The Palomar Knot: Simple, Reliable, and Nearly Perfect

The Palomar Knot: simple, reliable, and almost perfect. Among all fishing knots, the Palomar remains one of the few that I have no serious complaints about. It's as easy as pie, ties in 4-6 seconds even in complete darkness and wearing thick gloves, retains 94-97% of the line's breaking strain, and works with almost all types of fishing line and braid. That's why it's known and loved by both beginners and professional guides on the world's most challenging rivers, including, of course, the Putorana Plateau.

History and origin

The "Palomar" knot got its name from the famous Palomar Observatory in California. In the 1940s and 1950s, American saltwater fishermen fishing for tuna and marlin off the California coast were looking for a knot that wouldn't cut thick nylon lines and could withstand the tugs of 100-kilogram fish. One of the fishermen, who worked as a technician at the observatory, showed his colleagues a simple "double" knot he used to tie hooks to leaders. The knot quickly spread along the Pacific coast and was named the Palomar Knot.

It came into use in fly fishing and spinning in the 1970s and 1980s, and by the 1990s it had become one of the most popular knots in the world.

When and where is Palomar really the best choice?

• Tying hooks, snaps, swivels, and large-eye jig heads
• Braided line of any diameter (especially 0.06–0.20 mm)
• Fluorocarbon 0.15–0.50 mm
• Thin leaders for ultralight and area trout
• Catching large, strong fish (salmon, taimen, large char, pike, pike-perch)
• Situations when you need to quickly change a bandage in the cold, in the dark, or in the rain

On the rivers of the Putorana Plateau, the Palomar is the second most popular knot after the Tube Fly Snell. It's used for tying heavy streamers on tubes, large double hooks on pike leaders, and especially for quickly changing hooks on bombers and large dry flies when fishing for trophy taimen, grayling, and char.

Step-by-step knitting instructions (classic version)

1. Fold the fishing line in half to form a loop 12–15 cm long.
2. Pass this folded loop through the eye of the hook (swivel, snap hook).
   If the eye is very small, use a needle or thin loop wire.
3. Bring the loop over the hook and make a regular overhand knot, but do NOT tighten it.
4. Now pass the hook (or the entire bait) through this large loop.
5. Wet the knot with saliva or water.
6. Slowly and evenly tighten both ends (the main and running gear) simultaneously. The assembly will lock into place automatically.
7. Trim off the excess, leaving 1–2 mm.

The knitting time for an experienced angler is 4–6 seconds.

Video tutorial on how to tie the Palomar knot

Variations and improvements

• Double Palomar – before tightening, make a second loop and pass the hook through again. Provides almost 99% strength on braided line, indispensable on the Putorana Plateau when fishing for taimen and large salmon using heavy mice and 10-15 cm streamers.
• The Palomar treble rig is a three-turn rig instead of one. It's used extremely rarely, only on very thick braid (0.40+ mm) and large saltwater hooks.

Advantages of the Palomar Knot

• Strength 94-97% on monofilament line, 95-98% on braided line, 92-95% on fluorocarbon
• It's almost impossible to tie it wrong.
• It can be knitted even with mittens and in 30-degree frost.
• No tools required
• Self-tightening - the stronger the fish jerks, the tighter the knot
• Suitable for hooks with small and large eyes

Disadvantages (there are almost none)

• Requires an eye 2–2.5 times the line's thickness. Double line sometimes won't fit through micro hooks #18–24.
• The line consumption is slightly higher than with a uni-knot or clinch.
• On very stiff 0.50+ mm fluorocarbon it can sometimes be difficult to get the bait through the loop.

Palomar on the Putorana Plateau: Why Guides Love It

On the Ayan, Vivi, Neralakh, Kutaramaran, and Dulimar rivers, where you can catch 10–15 trophy char and salmon weighing 8–18 kg per day, every second counts. The Palomar allows you to tie off a heavy streamer or mouse literally on the run, between casts.
Many guides on the Putorana Plateau tie a double Palomar knot on 0.18–0.25 mm braided line when fishing for taimen with 100–150-gram lures—the knot has never failed, even when landing fish over 30 kg.

Comparison of the Palomar knot with other fishing knots

Conclusion

If you're still tying a regular clinch or a granny knot, try the Palomar knot once, and you'll never go back. It's one of those rare knots that truly makes fishing easier, more secure, and faster.

On the Putorana Plateau, where the fish strike so hard they sometimes break rods and tear lines like paper, a Palomar is more than just a knot. It's insurance against losing the catch of a lifetime because of a broken leader.

Tie a Palomar and fish in peace.