Super gluing your knot means adding a dot of glue to a finished knot in hopes of making it stronger, and in this How 2 Tuesday I test whether it actually works. I tied three clinch knots with Krazy Glue and three without, same 12 pound Daiwa J fluoro. The no-glue knots averaged 79.61% breaking strength and the glued knots averaged 89.42%, nearly 10% more from a single dot of super glue.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
In my test, yes. Clinch knots with no glue averaged 79.61% breaking strength, while clinch knots with a dot of Krazy Glue super glue averaged 89.42%. That is nearly 10% more strength from a single dot of super glue in 12 pound Daiwa J fluoro.
About 10% in my test, from 79.61% without glue to 89.42% with glue. That jump came from one dot of Krazy Glue on a clinch knot. In a tournament or any situation where you want the most out of your tackle, that 10% might be worth the hassle.
I picked the clinch on purpose because it usually slips before it breaks, and it is one of the most commonly used fishing knots in the world. A knot that tends to slip is a great place to see whether glue locks it down and changes the result.
I used Krazy Glue super glue, which you can buy anywhere. There are other options people try, including gorilla glue and even glues activated by a blue light, but for this test I kept it simple with a common super glue you can find easily.
Honestly, I probably will not use it myself. I do not like super glue because I usually glue my fingers together and it is one more step. But the results do not lie, nearly 10% more strength, so if you are in a tournament squeezing every advantage out of your tackle, it can be worth it.
I used 12 pound Daiwa J fluoro for all six clinch knots, three with glue and three without. Keeping the line and the knot identical made the only variable the glue itself.
As people get serious about knots, they start chasing every advantage, and one path a lot of anglers go down is putting glue on the knot. I chose the clinch knot for this test on purpose, because it is a knot that usually slips before it breaks, and it is one of the most commonly used fishing knots in the world. That made it the perfect candidate to see if glue changes the outcome.
Here is the head-to-head method I used to test super glue on a clinch knot.
I walk through every step on camera in the episode. Press play in the player above.
The clinch usually fails by slipping, not by snapping, and that is the key. A dot of super glue locks the wraps so they cannot creep, and the knot holds closer to the line's true strength. Going from 79.61% to 89.42% on the same knot is a real jump. I explain why a slip-prone knot benefits most in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Even with the numbers in front of me, I will probably skip the glue most days, because I glue my fingers together and it slows me down. But if you are in a tournament wringing every advantage out of your tackle, the results do not lie. I talk through when it is worth it in the episode. Watch the test, and press play in the player above.
A day after this test, the honest result is that super glue works better than I expected on a clinch knot, nearly 10% more strength from one dot.
I probably will not use it, but will you? The next test in this series puts glue on the FG knot, fluorocarbon to braid. Tell me in the comments, and press play in the player above.
Clinch knot · Krazy Glue super glue · FG knot · 12 pound Daiwa J fluoro · breaking strength testing · How 2 Tuesday
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 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.
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