The Unknown knot is a line-to-hook connection I found on Instagram with no name anywhere, and it turned out to be the strongest line-to-hook knot I have tested on the podcast. You go through the eye twice, pinch the loop, wrap the tag around all the lines five times, and feed it through. On How 2 Tuesday I tie a knot and then actually test it. I tied this with 15 pound test and it broke over 100 percent every time. In this audio episode I break it down. Press play above.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
The Unknown knot is a line-to-hook connection I found on Instagram. I have scoured the internet and have not seen a single name for it, so I am calling it the Unknown knot for now. It is actually very easy to tie, and it tested as the best line-to-hook knot I have ever put on the scale on the Tom Rowland Podcast, breaking over 100 percent.
I tied the Unknown knot with 15 pound test and pulled it three times, and each time it broke over 100 percent. Even better, it did not break at the knot, it broke in the line above the knot. That means if you fish 12 pound test, this knot lets you pull the full 12 pounds before the line gives, and if it breaks, it breaks in the line, not at the hook.
Go through the eye of the hook, then loop around and go back through the eye again to create a loop. Pinch that loop, then wrap the tag end around all the lines five times and put it through the loop you created. Snug it down carefully, and when it is tight, it is finished. It is a very easy knot to tie, and I walk through it in the episode.
Because the knot is stronger than the line it is tied with. When you pull a connection to failure and it lets go up in the line above the knot rather than at the hook, the knot is not your weak point. That is exactly what happened all three times I tested the Unknown knot, and it is why it goes in my arsenal.
It sounds strange, but sometimes you want a slightly weaker connection on purpose. If you are fishing tight to the mangroves or brush as a bass angler with inexpensive lures, you may have a lot of time invested in your leader system. In that case you might want the hook knot to test a little lighter so that when you hang up, it breaks right at the hook and saves the rest of your rig. I talk through that in the episode.
That is the open question. I have not found a single name for this knot anywhere on the internet, so I am asking listeners to help name it. Comment with what you think we should call it. For now it is the Unknown knot, and it earned a spot in my kit as the strongest line-to-hook knot I have tested.
This is a knot I found on Instagram, and I was skeptical at first, but it has tested well, so I wanted to see if it would be the best knot I have ever tested on the podcast. There are lots of videos out there showing you how to tie knots and telling you they are very strong or the best. The only way to actually know is with the scale. I explain my process in the episode.
The Unknown knot is actually very easy to tie. You go through the eye of the hook, loop around and go back through the eye again to make a loop, pinch the loop, wrap the tag around all the lines five times, and feed it through. Snug it down carefully and it is done. I walk through the tie in the episode, so press play in the player above.
I tied it with 15 pound test and pulled it three times, and each time it broke over 100 percent. It did not break at the knot, it broke in the line above the knot, which is exactly what you want. That makes it the best line-to-hook knot I have tested on the Tom Rowland Podcast. I break it all down in the episode.
You might think you always want the strongest knot possible, and often you do. But if you are fishing tight to the mangroves or brush with inexpensive lures, you may want a hook knot that tests a little lighter, so that when you hang up it breaks at the hook and saves the rest of your leader system. I think through both sides of that in the episode, so press play above.
In my opinion I want the strongest knots I can get throughout my entire leader system, and this one is definitely going in my arsenal. It tests over 100 percent, which means with 12 pound line you can pull the full 12 pounds before the leader breaks, and it will not break at the hook.
There is just one problem: it does not have a name. I have scoured the internet and found nothing. So comment with what we should call it, and press play above for 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.
Unknown knot · line-to-hook knot · Instagram · fluorocarbon · leader system · bass fishing · knot guide · Danco · 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.
Tom Rowland Podcast — Episode 866: The Unknown Knot
In this episode: an easy hook knot found on Instagram, how to tie it with five wraps, testing it on the scale, why it breaks in the line above the knot at over 100%, and when you'd actually want a weaker connection to your hook — in the exact words spoken.
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Tom Rowland: Is this the best or worst knot to tie your hook to your line? Today, we're tying and testing the unknown knot on the Tom Rowland podcast brought to you by Danco. This is a knot I found on Instagram.
Tom Rowland: I was skeptical at first, but it has tested well. We're gonna see if it tests out to be the best knot we've ever tested on the Tom Rowland Podcast.
Tom Rowland: So this knot is actually very easy to tie. You go through the eye of the hook, then loop around and go back through the eye of the hook again. That will create a loop.
Tom Rowland: You will pinch that loop and then wrap the tag end around all the lines five times and then put it through the loop that you've created. You're going to snug that down carefully and finally when it's tight, it is finished.
Tom Rowland: So we tie and test all the knots. There are lots and lots of videos out there about tying the knots, showing you how to tie them, and most of them tell you that they're very strong knots or they're the best knot. We're gonna find that out by using the scale.
Tom Rowland: That's how you actually know whether it is the strongest knot or a good knot or the best knot. Right? If it tests really strong, then we're gonna put it in our possible knots to use. If it doesn't test very strong, then we're gonna throw it out. Which one will this be?
Tom Rowland: So I tied the unknown knot with 15 pound test, and it broke at over 100%. Three tries, each of them broke over 100%, and you can see how it looks when it breaks over 100%. It does not break at the knot. It breaks in the line above the knot. If you're looking for a very strong knot, maybe the strongest knot to tie on your hook or your lure, this may be it.
Tom Rowland: So where would you use a knot that is a 100%? Now you might think, well, of course, I want the strongest knot that I could ever get. But if you're fishing up against the mangroves or fishing up against brush, you're a bass fisherman and you aren't using really expensive lures and there's a very good chance that you're gonna hang up, you may have a lot of other time invested in your leader system and tying from braid to fluorocarbon and then you might want a knot that tests a little lighter so that if anything breaks, it's gonna break right off at the hook.
Tom Rowland: Okay? Other people are going to want the strongest possible connection to the hook but that may be stronger than many of your other knots.
Tom Rowland: So something to think about. In my opinion, I want the strongest knots that I can get throughout my entire leader system and this one is definitely gonna go in my arsenal. This one tests right up there at over 100%.
Tom Rowland: That is the best line to hook knot that we've tested on the Tom Rowland podcast. This one is definitely a keeper, and it is over 100%.
Tom Rowland: So that means if you're fishing with 12 pound test line, this knot is gonna test stronger than the line. So you'll be able to pull the full 12 pounds before your leader will break and if it does break, it's not going to break at the hook.
Tom Rowland: The unknown knot, what should we call it? Comment below what we should call this knot. I've scoured the Internet. I've not seen a single name for this knot. What are we gonna call it?
Tom Rowland: So how does this compare to all the other knots that we tie on the Tom Rowland podcast? I've got a great thing for you. You can download your free knot guide where we have compiled all the results of all the knots we've tied, how they compare and their breaking strength. You can get that for free at tomrowlandpodcast.com.
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