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.
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