The Palomar knot

The Palomar is a knot tied in doubled line, and that is exactly where its strength comes from. Where other knots hold by the friction of a precisely counted set of turns, here a double loop does the work, and there is simply nothing to miscount.

How it is tied

Double the line and pass the loop through the hook eye. With the doubled line tie a plain overhand knot, leaving it loose. Then pass the loop over the whole hook — and only after that wet it and pull it up, drawing on the main line and the tag together.

The commonest mistake is starting to tighten before the loop has gone over the hook. The knot then seats in the wrong place and holds less well.

Why it holds on braid

Braid is slippery, and knots that rely on the friction of a few turns slip on it. In the Palomar the load is carried by a double loop rather than by friction, which is why it suits braided line better than most hook knots.

Where it will not do

The main limitation is geometric: the loop has to pass over the whole lure. With a large plug, a heavy spoon or a bulky jig head that is either awkward or impossible.

The second limit is the eye. Doubled line will not go through a very small eye, and then you use a knot tied in a single strand. Eye sizes and types are covered in the hooks section.

The double Palomar

For fine and especially slippery braid there is a variant in which the doubled line goes through the eye twice. After that everything is as usual: overhand knot, loop over the hook, wet and tighten.

It costs extra bulk and needs a larger eye, but the knot stops creeping on the thinnest braids.

How to tell it has seated properly

In a finished Palomar both strands leave the knot side by side and parallel, and the knot itself sits hard against the eye. If the strands have crossed, or the loop has stayed on the eye instead of passing round the hook, cut it off and tie it again.

Where it belongs

Hook, swivel, snap, a small lure, an offset hook — anything the loop will pass over. That is the commonest case, and it is why the Palomar is the first knot recommended to anyone who ties knots rarely.