100% Knot

[Vince Fusco]

I went on you tube looking at different knots, and found one called the 100% knot. I sometimes have trouble seeing my 2 and 4 lb. test when I tie a improved clinch knot, and thought I would try something easier on my eyes. I lost two fish today because of knot failure. I finally just squinted hard, and went back to the improved clinch knot. Has anyone else on here tried this knot?

[Leo Nguyen]

100% failure knot. Perfect for usage on 10lbs or more. Not so much on 6lbs and less. I practice on my nail knot. Got it down packed without thr use of an aid after a few months of playing with it. So far, my nail knot surpasses all my other knots. Improved clinch knot when i'm in a hurry. Nail knot when I have a bit of luxury multitasking time.

[Walt Foreman]

I haven't tried the knot you speak of, have never heard of it, but I'll offer what I tie, which is the Palomar knot.  I switched from the improved clinch over thirty years ago to the Palomar; it's a vastly superior knot, and pretty simple to tie.  

One other resource for knots - North American Fishing Club has an ongoing comparison of knots they do called "knot wars;" I've seen it a couple times on TV, and they have some pretty impressive knots that they've tested.  If I recall correctly, they have all of the knots that have done well in the tests, listed on their website.  

But I rarely, rarely ever have a Palomar give way.

[dick tabbert]

I've used the improved clinch every since I can remember. I do like the Palomar but I feel like I loose to much line by the time I get it tied and cut the tag end off. Lionheart you will have to show me the Nail Knot I'm not familiar with it.

[Leo Nguyen]

Nail knot is slightly tricky to master just by hand without an aid of a nail, or normally use an empty ink pen reservoir tube since it's smaller and easier to tighten up without making a messy knot. Try YouTube and search for a nail knot. Quite fun to play with. Since it has no tightening to create a crease in the line, there's minimal to no damage to the line that may cause a line failure. I have yet lost a fish due to knot slippage, whether be fly, flouro, or mono.

[JBplusThuy]

I have exactly that problem, too. I've been tying the improved clinch since childhood and I always forget the Palomar and have to look it up again if I want to use it :p No knot is worse than the one you can't remember, so I always fall back to the improved clinch.

I've got that eye problem, too. I've been nearsighted since my late teens, which usually gives excellent reading-distance vision as a side effect, but now I can't focus on things that are too near my eyes, either. Of course, when 4 pound line is far enough away to see, it's too far away to see <g>

[Allen Morgan]

The "Nail Knot" is commonly used in fly-fishing to tie backing to fly line, and leader to fly line.

Surprising, it's also the same knot in the store-bought, pre-tied bobber stops that come on little plastic tubes.  The tube serves the same purpose as the nail.

[dick tabbert]

Amen on the seeing part I feel your pain.

[Troy Dorman]

The improved clinch knot sucks as does the regular clinch knot. The very best knot to tie for bluegill and most fisherman using a regular hook, is the original snell knot. There's a problem though, it's one of the toughest knots to learn BUT once mastered, it's THE BEST KNOT out there. It's been around forever and was originally developed and utilized in deep sea fishing.

 

It took me a while to master the Snell but trust me, it's worth the effort and frustration. It allows more in-line hookups with fish too, meaning you'll miss less. This is coming from a knot expert, I can tie several hundred knots in various situations. I can make a life rescue contraption out of a French Bowline, Double Bowline or Spanish Bowline. I've always had a keen interest in knots because my Grandpa was a Navy man in WW11 and he could tie many knots.

[Tony Livingston]

The type of fishing line you are using will have a big impact on which knot you should use. Mono, braid, and flurocarbon all have some knots that work well, while others do not.

Flurocarbon in particular.

[dick tabbert]

Tony don't know exactly what you mean. I have about 15UL rod & reel combo's and on 90% of them I use fluorocarbon and my go to knot is the improve clinch and don't ever recall loosing a fish because of the knot. That's not to say I've never lost a fish using fluorocarbon but the fault is my own I know you have to retie on occasion when I get nicks in my line but sometimes I get a little lacks and don't and have paid the price for being lazy. But all in all the improve clinch has served me well.

[Tony Livingston]

My experience was with P-line's fluroclear, a flurocarbon coated line. I can't begin to recall the number of fish I broke off due to a weak knot. It simply didn't have very good knot strength with an improved clinch. It would do better with a palomar, but still gave up too easily.  I went back to my trusted Sufix Elite, and haven't lost another fish since.

I'm sticking with mono from now on.

[Walt Foreman]

Tony, I too use mono, and never even consider fishing with a bargain brand (P-line, etc.).  Twenty or so years ago when braided first made a resurgence, I tried some of the braided lines, but didn't like them - they're much less supple than mono, as is fluorocarbon.  I think they're a good choice for bass fishing when heavier line is used, but for bluegill fishing with light line, mono is where it's at.

I don't know if I've ever tried Sufix - how does it compare to Trilene XL?  The latter is the best mono I've used.  I've been wanting to try some of the Yo-Zuri hybrid line, and the Nashville Bass Pro carries it but the smallest size they have is 10-lb.  But I would think since it's part fluorocarbon that it would probably be too stiff in 6-lb., which is what I use.