On this How 2 Tuesday I tie and test the Yucatan knot, a popular braid to leader connection a lot of anglers asked me to put on the bench. I start with a bimini twist for a doubled loop, then build the Yucatan against a 40 pound fluorocarbon leader with seven to nine wraps. I test three from 20 pound braid to 40 pound fluorocarbon. They broke at 17.38, 17.26, and 17.54 pounds, an average of 86.96 percent of the line strength.
Listen now: press play in the player above and follow along.
Start by tying a bimini twist in your braid to create a doubled loop, since the bimini is essentially 100 percent strength. Hold the doubled loop, then cross your fluorocarbon leader over it like an X, the way you would start a blood knot. Wrap down the leader seven, eight, or nine times, then pass the tag back through the loop at the end. Hold both lines in position, draw it down, let go of the tag, and pull on the doubled line to seat the knot. Trim the tag and you have the Yucatan.
In my test it held strong. I tied the Yucatan from a bimini in 20 pound braid to 40 pound fluorocarbon and pulled three of them. They broke at 17.38, 17.26, and 17.54 pounds, very consistent, for an average of 17.39 pounds, which is 86.96 percent of the line strength. The bimini stayed intact every time, so the bimini was stronger than the knot, and the failure happened at the Yucatan.
It is a popular braid to leader connection, joining a doubled braid main line to a fluorocarbon or monofilament leader. A lot of people asked me to test it. It is not a knot I use regularly myself, but it ties a doubled braid to a heavier leader cleanly and runs through the guides well, which is why anglers like it for that braid to leader job.
The bimini twist gives you a doubled line that tests at essentially 100 percent strength, so it becomes the strong foundation the Yucatan is built on. You tie the bimini first, then use that doubled loop to form the Yucatan against your leader. In my test the bimini stayed intact while the Yucatan was the part that gave, which tells you the bimini did its job as the stronger connection.
It failed cleanly and consistently. On every one of the three knots, the bimini stayed intact and the 40 pound fluorocarbon ended up with a little pigtail, which tells me the leader slipped out of the knot rather than the line breaking. It happened the same way on all three pulls, which is why the numbers were so consistent at 17.38, 17.26, and 17.54 pounds.
I tied the Yucatan from a bimini in 20 pound braid to a 40 pound fluorocarbon leader, with seven to nine wraps down the leader. Keeping the same braid, the same leader, and the same setup across all three knots is what makes the 86.96 percent average a fair measure of the Yucatan itself.
The Yucatan knot is a popular braid to leader connection, and a lot of people wanted to see it tested. It is not a knot I reach for regularly, but that is exactly why these requests are valuable. When enough anglers ask about a knot, I want real numbers on it rather than reputation. I tied it from a bimini in braid to a fluorocarbon leader and put it on the bench. I explain why it kept coming up in the episode.
It starts with a bimini twist, which gives you a doubled loop that tests at essentially 100 percent. Then you cross your leader over the doubled line like an X, the way a blood knot starts, and wrap down seven to nine times. You pass the tag through the end loop, hold both lines, draw it down, let go of the tag, and pull on the doubled line to seat it. It is a pretty little knot when it forms, and it runs through the guides well. I take it step by step in the audio.
I tied the Yucatan from 20 pound braid to 40 pound fluorocarbon and pulled three of them. They broke at 17.38, 17.26, and 17.54 pounds, really consistent, for an average of 17.39 pounds, which is 86.96 percent of the line strength. That is a solid number for a braid to leader connection. I read out the full results in the episode.
Here is the detail I found most useful. On every pull the bimini stayed intact, so the bimini was clearly stronger than the Yucatan. The 40 pound fluorocarbon ended up with a little pigtail, which means it slipped out of the knot rather than breaking, and it happened the same way on all three. That consistency tells me a lot about how this knot behaves under load. I break down what it means for trusting it 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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