Loop knots have gotten complicated with all the YouTube tutorials showing seventeen different variations flying around. As someone who has tied thousands of these at the kitchen table and on the water, I learned everything there is to know about which loop knot actually holds and which ones will lose you fish. Today, I will share it all with you.
Here is the short version: you need a loop knot that stays open so your lure can swing freely, but that absolutely will not slip when a fish tries to rip the rod out of your hands. Most knots do one or the other well. A few do both.
The Non-Slip Loop — My Go-To
Probably should have led with this section, honestly. The non-slip loop knot is the one I tie 90% of the time when I want lure freedom. Start with an overhand knot in your line about six inches from the end. Thread the tag through the lure eye, then back through that overhand knot from the same side. Wrap the tag around the standing line — the number of wraps depends on your line weight. Heavy line gets two wraps. Medium gets three. Light line needs four or five for security.
Wet it, cinch it down, and you have a loop that stays perfectly open and tests at near-100% line strength. I have caught everything from two-pound bass to thirty-pound stripers on this knot without a single failure.
The Surgeon’s Loop — Quick and Dirty
When I need a loop fast and do not care about perfection, the surgeon’s loop is my backup. Double the line, tie an overhand knot with the doubled section, pass the loop through one more time, wet it, and pull tight. Done in ten seconds. It is not as clean or as strong as the non-slip loop, but it works in a pinch.
When Loop Knots Do Not Matter
Not every lure needs a loop. If your bait has a split ring, the ring already provides freedom of movement — just tie a standard Palomar or clinch knot to it. Jigs fished on the bottom do not benefit from loops either. Soft plastics on a jighead? Snug knot, every time. That’s what makes knot selection endearing to us detail-obsessed anglers — knowing when to use which knot is half the battle.
Testing Your Knots
Tie a few at home and yank on them. Really pull. If the loop slides closed or the line breaks below where it should, your technique needs work. Better to find that out at your kitchen table than when a fish is peeling drag at 30 mph.
The Material Matters
Mono ties loop knots easiest and most reliably. Fluorocarbon is stiffer and can be tricky to dress properly — take your time tightening. Braid is slippery and may need extra wraps or a different knot entirely. I stick with the non-slip loop for mono and fluoro, and switch to a perfection loop or double uni when I am tying braid to a leader.
