How to Tie a Improved Clinch Knot

beginner

Tying a hook, lure, or swivel to your line when the eye is too small for a doubled loop

Use the improved clinch when the hook, lure, or swivel eye is too small to pass a doubled loop of line through, which is most small lures and many sabiki or trout-size hooks. It's also the more familiar choice if you learned to fish before the Palomar became the default recommendation.

Steps

1. 1.Pass the line through the eye and wrap it around the standing line 5-7 times.
2. 2.Bring the tag end back through the small loop formed just above the eye.
3. 3.Then pass the tag end through the larger loop you just created.
4. 4.Wet the knot and pull the standing line to draw the wraps down snug against the eye, then trim.

Common Mistakes

• •Using too few wraps on light line or too many on heavy line, 5 wraps for line over 20lb, 7 for lighter mono, mismatching this weakens or bulks the knot
• •Crossing the wraps over each other instead of stacking them in a neat spiral down the standing line, crossed wraps bind and reduce strength
• •Forgetting to pass the tag back through the big loop after the small loop, this second pass is what locks the knot, skipping it lets it unravel under load
• •Pulling only the tag end to cinch, you need steady tension on the standing line too or the wraps bunch up unevenly against the eye