I’ve been fishing for over 40 years and have tried all these knots through trials on the water. I got the same results you explained in less than 5 minutes. Well done!
I learned the improved clinch when I was a kid. I didn’t even know that was its name. Somebody showed me how to tie it, and that was the knot I used until I was in my 30s. I’m 68 now, and worked in a tackle shop after I retired and learned serval other knots, like the dropper loop to make pompano rigs. I still primarily use the improved clinch, but the palomar is great when you can pass the loop over your terminal tackle. I really appreciate how quickly you got to the point in this video, and have subscribed.
Palomar is great, but that little loop part of the line ,ALWAYS, Wants to hang back and ketch, wrap itself ner the eyelet or eyelet swivel ect. You have to block off its sneaky double back, lol.
My dad taught me the palomar before I started fishing. He grew up on a Farm in Mexico and used the palomar for farm animals and ranch work! Not surprised! Thanks Dad! Rest In Peace!
lol Palomar for farm animals….how? Literally one of the only knots NOT usable in that scenario lol. Bowlines, clove hitches, anchor hitches, sheep hitches, stopper knots with clove hitch…..all for farm animals….but a palomar lul. You get that bill to jump through the loop!
I was a Palomar knot guy for years, and still will when tying direct to braid or flouro less than 8lb. I started using a uni knot in 2010 when I began my braid to leader journey and it hasn’t let me down.
Same here. Palomar is not reliable for larger mono and fluoro. I use the uni for every line and the double uni for every line to line type including fly line to micro leaders.
@@BG-bx4ey I don’t use the uni to uni anymore for leaders, whenever I was snagged or broke the line off it would fail at the leader knot 100% of the time. I switched to an fg knot for leaders, it never fails.
@@SpiraljamI just learned the FG, songs haven't tested it myself, but I had many uni-uni knots fail. I switched to Albright knots, and had a much better time if it, with the benefit o it passing easily through the eye on a cast, out needed
Love it. I switched to the palamar knot a couple of years ago from the improved clinch and have taught it to all my kids for ease of tying. Was nice to see it perform so well in testing. In my experience of using it I lose less lures in the cast and don’t have the obvious knot failure from the clinch days. Thanks
Just like many other's here in the comment section, such a boost of confidence hearing the Palomar came in at #1 My dad taught me the Palomar knot when I was 9 or 10 (I'm now 36) and it's the only fishing knot I've tied in my entire life. Thanks for the testing 💪
I have used the improved clinch knot exclusively for ages; I know people love the palomar, but at this point, I can pretty much tie the ICK with my eyes closed, so I have no intentions of changing, at least not for such a small improvement in strength. It has never failed me.
I use the palomar when tying to a hook, jighead type hooks and use the uni on larger lures like a a double spinner or buzzbait then go with the double uni when tying a leader to braid.
I grew up tying the Trilene knot (A version of the improved clinch knot) and now that my eyes can no longer find the holes, the Palomar or the Miller knot are my go-to knots.
Palomar for all braid. improved clinch for regualr mono to swivel or lures. Egg loop for bait. Uni to uni for line to line (yes there are stronger and thinner knots but this is easy to tie and hasnt failed me yet.). Those are the 4 i use regularly.
I’d love to see this test on mono and braid up to 150 lb test. I’m sure the knot strength will vary dependent on line thickness. it would be interesting to see. Thanks for the video.
@@larrytrickett9115 Palomar in big diameter mono or even worst, fluoro isn't and option (unluckly) cause It wont tight correctly because the rigidity of the line, I tried on a 0.70mm fluoro but It doesn't work, I think in bigger moni the best Is the improved clinch or the uni knot
The palomar knot has the least friction when tying which reduces pre-abrasion from tying and also double the line through the eye which helps abrasion resistance.
The knot I grew up with was the improved clinch. It's still my go to knot in a lot of cases because it's easy to tie, and I have trouble tying much else with the light line I use on my ultralight and light action rods. Although I do use a Trilene knot on my ultralight and light action setups sometimes. I'm going to start trying to use a Palomar knot when I can. But I'll probably stick with the improved clinch and Trilene knots some of the time.
