Fishing Forum

what has been everyone's success with this not compared to other knots
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I find it to be pretty effective for small line. It is especially good for fly fishing, as it can be impossible to tie a palomar on the fly. However, for line 8# and up, I recommend the palomar whenever possible. It seems to hold up considerably better compared to the clinch not.
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The clinch knot is adequate for small lure and bait applications and for use with smaller fish and it is an extremely easy knot to tie. However, the knot is weaker then the line itself which means that you have to retie often if you are catching fish left and right because the knot will weaken to the breaking point considerably faster then stronger knots like the palomar. There is always the possibility that something large will take whatever you are throwing and then you have to back off the drag and hope for the best. You may not be able to apply enough pressure to turn the fish, especially in swift current, without breaking the line.

The clinch knot also doesn't have much abrasion resistance and I don't recommend using it when fishing rock structure or heavy cover such as submerged brush. You can get away with using a clinch knot in snag prone places using heavier line but if you can use a stronger knot to do the job then put the odds in your favor.

If you have gotten good at tying clinch knots and prefer using them as your primary method then I have a suggestion that you may find useful. If you are using a hook large enough you can put a loop in your line, double it up, put the loop through the eye of the hook, and then tie a clinch knot or improved clinch knot. Then you clip off the tag ends and you're ready to fish. This doubles the strength of the knot.
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For tying larger items ( swivel, lures, etc.) I tie the cinch not just a little differently. The line always breaks above the knot before this knot fails. To tie it my way you double the line putting the loop through the eye. Then tie the knot normally using the doubled line. When you have cinched it up you can trim off the tag end and the little loop that is sticking out of the knot. This is a 100% knot and easy to tie.
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I use this knot to pretty much tie everything and the line usually fails before the knot does. Now this idea of doubling the line before you tie I have never heard of. Is is that much stronger?
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