Palomar Knot - Are you tying it right? (I haven't been!)

[blckshirt98]

I just had an interesting conversation on the Swimbait Universe Facebook group with Michael Rushing (credit goes to him as this was his observation and topic).  Turns out I've been tying my Palomar knot wrong for years, since Day 1.  After the loop back through instead of pulling the open loop over the hook below the overhand loop, I've been bringing the hook over the overhand loop and back through the open loop.  I've had line burn/knot breaking issues forever and it looks like it's the way I've been tying the knot (cinching on top instead of below).  If you look at the two videos below, the top is how I've been tying it, and the bottom is how it should be tied.  This wouldn't be a problem with braid, but a big deal with fluoro.  Anyone else having fluoro breaking issues with a palomar, and has also been tying it incorrectly?

 

Incorrect - 

 

 

 

 

Correct - 

 

 

Left is correct, right is incorrect -

 

[NHBull]

The flaw in the knot is crossing the lines......makes it incredibly weak.

Properly tied it is good knot and without saying, it works fine for Braid.

Since my eyes suck, I won’t tie it on anything else

[WRB]

Long before this knot was called a Palomar knot it was known as the Indian knot during the 50's when I learned to tie it. I believe Palomar came from a fireman named Palomar who won a knot tying contest in the 70's. Twisting the double line kills this knot.

Tom

[blckshirt98]

The bad part is the misinformation showing it being tied incorrectly but still labeling it as a Palomar knot.  I can't remember where I learned it, but I've always taken the hook and looped it up and over back through the open loop.  I also can't fathom how many fish I've lost on broken hooksets - it's a freaking lot because I fish a dropshot easily 80% of the time, including hooksets on "heavy pull" bites.  #$*(&#*($

[Catt]

4 hours ago, NHBull said:

The flaw in the knot is crossing the lines......makes it incredibly weak.

Properly tied it is good knot and without saying, it works fine for Braid.

Since my eyes suck, I won’t tie it on anything else

 

Not letting the lines cross is paramount, the top line will cut the bottom line.

Edited June 16, 2018 by Catt
Operator Error

[WRB]

Another failure point when tieing a Palomar knot is clinching it tight by pulling on the main line inlieu the tag end. Obviously you need to wet any knot before clinching it tight, if you see a shinny flat spot near the hook eye...retie!

Tom

[ClackerBuzz]

every example looks the same to me yanny.

[Team9nine]

Having a hard time trying to figure out exactly what you are saying and what the difference is from your examples. Top video looks like he ran the bait/hook through backwards perhaps. As someone who has used the Palomar solely as their only direct connecting knot in everything from braid, to nylon to fluoro without issue for over 30 years, the biggest mistake I see is people don't flip the last loop after the pass through up and over the entire overhand knot (and lure/hook). It should look like the picture below right before cinching, and if done this way, there is never any burning or heating of the line.

 

[riverbasser]

I'm all confused but I've never had an issue with this knot so I'm not guna change anything

[blckshirt98]

1 hour ago, Team9nine said:

Having a hard time trying to figure out exactly what you are saying and what the difference is from your examples. Top video looks like he ran the bait/hook through backwards perhaps. As someone who has used the Palomar solely as their only direct connecting knot in everything from braid, to nylon to fluoro without issue for over 30 years, the biggest mistake I see is people don't flip the last loop after the pass through up and over the entire overhand knot (and lure/hook). It should look like the picture below right before cinching, and if done this way, there is never any burning or heating of the line.

 

 

On the left side after step 2, you just move the loop under the hook, and the cinch will be "below".  On the right side after step 2, instead of moving the loop under the hook, the hook is being pulled up, over, around, and back through the loop an additional time.  This is the line crossing that people are referring to.  If you're not having any issues you're probably doing it right and no worries, but if you're using fluoro and you seem to be getting an unusual amount of break off, this could be the cause because there's misinformation out there where instructional videos are showing it incorrectly, which is all I'm trying to point out.

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

I still haven't figured out how to tie a knot without crossing the line over itself, seems like a pretty important part of the knot is for the line to cross over itself. 

[Mike L]

4 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I still haven't figured out how to tie a knot without crossing the line over itself, seems like a pretty important part of the knot is for the line to cross over itself. 

 

They're talking about when you pass both lines through the eye before you make the over hand knot, they should be parallel to each other. 

And the loop created after you make the over hand should not be twisted before you

pass the hook through. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[Team9nine]

11 hours ago, blckshirt98 said:

 

On the left side after step 2, you just move the loop under the hook, and the cinch will be "below".  On the right side after step 2, instead of moving the loop under the hook, the hook is being pulled up, over, around, and back through the loop an additional time.  This is the line crossing that people are referring to.  If you're not having any issues you're probably doing it right and no worries, but if you're using fluoro and you seem to be getting an unusual amount of break off, this could be the cause because there's misinformation out there where instructional videos are showing it incorrectly, which is all I'm trying to point out.

 

 

Ok, definitely don't do the latter. However, to get maximum knot strength with minimum line heating, after moving the loop under the hook and putting it (the hook) into/through the loop as you mention above, continue to lift the loop all the way above the overhand knot, basically flipping it upside down before tightening (see my pic above). Leaving that loop line lying against the hook eye or on top of the overhand knot will definitely weaken the finished knot.