I always used the Improved clinch for 12lb and below, and the san diego jam for 14lb + Curious to see the san diego jam. I had used the palomar but had issues. I may revisit it because I was doing this with 6lb line that I later found to be problematic on its own. I'd say I break off on a fish about once a year, and it's usually because I don't retie. I feel extremely confident in that system I have with the San Diego jam at higher weights, and improved clinch at the mid/low range of line weights. I rarely dip below 8lb nowadays, though. I use 5 wraps from 12lb-14lb, and 6 wraps for 6-10lb.
If I wanted a knot that was very strong and less loss of fish and hooks, definitely the Palomar knot. Very strong and reliable. My next favorite for quick ease of tying and reliability is the improved clinch knot, which I use about 80% of the time. It is also quite strong but not as strong as a Palomar. I've been using these for many years.
I like the uni knot for multiple flies on a rig. It can be a slip knot when tied to the bend of a hook and so it can be opened up and be removed from the hook bend. Comes in handy sometimes when re-rigging.
When I first seen the Palomar knot, I loved it bc it was super easy, I never knew till this video it's the strongest knot on the board, I tied this knot 2 hours ago and I love it!!
I've been using nothing but an Improved Clinch Knot for 56 years and it's never failed me. I will use other knots when I need more wobble in a Crankbaits or something.
First knot I learned to tie was the uni and have never had a problem with it. The other two might be considered better but if it isn’t broke I don’t see the need to fix it
With any knot, especially the uni knot, it is extremely important how you tie it. You have to close the knot almost completely up the line and then gently slide the knot GENTLY towards the hook, lure swivel before you close it. Use enough water or spit and test it with your hands. So don’t just jank on the line to close the knot, because you will damage the line.
After recently picking up fishing again from when I was a kid, I've been using the Palomar for small lures and hooks, and the improved clinch for setups which require passing through bulky items which can be a pain with the Palomar. Since learning these two knots, I have not lost a single lure or hook on a fish or snag, and from experience alone, they are much stronger than the standard clinch.
I used the Palomar knot on braided line for many years, but avoided it on mono until this summer. Thicker monofilament lines do not lock down well on complex multi-turn knots, though they will tie well on light lines. I lost a good fish on an improved clinch knot with 15 lb line that slipped on a good barbel, and will only use Palomar now.
The improved cinch was ok when we all used monofilament, but I switched to the palomar knot as a necessity when hybrid lines came along. It’s a simple knot to tie if we remember not to twist the loop and to wet before pulling. Nice concise video. I’ll take the testing on trust.
New to fishing at 37yrs old, only knot I know and was taught is the palomar knot. I was looking to find other knots to use next time I wet my line but I’m glad I don’t need any other, the one I already know is the best.
Agreed also not all line is equal eg supple vs fluorocarbon. My suggestion is always test your line and knots before you go fishing. So you have real confidence in your gear.
Is that for optimal breaking strength or to stop it from slipping? I use 5 wraps for 10-130# braid, 4 wraps for 6-10 and 40#+ mono & fluoro, 5 wraps for 12-30# mono & fluoro with excellent results but certainly open to improvement!
I’ve had a few hogs break my uni knot, it was from top water strikes both on Berkeley choppers disrupting the top water. Top water strikes are so insane I ended up getting a bait caster finally with some 30 on braid I’m hoping that’ll be my ticket to securing that giant top water fish, do not even think about trying to fish top water with anything less than 20lb braid and especially if your using a spinning combo just stick to finesse.
I've used the improved clinch my entire life and I think I'll stick to that because not only can it be used for hooks but it can also be easily without fail attached to a leader and even used in everyday life that one end of something can't slip through as easily as a hook would.
Results comport with my experience, thank you for the review. Personally, I think it is the two loops through the eye that make the Palomar so strong. I also think that's what makes the Trilene and Improved Trilene so strong, too.
I'm always surprised when someone doesn't use a Palomar knot for most of their fishing needs, given how easy it is to learn and tie. The strength of it is more of a fringe benefit, but well worth knowing about.
