What is the best fishing knot?


The answer is the Uni Knot. This is the one fishing knot that is the best choice to use for 90% plus of all circumstances. If you could only choose one fishing knot every time that you went fishing it would have to be the uni knot. It is the most utilitarian fishing knot that exists.

The uni knot is the most useful knot in the fishing world for many different reasons:

1. You can use it to tie a monofilament or fluorocarbon leader to braided line with it. 
2. You can use it to tie monofilament line to a monofilament leader with it. 
3. You can tie a fluorocarbon leader to a monofilament line with it. 
4. You can use it to tie your lures and hooks to your line with it.

You really do not need to know any other fishing knots beside the uni knot to catch fish just like the pros do.

I am a FISHING CHARTER CAPTAIN on the Treasure Coast of Florida. I have been fishing the grass flats and mangroves all over Florida for more than 40 years. I use the uni knot constantly and it does not ever fail me when I am out on the water.

Watch the video below and learn more about tying the Uni Knot and the Double Uni Knot.
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Why is the UNI KNOT the best fishing knot for marrying lines together?

There are lots of different knots that you can use to marry two lines together. BUT just try and tie some of those knots when you are in the wind on a rocking boat. Trust me when I tell you that can be a nightmare.

There are FG knots and Albright knots and all kinds of other knots that are out there that you can use to marry two lines together...…… BUT all of those knots take some time to master and they are quite complicated to tie. 

The Uni knot is one of the more simple knots to learn and you will eventually be able to tie it practically with your eyes closed. Well maybe not with your eyes closed but you won't have to try very hard to complete one successfully.

This is the only knot that I use to marry braided line from my reel to a monofilament or fluorocarbon leader when I am fishing. The knot is relatively small and does not damage the guides when you inadvertently cast the knot through them.

Yes, the FG knot does have a smaller profile which means that it will cast through the guides a little bit better but there is no way that you can tie that knot in the wind. That knot takes precision that is not always available to a fisherman who is out in the elements.

This is especially true if you are a kayak fisherman like me. Everything is harder to do in a kayak and I don't have time to mess with super complicated knots when the bite is hot. I just want something that I can tie quickly and get back to fishing as soon as possible.

Yes, if you are tying monofilament to monofilament or monofilament to fluorocarbon, then a surgeon's knot is a lot easier to tie. BUT that knot can pull with a big fish AND that knot does not work well when tying leaders that are heavy to a light line.

Let's say that you are fishing for snook on the grass flats with 8 to 12 lb. monofilament line and you want a heavy leader so that they don't wear through the line.

Surgeon's knots work great if you are tying a 20 lb. leader to an 8 lb. test. BUT if you need a 40 lb. or 50 lb. leader then you will have some problems.

The uni knot comes to the rescue again. You can tie a 50 lb. leader to 8 lb. monofilament without any problems.
I am telling you that if you can master the tying of this knot, then you will save yourself a lot of headaches the next time that you are out on the water.


Why is the UNI KNOT the best knot for tying your hooks and lures to your line?

Since I was a kid I have been tying the clinch knot, a.k.a. fishermen's knot, to my lures and hooks. This is a great knot especially when you are using heavier pound test monofilament lines because there is enough friction to keep the knots from unraveling.

BUT if you are using lighter lines, then the knot can pull through when you have a big fish on the end of your line.

When I got a little older I learned to use the improved clinch knot which mostly stopped my monofilament knots from pulling. Problem solved right?

Not so fast. Because then braided line came out and I tried to tie the braided line straight to my lures and the improved clinch knot would pull every time. It would pull even with really small fish because that line has very little friction to hold the knots together.

So then I just tried to add more twists to the line. I would usually use 5 or 6 twists with the improved clinch knot, so I increased that to 10 or 12 twists. The knots would still pull apart almost every time.

Enter the uni knot. Now I can use the uni knot to tie my braided line directly to my lures without worrying about the knot slipping. You have to use a lot of twists, however. I use 10 to 12 twists to make sure that there is enough friction on the line to keep the knot from pulling.

Yes, a double or triple palomar knot is probably a better choice for tying braided line directly to a lure or hook but remember the focus of this article is "if" you could only use one fishing knot for every circumstance which one is the best choice.

AND that is hands down the uni knot. It is the easiest and most utilitarian knot that you can use for fishing. It is really as simple as that. Learn how to tie a good uni knot and you will be very happy that you did. Trust me.


Conclusion:

You can use the uni knot for probably 95% of all of your knot tying needs. This is definitely the most useful and powerful knot in fishing. If you want a strong knot that is easy to tie, then you will want to master the uni knot.

Sure it is a good idea to know a loop knot if you just love fishing with lures. Your lures will have more action with a loop knot versus any other knot. There are specific knots for specific purposes that are better in some instances than a uni knot. BUT there is no knot that can do more all around good for your fishing experience than the uni knot. Give it a try.

If you are ever down in the Treasure Coast area of Florida. Come kayak fishing with me. You can book a kayak fishing trip and test out your knot tying skills on a kayak. We target tarpon, snook, redfish, speckled trout and flounder but there are lots of other species that will bend your fishing rod too.

Thanks for reading this article. I hope that it helps you catch a ton more fish and answers the question, "What is the best fishing knot?"

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