On this How 2 Tuesday I tie and test the three tag knot, also called the Jamie Caldwell knot after the friend who showed it to me. It is a close cousin of the San Diego jam, tied with a doubled line and only three turns, then finished through the pinched hole. I show how to tie it, then test it in 15 pound Daiwa J Fluoro, where it averaged 12.78 pounds, or 85.31 percent of the line strength, nearly even with the San Diego jam.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
The three tag knot is a line to hook knot my friend Jamie Caldwell showed me, which is why some anglers call it the Jamie Caldwell knot. It is closely related to the San Diego jam, with one key difference. Instead of a single strand wrapped seven times, the three tag knot uses a doubled line with only three turns, finished by passing the tag through the hole you pinch. That doubled line is where the name comes from.
You tie it with a doubled line rather than a single strand. Pass the doubled line through the hook eye, pinch to hold a loop, and make three turns around the standing line. Then finish the same way the San Diego jam finishes, passing the tag back through the hole that you pinched. With the line doubled and only three turns, it ties quickly once you have the pinch and finish down.
In my How 2 Tuesday testing the three tag knot averaged 12.78 pounds in 15 pound Daiwa J Fluoro, which works out to 85.31 percent of the line strength. That is a strong, dependable number for a fast line to hook knot, and it sits right alongside the San Diego jam, which averaged 86.28 percent in the same line. The two knots are essentially neck and neck in strength.
Yes. They are two names for the same knot. My friend Jamie Caldwell showed it to me, so I often call it the Jamie Caldwell knot, while three tag describes how it is tied. Whichever name you use, it is the doubled line, three turn cousin of the San Diego jam, finished through the pinched hole.
The two knots are similar with one main difference. The San Diego jam is tied with a single line going through and seven turns around, then finished through the hole. The three tag knot is tied with a doubled line and only three turns, with the same finish back through the pinched hole. Doubling the line can affect strength, but in testing the two came out almost even at 85.31 percent versus 86.28 percent.
I tested the three tag knot in 15 pound Daiwa J Fluoro, the same fluorocarbon I used for the San Diego jam, so the two could be compared fairly. Using identical line on both knots is what lets the 85.31 percent average stand as a real measure of the knot rather than a difference in the line.
This one came to me through my friend Jamie Caldwell, which is why I also call it the Jamie Caldwell knot. After the San Diego jam blew up with requests, Jamie showed me a close cousin that uses a doubled line and only three turns. The lineage is half the fun of these tests, because a small change in how a knot is tied can change how it performs. I share how Jamie passed it along in the episode.
The build is quick once you have tied the San Diego jam. You double the line, run it through the eye, pinch to hold a loop, and make just three turns around the standing line. Then you finish the same way, passing the tag back through the hole you pinched. The doubled line and the lower turn count are the differences, and they are the reason it earns its own name. I take it step by step in the audio.
Then I tested it in 15 pound Daiwa J Fluoro, the same line I use for these comparisons. The three tag knot averaged 12.78 pounds, which is 85.31 percent of the line strength. That is a strong, consistent number for a fast knot, and it sets up the head to head with the San Diego jam that a lot of you asked for. I break the result down in the episode.
Here is the interesting part. We have seen in other tests that doubling the line can increase knot strength, so I expected the doubled three tag knot to pull ahead of the single strand San Diego jam. In this case it stayed almost even, 85.31 percent for the three tag against 86.28 percent for the San Diego jam. I talk through why they came out so close in the audio.
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.
Tom Rowland is a lifelong saltwater fishing guide, tournament angler, and the host of the Tom Rowland Podcast. He spent decades guiding in the Florida Keys and has fished from the Keys to the Seychelles, and he created How 2 Tuesday to break down one practical fishing skill at a time. From knots and casting to gear and tactics, he tests what actually works on the water so anglers can fish with more confidence.
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