the Bimini twist for so long that I find the spider hitch a little more awkward simply because I do not tie it often. But it is a genuinely simple knot. You can learn it in my Waypoint knot course alongside 40 other knots, or from any number of YouTube videos.
Most of these knots have a sweet spot. Like the blood knot, where one or two turns barely holds, four or five turns is strong, and ten or eleven turns gets weaker again. The spider hitch behaved the same way, ten turns beat both five and fifteen. There is a real peak in turn count and in how you seat the knot down.
Yes, I always lubricate these knots, and it tends to make them stronger. You can use Chapstick, your own spit, or several other things. With Chapstick you can actually see it shoot out as you cinch the knot down, which tells you the knot is seating nice and tight. A well-lubricated, well-seated knot tends to test a little stronger.
Enough to matter. Just changing the number of turns, or how you seat the knot, can be worth roughly 10 percent of your line strength. And 10 percent can be the difference between landing a winning fish and breaking off. That is why I test one more turn and one less than I normally use to find the strongest version for my line.
I walk through each step in the episode. Press play in the player above.
Last week I pulled the Bimini twist apart by turn count, so it made sense to do the same with the other popular double-line knot. The spider hitch does the same job, and a lot of anglers prefer it because it is thought of as easier to tie. Most tutorials just say six or seven turns, which left me wondering whether five, ten, or fifteen would change anything. I frame the test in the episode, so press play in the player above.
For a lot of people, yes, and that is its appeal. I will admit I find it a touch more awkward myself, only because I have tied the Bimini for so long that the spider hitch is not second nature. But it is a genuinely simple knot, a loop, a few rolls around your finger, and back through the loop. I point you to where to learn it in the episode, so press play in the player above.
This is the pattern I keep finding, knots have a sweet spot. The 5 turn spider hitch broke at 11.33, the 10 turn at 13.40, and the 15 turn dropped back to 12.35. Just like the blood knot, too few turns is weak, too many gets weak again, and the strength peaks in the middle. Ten was the winner here. I read every number in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Two small habits move the needle. I always lubricate with Chapstick or spit, and you can see the Chapstick shoot out as the knot seats tight, which tends to make it stronger. Combine that with finding your best turn count and you can pick up around 10 percent of your line strength, which can be the whole fish. I explain how I dial it in during the episode, so press play in the player above.
The day after this one, the lesson that sticks is that the strongest knot usually lives in the middle. My spider hitch peaked at 10 turns, 13.40 pounds, beating both 5 and 15 on 12 pound line.
Find your own sweet spot. Tie the spider hitch in your line, lubricate it, seat it tight, and pull one more and one less turn than your best to lock it in. That 10 percent can be a winning fish. 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.
Tom Rowland · spider hitch · Bimini twist · blood knot · Daiwa J-Fluoro fluorocarbon · Waypoint knot course · Chapstick knot lubrication · double line knots · 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 at a time, from knot strength and rigging to the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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