The Dodd knot is a braid-to-fluorocarbon connection I found on Instagram, named after legendary guide John Dodd and posted by Texas guide Matthew Hathaway, who claimed it was 99 percent. On How 2 Tuesday I tie the knots people post online and actually test them, because you cannot believe everything you see. I tied this one with 20 pound J-Braid to 40 pound fluorocarbon and put it on the scale. In this audio episode I break down how it tied and what it really tested. Press play above.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
The Dodd knot is a braid-to-fluorocarbon connection I found on Instagram from Matthew Hathaway, who guides in Texas and posts as Red Fish and Out. He says it is named after John Dodd, a legendary guide, and he claimed it is a 99 percent knot. It is a very small, neat connection, which I like, but the only way to know if a knot is actually strong is to test it, so that is what I did on this episode.
I tied the Dodd knot exactly the way Matthew Hathaway showed it, with 20 pound J-Braid to 40 pound fluorocarbon. It broke at 14.95, 14.97, and 15 pounds, which is remarkably consistent. The catch is that those numbers work out to about 75 percent. It does not slip and it is very small, but 75 percent is not strong for this kind of connection.
It depends on what you want. The Dodd knot is consistent and very compact, and it did not slip in my testing, which is a real plus. But at roughly 75 percent it is weaker than connections like the double uni, which I have tested much higher. If you want the strongest possible braid-to-fluoro knot, there are better options.
According to Matthew Hathaway, who posted the knot, the Dodd knot is named after John Dodd, a legendary fishing guide. I cannot add much beyond that, but I always like knowing the story behind a knot, and naming a connection after a respected guide is a nice tribute.
Because Instagram is full of knots, and some are great and some are terrible. The common thread is that almost everyone says their knot is very strong or 99 percent, but talk is cheap. The only way to actually know is to tie the knot exactly as shown and pull it on a scale. That is the whole point of these Instagram Knots Tested episodes.
You can find Matthew Hathaway tying the Dodd knot on his Instagram, Red Fish and Out. On my end this is an audio episode where I walk through how it tied and exactly what it tested at, so press play in the player above to hear the full breakdown.
I have found some great knots on Instagram and some terrible ones, and you genuinely cannot tell which is which from the post. Everybody says their knot is strong. So I bring them back to the tying bench, tie them exactly the way they were shown, and put them on the scale. The Dodd knot was the one I tested here. I explain my whole process in the episode.
I did my best to tie the Dodd knot exactly like Matthew Hathaway showed it on his Red Fish and Out Instagram, using 20 pound J-Braid to 40 pound fluorocarbon. I will say this for it: it is very small and neat, just like he says, and it did not slip at all. Those are real positives. I walk through how it came together in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Three pulls came back at 14.95, 14.97, and 15 pounds, which is about as consistent as it gets. The problem is that those numbers work out to roughly 75 percent, and I know the double uni tests much, much higher than that. Consistency is nice, but strength is what keeps a fish buttoned. I lay out exactly what that means in the episode.
The Dodd knot is compact, consistent, and slip-free, and there is a nice story behind the name. But at about 75 percent it is not the braid-to-fluoro connection I would reach for when I want maximum strength.
Would you use the Dodd knot? Give it a fair test of your own and decide. Press play above to hear the full breakdown.
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.
Dodd knot · John Dodd · Matthew Hathaway · Red Fish and Out · Texas · J-Braid · fluorocarbon · double uni knot · Danco · Instagram Knots Tested · How 2 Tuesday
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 knots and technique to gear and the habits that make you a better angler, in short, focused episodes you can put to use right away.
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