Choosing between a strong knot and a fast knot means matching the knot to the moment: in a controlled workroom you tie the strongest knot even if it is slow, but in the heat of battle you tie the fastest knot that is still strong enough. Fishing is about controlling the controllable, and knot choice is one of the most controllable factors there is. On this audio How 2 Tuesday I break down my hierarchy of knots and how I decide which to reach for. Press play above and follow along.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
A strong knot retains the most line strength but usually takes longer and more precision to tie, like the FG knot for braid to fluorocarbon. A fast knot trades a little strength for speed and reliability under pressure, like a double uni I can tie quickly almost without looking. The FG is incredibly strong but harder to tie; the double uni is less strong but I can get lines back in the water fast. Neither is always right, which is exactly why I keep both in my hierarchy.
Because some knots are far stronger than others, some are far harder to tie, and some work with certain materials while others do not. For some anglers a couple of knots cover everything they do. For me, the variety of situations means I need a hierarchy, knots ranked by how strong they are, how fast I can tie them, and whether they work with the line in my hands. Knowing several lets me pick the best one for the exact moment instead of forcing one knot to do every job.
When you are in the heat of battle. If you are a guide and your angler just broke off while the fish are still biting and it is about to be over, you need lines tied and back out as fast as possible. That is not the time for the strongest knot that takes a while. It could be dark, the boat could be rocking, you could have saltwater or sunscreen on your hands and people barking orders. In that moment you pick the fast knot that is strong enough and that you have tied a million times.
Three factors: how strong the knot is, how fast I can tie it, and whether it works with the materials I have right then. The third one matters less day to day, so most of the decision comes down to strong versus fast. When I have all the time in the world in my workroom, strength is the top priority and speed is secondary. When I am in a high-stress situation, I flip it: fast becomes the top priority and the knot only has to be strong enough for what I am doing.
Two ways: history and testing. I have tied the double uni so many times that I trust it from experience, but I also take the time to test it in a controlled environment so I know its breaking strength and can compare it against other fast knots. That testing is how I confirm there is not another knot I can tie just as fast that is even stronger. For my braid-to-fluorocarbon needs the double uni has tested out as the strongest of the fast options, so that is my go-to.
I tie knots in about three places. In my workroom it is totally controlled, dry hands, good light, magnifier if I need it, any line I want, and time does not matter because I am just rigging for tomorrow. On the boat at the marina is still pretty controllable. Then there is the heat of battle, where it could be dark, the boat is rocking, your hands are covered in saltwater and sunscreen, and everyone is yelling to get the lines back out. Each one calls for a different knot. I walk through all three in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Here are the steps I walk through in this How 2 Tuesday. I cover the detail behind each one in the episode.
I unpack each of these in the episode. Press play in the player above and follow along.
Take braid to fluorocarbon. The FG knot is incredibly strong, and people ask why I would ever tie anything else. The reason is that it is harder to tie. In good light with dry hands I can tie it fast, but with five people screaming at me in the dark I want something faster that I do not have to see well and have tied a million times, so I drop to a double uni that is strong enough and lightning fast. I explain that trade in the episode, so press play in the player above.
Part of why I trust the double uni in the heat of battle is history, but the other part is that I tested it in a controlled environment and know its breaking strength. Testing also tells me whether there is another knot just as fast that is even stronger, and for my purposes I have not found one yet. I want to hand you a card someday that ranks knots by strength and speed. I get into that plan in the episode, so press play in the player above.
This is controlling the controllable. There will be high-stress moments when you need something tied right now, and that is not the time for the slow, strongest knot. You change the hierarchy: fast and strong enough wins.
Figure out your go-to for the strongest-that-takes-a-while and your go-to for the strongest-that-is-fast. Do that and you will catch more 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.
FG knot · double uni knot · W uni knot · blood knot · J knot · Albright · Alberto · bimini twist · braid to fluorocarbon · permit · tarpon · bonefish · 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.
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