Number of turns for the improved clinch knot

[Pkfish49]

I use the improved clinch knot to tie on leaders, swivels, hooks, and to directly tie lures on.  I twist seven times before finalizing the knot, but have seen online resources advise on as few as five turns. What is the best practice for the number of turns?  Does it depend on the type and test of the line?  There must be some exact mathematics regarding the knot strenght differences with different number of twists.  I wonder if the "Knot Wars" folks or anybody else have tested this.

[MDbassin]

On my ultra light setups I use 4lb test mono and I use 5 or 6 wraps anymore then that and I tend to break my line when going to cinch it down. For my other rods with mono I have anywhere from 8-12lb test and with them I use 7-9 wraps and it's worked well for me

[Pkfish49]

8 minutes ago, MDbassin said:

On my ultra light setups I use 4lb test mono and I use 5 or 6 wraps anymore then that and I tend to break my line when going to cinch it down. For my other rods with mono I have anywhere from 8-12lb test and with them I use 7-9 wraps and it's worked well for me

It does appear that the line test makes a difference.  I use mono with all of my reels.  I have 2 saltwater reels, one with 15 LB test, the other 30, and I've always tied the knot with 7 turns.  This always holds well.  I recently put some 6 LB mono on my lake reel and it kept breaking after I tried to finalize the knot.  I had thought that this was due to some crappy quality line, as I bought some cheap bulk spool, but maybe this is simply the nature of the lighter test.

[MDbassin]

The more wraps you put in the knot the more friction there will be on the line you were wrapping it around.

15lb test can take a lot more friction then 6lb test 

[riverbasser]

I don't use this knot too much anymore but I learned to tie it with 6

[MDbassin]

Another good know to try is the palomar knot I use the double palomar for all my braided line.

its real simple and very strong. Don't quote me on it but I believe it's one of the if not the strongest knot. Out of the knots I use it's the strongest I know

[Bluebasser86]

I do 7 with lighter lines and 5 or 6 with heavier lines but I don't tie it often anymore. 

[NHBull]

All my leader is FC and use 10 wraps,  it is just easier to remember.

That said, the Uni is the only know that has never failed me.

The Palomar is very popular, but I have seen it daily more than any other knot.  It is because folks don't pay attention to keeping the line parallel throughout the knot.

 

[Jeff H]

Never more than 5 for me.  I have even used 4 without problems.

[TheRodFather]

I read somewhere that the thinner the line, the more wraps you want.  I average about 5 or 6 on my 6-8 lb leaders on my smallmouth setups and 4 or 5 on the thicker largemouth setups.

I use floro leaders and haven't had the knot fail during cinching it down.  More often than not, on the smallmouth set ups I will get hung up and bend the hook out before breaking the line or pulling the knot out, I have pulled the knot out occasionally when hung up, but never from fighting a fish.

 

[.ghoti.]

Four

 

[rawjuice]

I use improved clinch for every knot except when using braid or when tying on a flipping hook. I came up with this little guideline and it has never let me down and I fish many tournaments every year so I trust it. 

17lb or heavier: 4 wraps

15lb or less: 5 wraps

Never had issues with this little system. Let me know if you have any questions.

2 hours ago, Jeff H said:

Never more than 5 for me.  I have even used 4 without problems.

Just read this post after I posted, amen! No need to wrap so many times in my opinion.

[Paul Roberts]

I used 5 for a time, but had a few knots pull out. I suspected it was from deformation with lines that have some stretch (often advertised as having "shock absorption") Big Game, and what appeared to be a reformulation of Trilene XT (which began to advertise "shock absorption" a while back). The simpler answer is that I had a few poorly constructed knots at those times, despite having tied that knot for years previous. However, I went to 6 turns and leave my tags a bit longer so I can keep track of any slippage.

I know trophy trout fly-fishing guide who uses the unimproved clinch on tippets of < .006. He claims the line is so fine it cinches down and doesn't slip. Lines above that diameter he uses the improved version.

[The Bassman]

I have good success with the Trilene knot in mono line.  It's real similar except you start with two eye loops. I wrap the loops around my index finger.  Makes that final pass real easy.