I feel like the uni is the simplest and most versatile. You don't have to pass anything thru the loop, so large baits, leaders, etc are easier to tie that way. Also, if you know 1 uni, you know 2, so you have an excellent line to line knot too. I have had putiful results with mono and fluorocarbon with the palomar, but watching this makes me consider user error more.
Anyone that has ever hooked themselves with a long jerkbait or big crankbait while trying to pass the loop over it to tie that stupid palomar knot will almost immediately swear them off. improved uni-knot (just two passes through the eye) is stronger than a palomar with braid and so much easier to tie.
@@josh08287 - Did you notice I said "most"? Also, I disagree completely on the improved uni-knot being easier OR stronger. Maybe you're just not as good at tying a Palomar knot, but simple testing shows it is consistently stronger than any uni-knot.
No surprises to me. I just find the improved clinch easiest to tie (but I’ve been using it for over 60 years so…). What really did surprise me was that the 12# line broke consistently at 75% of the rated strength!
It's gonna depend on how heavy line your using. On thicker braid lines (0.28++) the uni knot is a lot stronger than the palomar. Like 25-40%. Always a good idea to look up knot strengths for different types of lines and thickness, and not rely on 1 test on 1 type of line and thickness.
Excellent video! I discovered the uni knot about 6 yrs ago when I got more serious about fishing and found it to be a huge improvement over the improved clinch that I had been using previously. Might be time to try the Palomar. It may depend on how easy it is for me to tie. ALSO please do similar tests of knots for attaching fluoro leaders to braid in the 10 to 15 lb range.
Gotta try out the Palomar! I have used a knot close to the Uni knot since I started fishing around five years ago. The knot has broken only a couple times, and both times were when the hook was in the weeds, but it would be nice, and possibly beneficial at some point to know other knots too, I believe! Thanks for this short but informative video!
Two knots that are substantially stronger than the Palomar knot are the Double Pitzen and the San Diego Jam knot. They aren’t actually knots, they are hitches. Fluorocarbon is especially weakened when a knot is used. Since I switched to the Double Pitzen I have had zero line failures.
The palomar was the first knot dad thought me as a kid, but have been using the improved clinch almost exclusively, I,m switching back, it’s easier to tie without my glasses, thanks.
Personally I’ve never had good luck with the polamar knot. I would always break off but I’ve always done really good with the improved clinch knot. Plus it’s a skinner knot than the polar knot which helps a lot when your lure is coming through grass and gunk.
Nice. I always use the improved clinch knot or the Palomar depending on the situation. It's almost impossible for a Palomar to slip plus it's easy to tie.
I have heard it said that you have to be very careful using the Palomar knot on fluorocarbon line. The theory is that if you go to cinch it down and do not separate the lines in the loop correctly (apparently a lot of people don't) the knot will cut the line under pressure from a fish pulling on it. Supposedly it does not have this problem with braid and mono.
Uni knot all day everyday easy simple to the point never failed me and caught some nice bass But to each there own whatever works for you that's your choice on the lake have a good time that's all that matters making Memories
Palomar used when tying on a bare hook. Often the Double Uni when tying on a lure as hate using up so much of my Leader. Appreciate the Test and the easy to see Knot Tying Demonstration. Be well.
Palomar tip: don't pass doubled lined through the hook's eye where it pinches and weakens line; pass single line through the eye and exit to create a loop.
The main line to the palomar knot runs through the eye twice, If you want your knot to be as strong as a palomar, just run your line through the eye twice before you tie your knot.
I picked up a book about fishing when I was 8 years old (25 now) and it had a list of knots, out of those I chose the Palomar because it seemed simple at the time. I haven't used another knot since
I learned the Palomar Knot from watching the fishing shows on TNN and ESPN in the 1980s and I once went to a sportsmans show and walked up the Stren booth where this pro fishing guy had the same scale set-up at his booth for breaking the knots and was teaching everyone the Improved Clinch until...I walked up, tied a Palomar Knot and beat his knot by what seemed to be 100% knot strength, as the line broke before the knot did. Mr. Stren couldn't believe his eyes and tied one himself and got the same result. Mr. Stren then thanked me profusely in front of everyone and went off to tell the other Mr. Strens all about this awesome and easy-to-tie knot some guy just showed him. 😆
Here's one i bet few have heard of: the Davey knot. I use it to tie flies on tippet. I started using it for all light lures. I know it's not as strong as the PK, but i can tie ten daveys in the time it takes to tie one PK.
