What is the best loop knot for fishing?


There are lots of different loop knots that fishermen use for tying hooks and lures to their main lines and leaders. The loop knot is a strong knot and a great choice when you want your bait or lure to have a little more wiggle to it.

The loop knot in the video below is my favorite for many different reasons:

1. It is very easy to tie when you are out on the water or in the wind. 
2. It is a very strong knot and doesn't come untied.
3. It gives your lures just enough extra movement to get more strikes when the fish are being picky.
4. It gives your live bait more freedom to move when tied to your hook.

You really do not need to know any other loop knots for fishing with live bait or lures than the loop knot in the video below.

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 loop knot below all of the time and it consistently holds up even with some very large fish pulling on it.

Watch the video below and learn more about tying the best loop knot for fishing.
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Why is the LOOP KNOT the best fishing knot for fishing with live bait?

There are many variations of loop knots that fishermen use when live bait fishing. Some are very complicated and hard to tie when out on the water. The wind is the biggest enemy of tying knots when you are fishing. This is especially true with braided line.

The loop knot is such a good not because the pressure is on the knot itself and not on the hook. This means that there is much less friction with the line as it moves through the eye of the hook.

The loop knot above lets your live bait offering move much more realistically in the water. This in turn leads to many more strikes and lots more fish catching.

When I am fishing with larger live bait like a ladyfish or a large mullet out on the flats or somewhere inshore, I don't always use the loop knot. I think that the larger live bait moves just fine with a hook in it.

BUT when I am fishing with live shrimp, scaled sardines, threadfin herring or some other white bait, I always use the loop knot. There is definitely a difference in the amount of movement that the smaller baits are capable of with the loop knot versus another knot.

There are instances when a loop knot just won't work when you are fishing with live baits. There are times that I will tie braided line directly to the hook. A loop knot will not hold up when you are using braided line in that scenario. I use a double or triple palomar in those instances.

All in all the loop knot is the best choice for fishermen who are fishing with smaller live baits inshore. It is a good choice for trolling with larger baits offshore too. Give it a try next time you are fishing with live bait.


Why is the LOOP KNOT the best knot for fishing with lures?

The first knot that I was taught as a child was a clinch knot. This knot works pretty well in just about every scenario. BUT about 30 years ago someone taught me the loop knot and the difference is astounding to me.

I am a big fan of using a walk-the-dog style of lure first thing in the morning and an hour before sunset. That is one of my favorite ways to catch snook, redfish, speckled trout, tarpon...…… and many more.

See the best top water lures for inshore fishermen here.

This technique gets a ton of reaction strikes from the fish that you are probably trying to catch. The zig zag pattern that the lure makes is irresistible to the fish mentioned above.

BUT it takes a lot of practice to get your lure zig zagging the way that you want it to. When I switched to the loop knot it became much easier to get the right lure action.

The loop knot is also a game changer when you are fishing with jerk baits. Jerk baits are a type of lure that require an erratic movement in the water when you twitch the lure. If you are using anything but a loop knot, then your lure will not perform the way that you want it to. It is really that simple.

Jig fishermen should also use the loop knot. Even if you are a flounder fisherman and just bounce the jig off of the bottom every few feet. There is still enough extra movement with the loop knot to get even the pickiest flounder to bite your jig.

This is also true if you are a snook fisherman and like to use a flair hawk jig. You want the erratic movements when you are snook jig fishing. A clinch knot or any knot that cinches down to the jig will not perform nearly as well as a jig with a loop knot tied to it.

Learn more about snook fishing with a flair hawk jig here.

Are you a tarpon fisherman? Tarpon are one of the pickiest fish that there is. Some days they will hit just about anything and other days they won't bite anything. One these days you will need every bit of lure movement to get a reaction strike from those tarpon.

My advice to anyone like me who loves to fish with lures is to learn a loop knot. The one in the video is the easiest, strongest and best loop knot that I have ever used.


Conclusion:

The loop knot is a no brainer for fishermen how want to fish with live bait or with lures. It is really as simple as that. You will catch more fish with a loop knot in these two scenarios versus some other knot. I am telling you this so that you will catch more fish.

The loop knot is easy to tie and you can do it with your eyes closed if you practice it enough. It really does increase your strike ratios. I have tested it over and over again as I fish with other people who do not use them. My strike ratios are always higher than theirs.

If you are ever down in the Treasure Coast area of Florida. ie. Fort Pierce, Vero Beach, Hutchinson Island, Jensen Beach, Stuart and Port St. Lucie, AND you want to come and catch a bunch of fish from a kayak, then you can come fishing with me.

You can book a kayak fishing trip and test out your loop knot tying skills on a kayak. We target tarpon, snook, redfish, speckled trout and flounder but there are lots of other kinds of fish that will give you a fun day of fishing the flats.

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

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