Hi Tom. I have one more example to test out. In my Loop knot I loop the line through the eye twice before tightening. I use this on my Topwater baits. Would this make the knot stronger??
Grew up with the improved clinch (AKA: enhanced). Funny- there’s a lot of sentimental value to many aspects of fishing. I think I’ll stay with the knot I grew up with.
For 60 years I've used the 5thbwt knot (improved clinch) for all my hook, swivel, etc connections. However, thinking of switching, at least for hooks, to the Uni knot ... rationale is that the upline facing tag of the knot acts as a 'barb' to hold worms on the hook and preventing them working free from the barbless used.
For the life of me, I can't think of why you would be using worms and barbless hooks. You're the first person I've ever heard suggest such a thing. The only barbless fishing I've ever had to do was catch and release gold medal waters, or in areas with protected species, but never where live bait was allowed.
My father taught me the clinch when I was a kid and he passed away while I was still a teenager. After he passed away, I stopped fishing and it has been nearly 15 years, but I just got back into fishing again. I did not have any issues with the clinch knot until recently when I had an unexpectedly large or strong fish on my line. 15lb braid, 14lb mono leader and a max drag of something like 12-14 lbs. The knot slipped and I lost the fish after what felt like several minutes of fighting it. I retied with the Palomar that night and will be using that one going forward, it is just as easy, if not easier to tie and I don't want to lose another fish like that to a knot failing.
Hardest knot for me to tighten is a Palomar when tied around a large bait, like a spinnerbait. That huge loop is there at the end and burns, even wet, cinching it down.
In 70 years of fishing I've always used one knot. The improved clinch. I've spent most of my life bay fishing both in boat and wade fishing. I primarily use 17lb xt. Now many small treble hooks have an eye too small for a double line so that eliminates double knots. When you're out wade fishing with waves above your waist and fish all around then if you break off there's only one thing in mind. Get another hook on and out there quickly. I need a knot I can tie in seconds under all sorts of conditions and that will hold well. Over all the years I've perhaps had the improved clinch pull apart perhaps three times. Likely my fault for being in too big a hurry. At any rate I've broken the lines numerous times without ever breaking that knot. I commonly used a #10 3x treble hook for speckled trout and on one occasion likely hooked a very large jack. Half way through the fight I lost the fish. I reeled in to find the knot held but the hook had straightened out all three barbs. Eagle claw at it's very worst. I still use them but I'm no longer as trusting about them.
Hooks are chosen based on the size fish you're expecting to catch. As hooks get smaller most people use smaller reels and smaller line as well. As the hook size decreases and the line size with it, you can usually double the line thru no problem. I don't know why anyone would use say 50# braid with size 4 hooks for instance, it makes no sense at all. As for treble hooks, I rarely see any that can't handle a double line, especially #10 size. You can look up the Eagle Claw #10 on google and the eye is massive, easily handle double 17lb of any line.
@@robertdahle7216 Actually when I set the hook the fish caught a second line I had out of the back of the boat and I had two 6500 ambassador reels smoking as line peeled off the reels. Before I could even release the drag on one the line went slack. I kept that treble hook for years as it's the only one I every straightened all three barbs with. I don't care if you believe it or not but you should at least check your spelling before posting.
@@marcuslinton310 You ever wade fish when it's below freezing? I've had my hands so numb that I couldn't push a treble hook through a live shrimp. A simple clinch knot worked well for me over all my fishing years so whether it was the best choice or not doesn't make me any difference. I will say I spent half an hour or more fighting a large shark across most of galveston bay on a single #10 treble hook and only lost the fish at the boat when the hook got thrown.
